Yelper Party: Livin’ La Vida Local!

This has been my favorite Unilocal event to date. While it’s hard to remember everything perfectly, some standouts to me we’re as follows:
The food trucks, Yellowhead Brewery, Alley Kat Brewery, the Taco station, the Cake pops, and the Vodka station.
Jennie totally outdid herself with this one. It will be very hard to top this one in my humble opinion.
Thanks Jennie, you are a credit to your profession!

I almost hesitate to write reviews on the Elite events because OBVIOUSLY with the AMAZING community manager we have, it’s going to be a 5 star review — no questions asked!
This was Edmonton’s first taste of a Unilocaler event — and it was a HUGE success! What a treat to have some of Edmonton’s finest food and beverage establishments get together to show Edmonton what they have to offer. Any business willing to partake in these types of events is a marketing genius! Not only do they get to showcase their commitment to the Edmonton Community, they also get to feature some of their creations for us lucky ones to enjoy. I can guarantee that they all will have some new customers to welcome as a direct result of this event.
Of course I would have never happened if it weren’t for our wonderful Jennie! Girl, you really know how to throw a party! Thank you for such a wonderful time — time after time after time, you know if Unilocal is involved it’s a guaranteed good time!

Another wonderful Edmonton Unilocal event brought to you by the fabulous Jennie! I ended up bringing a group of girlfriends with me to this event and they were all in awe of how awesome Unilocal was. It was a great first event for all of them.
We all enjoyed sampling the various drinks (Alleykat ‘s Summer Squeeze brew, Mercer Tavern’s Pimm’s cocktail and Fentman’s ginger beer, and the various shots provided by SET nightclub were all favourites); munching on all the eats and treats (there were tons of vegetarian options for me such as zucchini bruschetta from Cibo Bistro and the goat cheese covered grapes from Rose Bowl Pizza stood out, as well as the always amazing cupcakes from Whimisical Cakes); and checking out the various vendors. One of my girlfriends was excited to get her hair styled and came out looking extra fabulous.
All-​in-​all we had a great night! I’m so impressed with how everything came together so flawlessly. A big thank you goes out to Jennie for organizing all of this. Can’t wait for future events!

The Livin’ La Vida Local party was a great way to end June and start off the summer season! Was I ever impressed with the amount and variety of sips and eats at this event. Well done Jennie!
I would have to say my favorite items were the goat cheese and pistachio covered grapes from Rose Bowl, the bruschetta from Cibo Bistro, grapefruit beer from Alley Kat Brewery and last, but not least, the raspberry s’more from Whimsical Cake Studio.
I also loved the charity that was supported that night, The Brick Sport Central. I think this is such a worthy cause. The only way the night could have been any better was if the raffle ticket pulled was one digit higher. I would have been driving the Lexus for the weekend! Oh well, next time.

I hadn’t been to Lexus before, and I have to admit I was concerned as to how Jennie was going to pull off an event of this size in a car dealership… they knew what they were doing! Utilizing the entire showroom, mezzanine, and parking lot they were able to showcase the great set up for Lexus as a retailer of fine vehicles, as well as house a multitude of great food and beverages. The raffle to win the opportunity to drive a Lexus for the weekend that also supported the Brick Sport Central was a fun way to help a local charity. The signature Unilocal photo booth and outdoor games were set up to kept us entertained while waiting for our bellies to make room to try something else were alot of fun haha
The food trucks were the most obvious choice to bring to this event. they were able to just pull up outside. Now I’m going to have to pay more attention as to where they will be parking next! Blue sky limo was also there allowing you to see what types of limos they have available.
In closing I just have to give a high five to Jennie for putting together as well as pulling off such a diverse cornucopia of amazing Edmontonian businesses in one evening.

We loved Livin la Vida Local! There was something for everyone! My husband has never tolerated beer and he even enjoyed the grapefruit ale offered by Alleykat! We played with the oversized badmintan, and cruised around chatting to other Unilocalers both new and experienced! I really enjoyed the environment and set up as there were a lot of people in attendance yet it didn’t feel cramped or claustrophobic, thanks to Lexus of edmonton for a wonderful hosting place. There were too many places to name that had wonderful and delish delights but we will definitly be attending again!

