Featured events- 08/28/2013 - Free Outdoor Screening in the BAM/PFA Sculpture Garden
- 08/27/2013 - MARK EPSTEIN / The Trauma of Everyday Life
- 08/24/2013 - The goat Rodeo Sessions
- 08/03/2013 - Book Signing and Discussion with Dave Kehr, followed by The Lawless Breed
- 06/24/2013 - BERKELEY PRIDE 365! First Comes Love, Then Comes Marriage…
Tag Archives: Hotel Shattuck Plaza
FIVE chef on his time in Berkeley: ‘A great journey’
Banks White remembers vividly the summer just over four years ago when he took up his post as executive chef at FIVE, the Hotel Shattuck Plaza’s restaurant on Allston Way in downtown Berkeley. American Idiot was playing at the Berkeley Rep, Barack Obama was not long installed as president — “there was a real buzz in the city,” he said last week, after it was revealed White would be leaving the restaurant and Berkeley.
The Texan — whose resumé includes stints at the Auberge du Soleil and étoile at Domaine Chandon in Napa, and Leftbank Brasserie in Larkspur — is heading to Harlem where he will helm the kitchen of an as-yet-to-be named restaurant. Berkeleyside chatted with White on Friday about his time in the city and his plans going forward.
Tell us about opening FIVE in Berkeley
It’s been a great journey. I’ve called Berkeley my home for six years now. But when FIVE opened in the summer of ’09 downtown Berkeley was very different. We were pretty much the only kids on the block [for casual style fine dining]. Venus was there, but Downtown had just closed, and it was pre-Gather and Comal. (Hotel Shattuck’s Scott Howard, whom White at met at Leftbank, invited White to help launch the restaurant and oversee menu design, as well as kitchen installation and recipe testing.) … Continue reading »
12 drinks a drinking: Reasons to rejoice at FIVE
Some may say that chocolate has no place in a cocktail. We beg to differ. Particularly at this time of year, a little extra sweetness helps reduce pre-holiday stress, and increases the ability to enjoy the spirit of the season.
We gave ourselves an early present by sampling from the Twelve Cocktails of Christmas featured during December at FIVE Bistro & Bar. Listed between the Eight Maids a Milking (chili vodka, chocolate liqueur, sugar and cayenne rim) and Ten Ginger Lords (vodka, ginger liqueur, apple cider, gingerbread cookie rim), the Nine Ladies Dancing leapt into a clear lead in a very competitive field.
Since it’s early in the month, bartender Victoriano had yet to tackle the Nine Ladies. This proved not to be a problem for the chemist-by-day, bartender-by-night, however. “Bartending is just like chemistry,” he assures us, as he reviews the ingredients and mixes the requested drink, which he then served in a glass with a cocoa-coated rim. … Continue reading »
Berkeley’s second Coffee & Tea Festival leaves a buzz
The second annual Berkeley Coffee & Tea Festival took place on Saturday morning at the Hotel Shattuck and, if you attended, you’re probably only now coming down from the caffeine- and sugar-induced buzz it induced.
Hundreds of people wandered the hotel’s elegant ballroom and exterior patio, sampling espresso drinks and fine teas, miniature bundt cakes, chocolate bites and gelato… not a bad way to spend a lazy weekend morning, many participants agreed.
The Coffee & Tea Festival was orchestrated by the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce and included a program of talks, and both coffee and tea ceremonies. Exhibitors included Berkeley Coffee & Tea, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Café V, Twenty Twenty Studios, Madecasse Chocolate, Genuto Gelato, Jade Chocolates, Five Mountains, Café Clem, Nothing Bundt Cakes and Tisano Tea. … Continue reading »
Tagged Berkeley Chamber of Commerce, Berkeley Coffee and Tea Festival, Café Clem, Café V, Caffe Med, Coffee, Downtown Berkeley, Five Mountains, Five restaurant, Genuto Gelato, Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Jade Chocolates, Madecasse Chocolate, Nothing Bundt Cakes, Red Circle Tea, Shattuck Avenue, Twenty Twenty Studios
Newly cleaned up downtown hopes to attract more retail
On Tuesday, downtown Berkeley was born anew. Billed as a fresh start, the heart of the city was relaunched to a capacity crowd in the ballroom of the Hotel Shattuck Plaza on Allston Way.
For the past three months, the Downtown Berkeley Association has been overseeing an ambitious clean-up operation in the center of the city and yesterday’s event was convened to present the results.
Anyone who has been downtown recently won’t fail to have noticed that the place is sparkling. Streets have been power-washed, often in the middle of the night, unsticking countless pieces of gum in the process, 8,500 lbs of trash have been removed, light poles, postal boxes and fire hydrants have been given a new lick of paint and fresh landscaping has appeared. Tree wells now overflow with blooms and 179 flower baskets hang from aloft. … Continue reading »
New to Berkeley: Festival celebrates all things caffeine
Whether you’re partial to a cup of third-wave, single-origin, shade-grown espresso, a frothy decaf cappuccino, or a low-fat soy chai, it’s likely you enjoy coffee or tea in some form.
Cognizant of this, and of the fact that there are dozens of coffee and tea purveyors in our midst, the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce is holding the first Berkeley Coffee and Tea Festival on Saturday September 24th at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza in downtown Berkeley.
More than 30 … Continue reading »
When Cal plays in SF, what happens to business?
When the Cal Golden Bears open their home season against Fresno State on Saturday, the team won’t be at home.
