Â The Triple Dot: BEERbecue, Piscofest and Middle'terranea

Dear Friends,

Summer has arrived and with it, celebrations galore. It's remarkable to think that our longtime client the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company is celebrating its 15th anniversary this weekend - especially since our first project with them was to promote their 10th! Congratulations! And, on the 28th, Peruvian Independence Day is cause for raising of a glass (or two) at the first Piscofest from Chef Carlos Altamirano and his Potrero Hill destination for Peruvian cuisine, Mochica. You can read more about both in the Client Wire.

We're also thrilled to welcome MINA Group back to the Ellipses PR family this month with the launch of The MINA Test Kitchen's first pop-up from Chefs Michael Mina and Adam Sobel. We first partnered with MINA Group when we helped launch Clock Bar at the Westin St. Francis in 2008, and it's an honor to be working with them again!

What says summer more than a lovely glass of chilled Rosé? Join fellow Rosé wine fans for the Rosé Rendezvous at SIMI Winery in Healdsburg, celebrating the Gold Medal winning wines from The Rosé Competition, on August 1 from 2-5 p.m. Guests will enjoy more than 25 Gold Medal winning Rosé wines, meet winemakers, eat tasty noshes and celebrate all things Rosé on the glorious SIMI Winery patio. See here for tickets and additional info.

Needless to say, we're looking forward to a dynamic, delicious season and hope you are, too! And, here's wishing for some much-needed rain this fall!

Cheers,

Diana G. Haven
Follow me: Twitter - Instagram

P.S. For the latest news and tips, be sure to follow Ellipses PR on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!

15th Anniversary BEERbecue at the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company

In celebration of the Half Moon Bay Brewing Company’s 15th Anniversary on the San Mateo County coast, a full-scale BEERbecue is happening this Saturday, July 18th, in the heated, dog-friendly Mavericks Beer Garden from 1 - 4 p.m.

Chef Frederico Godinez will be grilling up beer-infused local meats, seafood and veggies all weekend long (check out the special menu here) and were created specifically to pair alongside the new summer beers by Brewmaster James Costa. For those who make it out to the BEERbecue, complementary tastes of the 15th Anniversary Blood Orange XXAmber will be available for guests (21 and over) and is the perfect end to a meal along with a complementary blood orange cupcake. Free brewery tours and live music will round out the weekend’s festivities.

Piscofest Takes Potrero

Carlos Altamirano's flagship restaurant, Mochica, is celebrating Peruvian Independence Day with Piscofest, a range of pisco-inspired experiences and specials from Saturday, July 25, through Wednesday, July 29.

The event series kicks off with Opening Night on The Hill on July 25, featuring a local house DJ, and continues with Peruvian brunch specials and pisco brunch cocktails on July 26, and pisco-cocktail paired appetizers July 27 and 28. The inaugural Piscofest concludes with Pisco Night on the Hill on July 29, which includes a special talk by pisco connoisseur Miguel Solari and is complemented by a pisco tasting flight, three pisco cocktails, and three appetizer bites for $35. Join us as we celebrate this delicious spirit with incredible food and lively entertainment!

The MINA Test Kitchen Introduces Middle'terranea

James Beard Award-winning Chef Michael Mina and Chef Partner Adam Sobel (RN74) are collaborating on a new passion project at MINA Group’s latest exciting endeavor, The MINA Test Kitchen.

Opening on July 23, the Kitchen's first pop-up concept, Middle’terranea, features a menu born out of a strong desire to explore the chefs' respective heritages - Mina was born in Egypt and Sobel has roots on both sides of the Mediterranean. The duo will be cooking food that is close to their hearts, and will combine the flavors of Israeli, Turkish, Egyptian, and Lebanese cuisines in a five-couse, family-style approach. Located at 2120 Greenwich Street in the Marina/Cow Hollow neighborhood, the Middle’terranea pop-up is open Wednesday through Saturday nights from 5:30 - 10 p.m. through October, and tickets are required. Tickets are $45 per person for five courses, with additional courses and beverage pairings available to add on. The tickets for Middle’terranea are now available online for purchase here.

As you’ve probably realized by now, most of the Ellipses team lives in Oakland, and one of our very favorite places to eat at as often as possible is FuseBox in West Oakland (2311A Magnolia St.).

This delicious and eternally packed Korean restaurant is (thankfully!) expanding its hours to include dinner service on Sundays and Mondays starting July 19th, so there really is no excuse to not get in there ASAP. We went last month and did the tasting menu for $45 and, around eight courses later, we were blown away by the depth of flavor, creativity, presentation and service. Our favorite dishes of the night included the sticky, spicy and addicting chicken wings and the bacon-wrapped and barbecued enoki mushrooms.

Reservations are very recommended and are only taken by phone: (510) 444-3100.

Since opening last month in the heart of Russian Hill, Lord Stanley has quickly earned a following and critical acclaim for Chefs Rupert and Carrie Blease's modern take on California Cuisine - with a touch of Northern Europe thrown in. We love this easy recipe for Salt Cod Brandade, which goes perfectly with bread, or with a salad and poached egg. Yum!

Salt Cod Brandade

Pomme Nature

Ingredients:

2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
2 sprigs of thyme
2 sprigs of basil
2 small cloves garlic
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup lime juice

Preparation:

Bring the potatoes and herbs to a simmer in a pot of salted water. Cook potatoes gently until completely soft. Peel potatoes and pass through a fine mesh drum sieve. Season with finely chopped garlic, olive oil and lime juice. Set aside.

Salt Cod

Ingredients:

1lb Black Cod, skin off/pin boned
1 cup Kosher Salt
2 cups milk

Preparation:

Completely submerge the fish in Kosher salt, and leave in the fridge overnight. Rinse the following morning and let soak in cold water for four hours. Poach the fish gently in milk at about 140 degrees fahrenheit for about 20 minutes. Milk should just cover fish, and should be brought to a simmer and kept at the low heat until fish flakes easily.

Presentation

Ingredients:

Pomme Nature from above
Salt Cod from above
1 cup crème fraiche
pinch cayenne pepper

Preparation:

Once the cod is cool, add to the pomme nature, and 1 cup of creme fraiche and gently fold together and add a pinch of cayenne pepper. You should have a fluffy brandade, season with salt if needed. Enjoy!

Don't you want to take just a bite of the deep-fried Big Mac and see what this tastes like? On a related note, McDonald's is under fire for Happy Meal toys that reportedly curse up a storm.

In the battle to be the biggest live streaming app, who is winning - Meerkat or Periscope? Opportunity abounds for restaurants and destinations to benefit from this new technology.

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