Truly this was a very fun and yummy event! There was good food, good drinks, and good music. The venue (Lexus of Edmonton) was sleek and modern with plenty of space to mix and mingle and a cool temperature to enjoy yourself. The highlights for me were the burritos from Burrito Libre, the red velvet cake pops from Whimsical Cake Studio Inc, the braid bar from Icon, and the giant ice statue from Set Nightclub. It was also fun that they had football outside and giant badminton rackets.
The reason I’m not giving this event 5 stars is that there should’ve been bigger garbages better placed. Every time I tried to throw something away, the garbage was so full I could barely do so without making a huge mess. Also I got to the event right at 7:30pm and was looking to try the Pimm’s drink they advertised on the news from the Mercer Tavern, but they were all out. At the start of the event? Not good.
Other than those two things, the event was fabulous and I hope they do it again next year. Thanks Jennie for planning such an awesome event!

Another Unilocal event in the books as a complete success! A great venue, a smörgåsbord of great food, enough booze to stock a new bar, and the awesome Unilocal community made this evening fun, tipsy and memorable!
The Lexus of Edmonton showroom was the perfect venue with cool cars, DJs spinning tunes, and the evening sun filtering through the plate glass windows. Fill that space with 8 different alcohol representatives and 10 food offerings and you set the scene for some shenanigans! The free flowing libations were tempered with great food and allowed me to go back for more beer and shots! As you can expect that may have affected my memory of the event but thanks to Kristin K’s accurate review we know what was there!
A few of the highlights for me included the soft or hard taco with all the fixings offered by Burrito Libre. Also the hand made ravioli stuffed with house made ricotta in a lightly sauteed asparagus sauce from Cibo Bistro was perfectly balanced and flavorful. To wash all the food down I really enjoyed the Mercer Tavern’s Pimm’s cocktail complete with muddled cucumber just like my first taste in Great Britain! There was also a great selection of beers to wet your whistle. Its a bonus when they are served by heavy handed & engaging representatives that seemed to enjoy the night as much as the guests were.
All this was brought together by our amazing Community Manager Jennie Marshall and I don’t know how she keeps hitting home runs! Over and over she goes above and beyond to create a fun atmosphere and showcase local businesses in a great light while expanding the reach and impact of
.
I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat myself to whoever will listen, Jennie is the perfect Unilocal ambassador to generate energy and excitement for the site and help maintain our title as city of champions!

AMAZING! Who knew that an evening at a car dealership could involve a vodka louge, food trucks, braid bars, and food and drinks from some of Edmonton’s yummiest establishments? It was a phenomenal night that Jennie planned for us, with a great variety of tried and true establishments and some great new favourites.
Whimsical was on site with their always delish baked goods. The cake pops were amazing and the homemade Oreo was a sugar rush of deliciousness. Burrito Libre was rocking a consistently long line at their table as they served up yummy, albeit messy, made to order burritos and tacos. Alleykat breweries was on scene featuring their grapefruit brew, so yummy and the girl (I forget her name and feel awful) was so funny and totally charming.
I passed on the vodka shots that we’re running through the ice louge but had fun watching others do them. I wish I would have saved room for a bite from the Food Fighter food truck. Everything coming out of there looked super tasty.
If only I had won the Lexus for the weekend!!!

WOW. That’s all I can really say about such an extraordinary event. It’s not often I get wined & dined and my hair braided at a car dealership, but Unilocal events are full of surprises ;) I had a lovely evening partying with my friendsand fellow Unilocalers. I discovered some really cool local gems — like watermelon beer and Lola fashions — as well as enjoyed my timeless faces, like Mercer Tavern. Jennie did a really great job putting this all together, Edmonton is so lucky to have her as our Unilocal community manager!

I had such an amazing time at this fantastic Unilocal event, Jennie really out did herself on this one! The venue was perfect, very open so it didn’t get too hot! I loved that Jennie brought in local places from all over Edmonton to serve food and drinks — I was able to try some very fantastic new places which I will definitely be visiting as well I was able to enjoy some of my favourites that were there for the evening! The food was outstanding I keep thinking about the truffle oil ravioli from Cibo and the delicious crostini’s from the food truck!
There were so many fantastic Unilocalers there, it was great to catch up with everybody! I loved the ice statue upstairs put on by Set night club! You poured your flavoured vodka shot through the sculpture to cool it down! Yum!
I thought it was really neat to have a hair studio at the even braiding peoples hair. Unfortunately, I didn’t take part in the braiding because I had already done my hair and liked the way it looked! Haha, if only I would have known before their would be a braid bar!
I know a party of this magnitude would take a really long time to plan so hats off to you Jennie, this one was fantastic! I can’t wait for more future Unilocal events, they really are so much fun!