Cal’s six home games this season will be played in San Francisco: on Saturday at Candlestick Park, and the remainder at AT&T Park (although if the Giants somehow turn their season around and get to the playoffs, the Bears will be even more nomadic than planned). The seismic retrofit and reconstruction of Cal Memorial Stadium, the team’s home since 1923, … Continue reading »
Thousands of Cal students, staff flock to Caltopia
UC Berkeley freshmen, some looking dazed, others excited, as well as more blasé seniors, turned out in their thousands on Sunday for Day One of Caltopia, the self-described “two greatest days on the planet”.
The event, held at the UC Berkeley Recreational Sports Facility at 2301 Bancroft Way, sees more than 100 exhibitors showcasing their wares and services to the Cal community, including the university’s staff and faculty.
It’s a combination of freebie-fest — with giveaways galore, be it bites of Clif Bars, T-shirts, pens and mouse pads and the chance to win covetable prizes like Kindles from big brand names like Pepsi – and social mixer.
Berkeleyside made its debut at Calopia yesterday and we will be there again today. Find us at booth E104.
Tagged Ajanta, Axis Optical, Berkeley Hat Company, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeleyside, Books Inc, Caltopia, Cioccolata Di Vino, Coffee, Downtown Berkeley, Ecology Center, Elmwood Cafe, Fantastic Comics, Friends of the Berkeley Public Library, Gather Restaurant, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Ideologie, Impact Theatre, iScream, Joshu-ya Brasserie, LaVals Pizza, LMI.net, Moe's Books, Mrs. Dalloway's, Northside Travel, OneNews, Pegasus, Phil's Sliders, PIQ, Powell's Sweet Shoppe, Revival Bar + Kitchen, Rudy's Can't Fail Café, Saul's Delicatessen, Shattuck Avenue, Shoes on Solano, Slash Jeans, Summer Kitchen & Bake Shop, Venus restaurant
UC Berkeley’s Caltopia: The ultimate Town & Gown affair
This weekend, when around 30,000 students and faculty stroll through Caltopia, browsing the booths of more than 100 exhibitors, Berkeley’s two driving forces, the city and its university, will be pitched in perfect harmony. And Berkeleyside will be there to sing along too.
Caltopia was launched nine years ago as a way for Berkeley businesses to welcome Cal students, both current and new, back to school. The event runs on Sunday and Monday this year, and classes start up … Continue reading »
Tagged Ajanta, Axis Optical, Berkeley Hat Company, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeleyside, Books Inc, Caltopia, Cioccolata Di Vino, Coffee, Downtown Berkeley, Ecology Center, Elmwood Cafe, Fantastic Comics, Friends of the Berkeley Public Library, Gather Restaurant, Hotel Shattuck Plaza, Ideologie, Impact Theatre, iScream, Joshuya Restaurant, LaVals Pizza, LMI.net, Moe's Books, Mrs. Dalloway's, Northside Travel, Pegasus, Phil's Sliders, PIQ, Powell's Sweet Shoppe, Revival Bar + Kitchen, Rudy's Can't Fail Café, Saul's Delicatessen, Shattuck Avenue, Shoes on Solano, Slash, Summer Kitchen & Bake Shop, UC Berkeley, Venus restaurant
Five’s Banks White: Berkeley ‘keeps me on my toes’
Banks White is the executive chef of Five, which calls itself a modern American bistro. Think comfort food with au courant accents: Macaroni and cheese made with orzo, wild mushrooms, tomato jam, and smoked gouda. Slow braised short rib pot roast with mascarpone polenta. Buttermilk biscuits with white cheddar pimento cheese.
The restaurant (named for the five senses and its 5 o’clock happy hour) is housed in the historic, refurbished Hotel Shattuck Plaza, which looks like it’s been given the Dorothy Draper treatment. (This writer spent some time last fall at the interior designer’s signature space, The Greenbrier in West Virginia.) Swirling black-and-white wallpaper. Ornate red chandelier. Black-and-white marble floors and red wall sconces. Get the picture?
White hails from Texas, land of barbecue and Buds, but is trained in classic French culinary techniques. The 30-year-old has worked for several upscale boutique hotel restaurants including The Driskill in Austin and Auberge du Soleil in the Napa Valley. … Continue reading »
RAW party in Berkeley showcases local artists
The party that the national arts organization RAW is throwing Thursday night at the Hotel Shattuck Plaza defies description. It’s part fashion show, part art show, and part disco bash, with a dash of liquor and plenty of attitude thrown in.
About ten local artists will show off their wares in an event that pulsates with music, lights, dancing and talking.
“I call it an artists’ circus,” said organizer Mandolin Kadera-Redmond, who was hired by the southern California group in the fall of 2010 to put on events in Berkeley and other parts of the East Bay.
Patrons who buy tickets will walk into a room and see fashion models strutting around, their bodies clad by local fashion designers and their faces made up by local make-up artists. They can look at the paintings and art installations on display – including one that puts succulents in stiletto heeled-shoes – converse with the artists and even buy their work. In the background music mixed by DJs will be pulsing. … Continue reading »
Green is the color of Berkeley on Earth Day
It’s the 40th anniversary of Earth Day and there are a handful of events to celebrate the milestone.
The Ecology Center, the folks who bring us our farmers’ markets and pick up our recyclables, also turns 40 today. The Center is hosting itself a birthday bash in the Hotel Shattuck in downtown Berkeley. Mayor Tom Bates, State Senator Loni Hancock, Assemblymember Nancy Skinner, and Dennis Katz, the co-founder of the Rainbow Alliance, will speak. Country Joe McDonald will perform a mini-concert.
