The Triple Dot Newsletter: Punchh, Wine & Poetry

Dear Friends,

We don’t know if it’s the weather, if Mercury’s in retrograde or if all our hard work over the last 3+ years is paying off, but things are hot, hot, hot at Ellipses PR this month! We welcomed three new clients and have been busy bees at the HQ. Of course, we have plenty of things food & wine to share with you, as well as news about the international teen poetry slam presented by Youth Speaks, well worth grabbing a ticket to on Saturday night. Also, the fourth location of the delicious Crêperie Saint-Germain opens this weekend in the Metreon Center.

In other news we’re producing a very cool event with UrbanDaddy and Samsung Mobile on Thursday evening, July 26, called A Picture Perfect Evening, to which you all should have received an invitation yesterday. Don’t forget to RSVP here: Samsung_sf@urbandaddy.com and join us for stellar cocktails, heavy hors d’oeuvres (think: full dinner, not canapés), DJ Kevin Kind spinning his tunes, digital artistry, handwriting analysis and the opportunity to play around with the new Samsung Galaxy Note. (And psssst!...they’ll be giving away a few of them to attendees!)

Both of us enjoyed separate trips up to Tomales Bay this month, kayaking with Blue Waters Kayaking and staying at the luxurious cottages at Nick’s Cove – a sweet, albeit short, respite from the office whirlwind and now we’re back to the grind. But at least it’s a tasty one.

Read on, hot steppers.

Cheers,

Tami von Isakovics & Diana Gil-Osorio

P.S. For the latest news and tips, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our Dot Dot Dot blog.

Red, White & Green

When it comes to wine, we like it any way we can get it: red, white, rosé, amber, orange and green. Green, you say? Well, that part comes in the form of the beautiful outdoor scenery that is Yosemite National Park, and you can get your fix of all colors and all things wine at this year’s 31st Annual Vintners’ Holidays event in November. Hot off the press is the lineup, which includes some of California’s best winemakers, who visit The Ahwahnee each year for this treasured event, sharing their oeniphilic knowledge and, of course, delicious wines with attending guests. Expect to see such returning greats as Silver Oak Cellars this year as well as newcomers Hatcher Winery, Ancien Wines and Lasseter Family Vineyards. If that weren’t enough, each of the eight Vintners’ Holidays sessions are capped off with a culinary tour de force, a five-course feast in the candlelit Dining Room created by talented Executive Chef Percy Whatley, who expertly reverse-pairs each course to the wines being poured. So, get ye to The Ahwahnee pronto and book one of the sessions, taking place November 4 through December 6, 2012. Bring your questions, curiosity and thirst for this wine adventure. Bottoms up! (photo credit: Chris Andre)

One, Two, Punchh
Have you ever been at your favorite restaurant or fro-yo spot and looked down to your wallet to fruitlessly search for the “frequent flyer” loyalty card to get one step closer to a free cone, only to discover that it ended up in the Universe of Lost Socks?

Well, fret no more, as Ellipses PR just started working with an amazing new client: Punchh—a social loyalty platform for restaurants that allows you to keep all your cards in one place electronically, and tell your friends about it on Facebook, therefore moving you closer to incentive rewards from said restaurant. For restaurateurs it also helps build brand loyalty and drives new customers through word of mouth referrals. If you’ve got a smart phone (or access to the Internet), you can electronically “punchh” your card and redeem rewards without ever having to dig through your wallet again. Local folks like Pacific Catch, Pasta Pomodoro and Boudin Bakery are already on board. Plus, the free downloadable app, available for the iPhone and Android, comes complete with satisfying, old-school hole punch graphics and sound effects. It’s a knockout!

Mamma Said Knock You Out

Have you heard? The voices of today’s youth are sharing their thoughts, wisdom, experiences and poetry. We’re not talking about the vast and cerebral inner contemplations of Miley Cyrus, we’re talking about actual, real, brave teens with a message to share, and who are doing so this week at Youth Speaks’ 15th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival. This incredible event is brought to your ears by Youth Speaks—the leading nonprofit presenter of Spoken Word performance, education and youth development programs in the country, which is bringing together more than 500 young artists, outspoken activists, educators, poets and emerging leaders from 44 U.S. cities and 6 countries for five days of open mics, preliminary poetry slams and writing workshops. The competitors, in teams of five to six, battle with their wit and words throughout today’s quarter-finals and tomorrow’s semi-finals, hoping to win one of four spots at the nearly sold-out Grand Slam Finals on Saturday night, July 21, at the gorgeous Fox Theater in Oakland. And, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan will be there as well! Read today’s feature in the Oakland Tribune/Contra Costa Times, check out the Brave New Voices Tumblr for updates and get your tickets here! (Photo of Bay Area team member Colleen Hamilton-Lecky by Ashleigh Reddy)

