The Sacramento Bee, Calif., Bob Shallit Column.

By Bob Shallit, The Sacramento Bee, Calif. Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News

Mar. 3--It seemed like a simple plan: Tear down the ramshackle building housing the Fireside Bar & Restaurant in east Sac and put in a modern restaurant complex. But then the litigation began. The owner of the complex sued the operators of the Fireside. The Fireside owners countersued. Acrimony reigned.

Now, fortunately, the suits have been settled, good feelings have returned. Exactly one year behind schedule, the renovation is set to begin. The low-slung building at 56th an