Brendy's Blog

Another Great Loss on the Rochester Culinary Scene

We need a good Italian restaurant in downtown Rochester…again. One of my favorite dining spots – Fortessa – mysteriously and suddenly closed last week.  

The food was superb (especially the osso buco), the prices were reasonable, and the atmosphere was upscale yet relaxed.  We had been dining there regularly since it very quietly opened over a year ago, and celebrated my 49th birthday there.

 

Business was very slow at first but then picked up steadily, especially after the only other downtown Rochester Italian restaurant – Andiamo’s –- switched to the company’s “Rojo” brand (think over-priced tacos).

John and I enjoyed a holiday dinner at Fortessa just a couple of weeks ago and the place was so packed we had to eat at the bar. The staff was “in the weeds” and it appeared business was booming. All of this apparent success in spite of a big marketing void; they never had a website, did not engage with social media, and were not interested in hiring yours truly.

So it was quite a shock when I heard last week that the place was closed, according to Rochester Patch.  Naturally, I had to take a drive by to see if indeed it was true. The place was totally dark, not a stick of furniture inside, and a sign on the door simply read: “Fortessa is closed.”

I felt an obligation to immediately post this on my Facebook page for the benefit of all my foodie friends.  My sister Suzy was the first to comment: “OMG!  I just bought a Groupon deal to Fortessa! How could they close?!”  Which then made me panic for a minute wondering if I had any unused gift cards…nope…phew!

As a PR consultant, I was very curious to see how Groupon was going to handle my sister’s dilemma.  I am happy to report that they did immediately give her full credit on her account, which was very smart on their part because Suzy is a Groupon addict and pissing her off would not have been good for business.

But I am still curious about what happened to Fortessa. This secret departure is really troublesome to me, especially as a publicist of restaurants. If they are thinking about resurfacing under a different name, they should definitely refund any unused Fortessa gift cards, but I’m not hopeful since there is no way to reach anyone. 

Fortessa was truly one of Rochester’s best kept culinary secrets and they have departed as quietly as they arrived.  

 

A Swim With A Sea Lion

We recently returned from a trip to St. Thomas – my virgin trip to the Virgin Islands and I am hooked!  Numerous highlights included a day trip on The Bad Kitty,

snorkeling in Magen’s Bay and soaking up the sun (as well as a few adult beverages) at The Soggy Dollar Bar. 

 

But by far our favorite adventure was a swim with a 350-pound, South American Sea Lion named “Remo.”

We met Remo at Coral World, truly an amazing and beautiful place. Privately owned, Coral World goes above and beyond your average visit to Sea World – not only can you observe amazing sea creatures, you can actually get into the tank with them.  Ever wanted to swim with sharks or sea turtles?  Then this is the place for you.  

It was a tough choice, but in the end we let Jack decide our aquatic adventure at Coral World – a Sea Lion Swim.

I’m not the most daring of souls so when Remo waddled out to greet us on the deck of his tank I thought I might faint.  After a few minutes of getting to know each other my fears subsided and I began to really enjoy this once-in-a-lifetime experience.  Not that a personal encounter with a sea lion was ever on my bucket list, but if it’s not on yours you may want to consider it.

 

We played with Remo on the deck for a few minutes and took lots of photos with him.  We were amazed and enthralled by his intelligence and comical sense of humor.  

Just when I was thinking, “OK, this isn’t so scary,” Remo’s trainer told us to get into the water.  Really?!!  Reluctantly I followed my family into the tank…trying not to wonder about where this huge animal relieves himself.

Remo dove in after us. He swam underneath our feet then side-swiped me, rocking me like a buoy.  Once I got my bearings again, Remo’s trainer instructed us on the art of playing peek-a-boo and catch with a sea lion. We all thoroughly enjoyed our exhilarating, in-water encounter with this remarkable creature.

Our Sea Lion Swim was thrilling and magical. Thank you Coral World for an incredible adventure that I hope many others will be able to enjoy for years to come! 

PR Postscript: It’s not enough to have a truly unique product; stellar customer service is essential to long-term success. 

 

A Summer Day on Mackinac Island

Ahhhh....the sweet smell of chocolate fudge mingling with the stench of horse manure! Where else can you have this rare and unforgettable sensory experience other than on Michigan's historic Mackinac Island?

Having spent many summers in Northern Michigan (particularly at my grandparents' cottage in Charlevoix), we often took a day trip to Mackinac.  But it had been several years since I had been back to the island, so a couple weeks ago my husband (John), dad (Gait) and son (Jack) decided to hop a ferry across The Straits.  

As we were speeding across Lake Huron (east side of that great bridge), the memories came flooding back, especially those of the legendary Grand Hotel.

 I have been very fortunate to have worked for some really wonderful clients, and have them to thank for some amazing experiences -- the Grand Hotel is one of those.  I was on the account team for the resort when I worked at Anthony Franco PR in Detroit, back in the early 90's. My fellow account team members and I spent three days touring every inch of the property behind the scenes and interviewing every key staff member, from the executive chef to the chief gardner.

So as my family and I took a tour of the island on horseback, I recounted my stories of Grand Hotel.  And at that very moment, as we were trotting down a shaded lane of impossibly gorgeous summer homes, we were nearly side-swiped by a man in a three-piece suit speeding by on a bicycle.

He looked vaguely familiar to me.  I called out "Is that Dan Musser?"  He stopped and turned around to take a look at this crazed women on a horse yelling at him.   It was indeed Dan Musser III, who took over the reins (no pun intended, really) from his dad as President of Grand Hotel.  I had no idea how to stop my horse to have a chat with Dan, so we quickly exchanged "nice to see yous" and the reunion was over.

How bizarre.  Even our horse guide was stunned about the ironic encounter. 

After our ride, we ventured down Main Street to buy a snow globe for Jack's collection (he now has 63 of them from all over the world) and headed home...happy to have more great memories of Mackinac Island.

- Brendy

PR Postscript:  This was a day of brand value at its finest…we paid $40 just to walk through the Grand again…and it was worth every penny. 

 

PRConsultant's Group featured one of my PR business blog posts today... http://archive.aweber.com/prcgsubscribers/6u0m2/h/Common_Legal_Errors_in.htm

Summertime Cruise Nights in the Motor City

Summertime in the Motor City is amazing, especially if you are a car fanatic.  Seems like every night there is a cruise night somewhere, even if it's just in the local Ram's Horn parking lot.

Last week my family and I attended a Cruise Night at the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Auburn Hills, MI.   These events are free to attend -- which make them even better -- and they give local collectible car owners a chance to show off their chrome. There's no entry fee for car owners either.

We each try to pick out our favorite, but it's always so hard. I am usually torn between a late '70s Eldorado ragtop, a late 50's Caddy and any red Corvette...what can I say...I am a GM girl.  

But that night my heart was stolen by a late 70's Trans Am which brought back SO many memories. It also made me feel really old.  I begged my parents to buy me that car when I was in high school.  Instead, I got my grandmother's old '72 Vega hatchback wagon, which I covered in Van Halen and WRIF bumper stickers. 

Classic cars are so awesome and can really bridge generations.   I'm looking forward to taking my dad to his first cruise night at Bob's Big Boy in LA next month for his 75th birthday. Hanging out at any cruise night is a great way to reconnect with your kids and your parents.  If you have not done it, try it...you'll like it.

- Brendy

PR Postscript: Hosting FREE family events is a great way for organizations to boost goodwill.