The Triple Dot: Balloons, Custard and Kayaking

Dear Friends,

I don’t know about you, but October is my favorite month of the year. The days get shorter, the weather cools (important for non-AC-living in the East Bay), and it’s a busy time as everyone goes back to work after what turned out to be a blazingly fast and packed summer. Fall is an exciting season for restaurant openings in the Bay Area, not the least of which is FOG CITY (see Client Wire). We’re also looking forward to checking out other Bay Area hot spots, such as Mockingbird, 1760 and The Vestry. We’ve already popped our heads into Oakland’s new A16 Rockridge, Bourbon and Beef and Homestead, one of which made our Sweet Spot this month!

For the past several months I’ve been volunteering as the PR Chair for this month’s first-ever Taste of the Nation East Bay, which will be hosted at The Claremont Hotel Club & Spa on Sunday, October 20. With celebrity chef Tanya Holland (Brown Sugar Kitchen, B-Side BBQ) as Honorary Chef Chair, the afternoon event features more than 40 of the East Bay’s finest restaurant and beverage companies, all offering a variety of delicious tastings, including Hawker Fare, Plum, Flora, Pican, Wood Tavern, Shakewell Bar & Kitchen, Bison Brewing, Rock Wall Wine Company and St. George Spirits. For tickets and additional info, please check out the website. We hope to see you there!

Cheers to Fall!

Diana G. Haven

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A New City
Formerly the iconic Embarcadero restaurant Fog City Diner, FOG CITY re-opened on September 23rd with renowned Chef/Owner Bruce Hill (Zero Zero, Picco, Bix) at the helm.

The original Fog City Diner, which was an institution from its opening in 1985 until it closed for renovations in March, has been completely reinvented by Chef Hill and its original founders, Bill Higgins and Bill Upson. Maintaining the restaurant’s approachability, FOG CITY offers innovative new menus in a sophisticated, warm and open space created by architect Michael Guthrie. After sampling most of the menu and loving everything on it, we find we’re now obsessed with the FOG CITY Burger (an homage to your favorite fast food burger, but made with housemade American cheese, bread & butter pickles, and bun) and the whole Wood Oven Chicken, which is roasted in the wood-fired oven in a mere 14 minutes and so, so juicy. For dessert, FOG CITY has what we think is the only frozen custard program in the city – and it’s amazing, especially with egg yolk caramel poured on top. FOG CITY is open seven days a week for dinner, and will start lunch and weekend brunch this month. As they used to say at Fog City Diner, “Get in here.” (photo: Heimo Schmidt)

Fall Brews and Views
Brews and Views is back and better than ever, coming at you with a brand new fall lineup. Let the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company pour you a cold one and

expand your world view by exploring topics that truly matter through film screenings and discussions – from students who are the first generation in their family to attend college and ocean conservation efforts to the war against human trafficking. Join us November 7th from 6-8 p.m. for a very special Brews & Views when the Brewing Company's co-owner and the man behind Brews and Views, Lenny Mendonca (also a Director at McKinsey & Company), will lead a discussion on modern slavery with the president and founder of the Not For Sale campaign, David Batstone. The Brewing Company has also brewed a special “Not For Sale Ale,” available on tap starting Friday, and is donating a portion of the proceeds to the cause. Find more information on the entire Brews & Views series here.

Bioluminescence Adventure
Throughout the month of October, Nick’s Cove and Cottages is offering a

rare and beautiful packaged experience only Mother Nature could pull off. Their Evening Kayak Adventure is a three-hour naturalist-led tour for two out on Tomales Bay to either a) explore the bioluminescent dinoflagellates that beautifully illuminate the bay if the timing is right or b) simply enjoy in the beauty of kayaking around on a moonlit Tomales Bay. That evening, enjoy an overnight stay at one of Nick’s luxurious water-view cottages and wake up to the sparkling waters of the bay as well as a continental breakfast. Who knew nature (in conjunction with a stunning cottage) could be so magical? (Photo: Tim King)

Soaring with the Wydown Hotel
The sky’s the limit for our favorite St. Helena boutique hotel. The Wydown Hotel’s new “Soaring Over California” package gives visitors a beautiful on-the-ground and bird’s eye view of Wine Country, and includes a one night stay at the hotel, a sunrise hot

air balloon flight with breathtaking views of Napa Valley landmarks, Champagne breakfast at Michelin-starred Solbar at Solage Calistoga, and round-trip transportation to all locations. Also available is “The Royal Treatment” upgrade, which includes a Tour of the stunning Tuscan-style Castello di Amorosa, Dario Sattui's 121,000-square-foot Tuscan castle-winery, complete with a wine tasting including their current releases and barrel samples. Looking for an even more active day? The “Vineyards by Horseback” optional upgrade includes a guided 90-minute horseback ride and wine tasting at the award-winning Chalk Hill Estate Vineyards. For more information and to book your reservation, call the Wydown Hotel at 707-963-5100.

Thanks to our office’s ideal location in Oakland, we’ve been making an effort to really explore the area and have had the pleasure of dining at some amazing East Bay restaurants, including the packed-from-day-one A16 Rockridge on College Ave. A dish we just can’t seem to get off our minds is the Montanara Rockridge Pizza from Chef Rocky Maselli — lightly fried dough, smoky tomato sauce, burrata, basil. Decadent? Yes. Incredibly satisfying and unlike any pizza we’ve tasted? Pretty much. And they serve it with fancy scissors!
(Photo: Diana Haven)

As we delve into fall, we’re finding ourselves with a constant craving for all that is warm, flaky and sweet. Enter the Olallieberry Cobbler from Little River Inn, a recipe passed down from Cora Hervilla, innkeeper Callie Dym’s grandmother, fulfilling all of the above requirements.

Olallieberry Cobbler

Ingredients
(Serves 12-14)

8 cups olallieberries, cleaned and picked over
2 cups sugar
½ cup flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Preheat over to 300˚. Mix all ingredients gently in a bowl, just enough to combine. Place in a 9”x 13” baking pan and shake to make a flat surface. Set aside.

Pastry:
1 cup flour
Pinch of salt
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon shortening
1 tablespoon softened butter
1 ½ tablespoons ice water
Egg white and sugar for topping

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse twice, then add shortening and butter. Process for about 15 seconds, then add the ice water. Process briefly, until the mixture is like a paste. Turn the pastry onto a floured surface and shape into a ball. Roll the crust with a floured rolling pin, shaping it to be slightly larger than the pan. Place the crust gently on top of the cobbler. Brush with egg white, dust with sugar, and bake for 1 hour and 25 minutes. If the crust needs more browning, bake for up to 12 minutes more.

Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

Note: This recipe works in a conventional oven only. Do not use a convection oven.
(Photo: Frankie Frankeny)

While our favorite show, Breaking Bad, was not often funny (well, there is Saul), we love this insightful, entertaining and very thorough review of the series finale, “Felina,” which aired Sunday night.

Or, here’s a handy Ladies’ Cheat Sheet for the Breaking Bad Series Finale, which lends a whole new perspective (courtesy of one of our favorite news satire sites, Reductress). Either way, Walter White, you will be missed.

Never underestimate the power of being nice. Sounds like a great business strategy to us!

Interested in seeing how we can impact your bottom line? Drop us a line at diana@ellipsespr.com. Mention The Triple Dot and receive a complimentary one-hour consultation.

Ellipses Public Relations is a boutique firm based in Oakland specializing in travel, restaurant, food, beverage and special event publicity. We believe in personalized service, targeted media campaigns and building long-term relationships with our clients that help them achieve their goals. www.ellipsespr.com