2 Legit 2 Quit: Grape 2 Glass
And continuing our early ‘90s rap headline theme, another great event you should snatch up tickets for is the 17th Annual Grape to Glass Pre-Harvest Party on August 18, thrown by the Russian River Valley Winegrowers. A

beautiful region for producing some of the best wines (in our humble opinion), the Russian River Valley is home to stunning rolling hills, cool wine-growing climates and is the perfect late summer destination. Before the craziness of wine harvest hits, the vintners celebrate by bringing their boutique wines, and sometimes barrel tastings, to the event for guests to try. More than 75 wineries, restaurants, artists and vendors will convene for your summertime pleasure, rounded out by a good old-fashioned BBQ from by Chef Larry Vito of BBQ Smokehouse Bistro & Catering. You can dance it all off while listening to live music by Urban Oasis or by perusing the many silent and live auction items that will go to the highest bidder. Tickets range from $80 for an individual one (but why go by yourself?) to $900 for a party of 10 (now we’re talking) and can be purchased here or by calling 707-521-2534. It’s Hammer Time.

If the lines out the door are any indication, Oakland’s Hawker Fare is THE spot for lunch downtown. And with good reason. Renowned Chef James Syhabout’s delectable “rice bowl shop” features a tempting and perfectly spicy Southeast Asian street food menu with a hip-hop soundtrack. The offerings are divided into sections called “Snack Aisle,” (think Siamese peanuts or Blistered Green Beans) “Rice Bowls” (24 Hour Pork Belly!) “Extras” (“Kao Mun” rice cooked with chicken fat and broth…mmmm) and “The Sugar Stall,” where you can get things like condensed milk Straus Organic Dairy soft serve ice cream in a sugar cone or coconut rice pudding. The standout dish rising to the honor of this month’s “Sweet Spot” feature is the “Vadouvan” Tofu, created with Hodo Soy Beanery tofu and braised in coconut milk and house fermented spices, topped off by gorgeous aromatic herbs. A dream come true for vegetarians who want to make their meat-eating companions jealous, the dish showcases the refined heritage of the restaurant, as Chef Syhabout also owns Oakland’s very refined and outstanding Commis, the only Michelin-starred restaurant in the East Bay. Next time we’re at Hawker Fare, we're going to try the “Kao Piak,” which is made with 1000 year-old(?!) eggs, ginger and scallions, with chicken cracklings and fried garlic.

Meet Gillian Helquist, the talented pastry chef at the helm of Nick’s Cove Restaurant, Oyster Bar & Cottages in Tomales Bay. In her eyes, it’s summertime and the livin’s easy. This time of year she finds herself obsessed with summer fruit like blackberries and can be found scratched head to toe from foraging for such ingredients. You can skip the torture expedition and taste the literal fruits of her labor by trying the Blackberry Sherbet with orange shortbread on the dessert list at the restaurant. But besides the locally-procured ingredients that make up the entire menu at Nick’s Cove, she says she loves working there for its beautiful setting, views of the Bay and the surrounding area. Before she joined Nick’s Cove last year, Gillian spent 15 years working as a pastry and savory chef at some of the Bay Area’s most renowned restaurants including Zuni Café, Quince and Oliveto. During her culinary training, she also spent some time in Italy, which shares her passion for using local ingredients to make a great meal. Although she knew she wanted to be a chef from a young age, Gillian says the other career she could have seen herself pursuing was that of electrician, inspired by the constant building projects she’d construct with her dad throughout her childhood. She now calls Sebastopol home and enjoys living among farmland with her backyard chickens and family. When she’s not at Nick's Cove, Gillian enjoys experimenting with wild yeast and making levain and walnut wheat sourdough bread with her children. She says that her favorite recent vacation spot she’s visited was the Trinity Alps in Northern California where she enjoyed watching her daughters learn now to mountain climb. You can otherwise find her at sea level, whipping up delicious seasonal treats. (photo credit: Frankie Frankeny)

According to a statistic quoted at last month’s Social Media Summit in NY, 10% of all photos ever taken were taken in the last 12 months. We estimate that half of those are of cats.

Is this a good idea? A funeral home in Easley, South Carolina, is opening a coffee shop to provide an escape for the grief stricken. And it will be serving Starbucks.

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

Ellipses Public Relations is a boutique firm based in San Francisco specializing in food, beverage and hospitality publicity, social media and special events. 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

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