Oh. Emily. Gee.
As if I haven’t said a million times before that our Edmonton Community Manager, Jennie, is the ‘Hostess with the Mostest” before… I’m gonna say it again!
Tonight totally knocked my socks off and made me so proud to be such a part of a vibrant community.
I loved catching up with fellow Elites during the first hour and then meeting lots of new faces in the Grand 2 hour Unilocaler Party that followed!
We were greeted at the front door by the awesome charity raffle draw for a Lexus for a weekend with proceeds going to the Brick Sports Central Program. KUDOS to not only making tonight a celebration for us but also about helping out our community!
To get us in the right modd and to keep us dancing around the room, Virgin Radio 104.9 FM spun tunes for us all night!
BEST 2 items of the night hands down go to the crushed pistachio and goat cheese covered red grape appetizer at Rose Bowl Pizza (
) and the Persecco, vodka, lime gelato slush called Monte Scroppino… OH EM GEE — I would order that at EVERY bar I go to EVER! Did I mention I liked it?
The Food Fighter truck outside manned by Nick and Paul was PHENOMENAL. The Magic Mushroom crostini had a sauce made by angels… Well, two handsome guys who served the party goers until the very end with smile!
Kristin — not Kristen ;-) from AlleyKat made my night with her bubbly personality and the Grapefruit Beer with REAL grapefruit was the show stealer for my hubby.
The Mercer Tavern represented with Fentman’s Ginger Beer and Pimm’s cocktail along with wine options! Mmm… Real Ginger Beer — what’s not to love?
Whimisical Cakes spoiled us with homemade oreo cookies, raspberry s’mores, strawberry lemonade cupcakes, and chocolate covered red velvet cake pops! Wow — does it get better than this? No, it sure doesn’t!
Burrito Libre spoiled us all with their taco bar complete with gluten free options — beef, pork, chicken, veggies, rice, beans, salsa, guac — you name it! Mmm… Mmm… Good!
Cibo Bistro served up a new twist on bruschetta with shaved zuchhini! Their show stealer was the handmade ravioli with house made ricotta paired with asparagus in truffle oil. I definitely know what I’m ordering when I visit them next!
Greenhous Salad Bar offered up a make it yourself mini version of their hit You Jerk Chicker or You Jerk Tofu Salads! The mangos paired with the coconut lime vinaigrette made my tummy sing hallelujah!
Mike from 49^th Parallel Brewing Company was there representing the bitters– my personal fave was the Watermelon Seed Spitter! The label on the bottle totally made me giggle. Check out their funky line @
Yellowhead Brewery was also on tap serving their finest which my husband happily partook in :-)
Upstairs, SET nightclub had an ice sculpture that they poured vodka shots through — to chill– that poured straight into your Unilocal swag shotglass! Favorites for me were the Smirnoff orange sorbet and the Whipped Cream Vodka.
Nestled next to SET, was Gourmet Granola with samples of 4 of their granola mixes! All made without any processed sugars — Yay! Check them out at one of the local Farmer’s Markets (my fave is the St. Albert Farmer’s Market :-) They even offer a completely nut free free option — Cinnamon Maple!
The Century Hospitality Group had a great information table set up, manned by two super friendly staff, and complete with to go take home treats of their truffle popcorn :-)
Mr. Yu was there snapping quirky shots at the Canada Day themed booth all night and Lexus West Edmonton provided a gorgeous and welcoming setting that made us feel right at home.
Blue Sky LImo was parked out front with their extra long limo complete with bar, 2 poles, and plenty of seating for you and any of your friends!
I uploaded tons of pics so be sure to take a peek! And if you took some, share yours, too :-) I can’t wait to read everyone’s reviews on their favourite new discoveries!
I know I must be missing a few of the fabulous vendors and sponsors of the party :-(Trying to remember it all but there was so much AWESOME!
Thank you Miss J for another unforgettable night out!