Elite Event: Spring Family Dinner at Paces & Vine

This was my first event as an Elite (although I attended an Elite event in Kansas City as a guest a few months ago). It was FANTASTIC! We had an intimate group in a private dining room, and the food, drinks, and company were spectacular!
Paces & Vine started the night with a craft cocktail, called Ginger Cubed, followed by a variety of appetizers. The one that stood out the most for me was the Foie Gras Crostini, as this was a special that’s not on the menu, and it was my first time trying foie gras, which was wonderfully buttery. The crostini was topped with wild mushrooms and wild watercress and it was to DIE for. If P&V ever puts this on the regular menu, you definitely need to try it!
For our dinner course, we had a choice of Fettuccine, Enchanted Springs Georgia Trout, Roasted Springer Mountain Chicken, Guinness Braised Brisket, Seared Rare Tuna Salad, & Flat Iron Steak. I thoroughly enjoyed the Guinness Braised Brisket, which was served with green beans, mashed potatoes, and a horseradish crème fraîche, and was complemented perfectly by a Malbec. It’s a meal that I will order again and again!
For dessert, they passed around apple cobbler, sticky toffee, and white chocolate crème brûlée. All three were delicious, but the crème brûlée takes the cake for me!
The service was great, but I did have one strange encounter with one of the wait staff… as they came around to take our dinner orders, one of them addressed me as «sir,» which at first I figured she was speaking to someone else at our table, so I ignored her, but then she followed up with «oh, I’m so sorry ma’am…» I have to say that was really strange, and kinda freaked me out… I don’t think I look anything like a man, despite having a shaggy pixie haircut…
All in all, we had a great time. Since I just moved back to the Atlanta area, it was great to meet new people and have a couple of hours to talk and get to know some new folks! It was nice to learn about the weekly events that P&V puts on, as I live in the Vinings area — such as half price wine (bottle) night on Sundays, and wine flight events during the week. I’ll definitely come back to check out those events. Hats off to Ben, our Community Manager for a fantastic event — I had a fantastic time!

This was like a grassroots Unilocal family dinner… all cozy and intimate with a lot of new Unilocaltastic faces. I was welcomed with Ben’s overflowing new Daddy smile and the Ginger cocktail – beautifully incorporated ginger infused tequila with a ginger-​lime purée, ginger beer and a red wine floater – one of my top drinks of ATL. Keo kept me in good company and thankfully she likes to share food! As we sat down, the table began filling with fancy apps – a rather impressive spread of kale salad with candied ginger, mushroom foie gras on brioche with wild-​picked watercress, fried calamari with this house-​made mustard that blew my mind, lump crab with edamame and pickled tomatoes, and tuna tartare. That was already quite a plethora of food so I was shocked when they laid down an entrée menu for us to make our selections. Hoki scored the last Guinness-​braised brisket at the table – no worries, I still got a taste! Keo and I negotiated sharing a couple of entrees so she got the flat iron steak with the bomb potatoes and I went with seared tuna salad since I was already stuffed to the gills. I still managed to make room for dessert because you have to – especially when they put down a white chocolate crème brûlée in front of your face. I also tasted the sticky toffee/​date cake and the apple cobbler. The only thing that I turned my nose up at was the Georgia Trout – I was disappointed to hear that it is farm-​raised as I much prefer the taste of the wild.
It was a memorable Elite night. It is nights like this where I am more and more thankful to be not only an Elite, but to be a part of such a wonderful Unilocal community. I sound like such a hippie-​LOL. Love you guys.

This was my first Unilocal Elite event and it was AMAZING. I mean common, is every Elite event going to be this delicious and welcoming?!? I am so grateful to have joined this community.
Now let’s get to the juicy part, I am going to cover some of my favorite items that I tried from the dinner:
Chardonnay — I have to apologize that I just can’t remember the exact name of this white wine no matter how many times the waitress told me :(but it is a fermented unoaked, 100% stainless steel. And the taste is super refreshing and crisp, I loved it!
Tuna Tartare — The fresh chopped tuna was topped with cucumber ribbons and sushi ginger and rested in a sauce that tasted like a mixture of soysauce and sesame oil. Loved the combination!
Roasted Springer Mountain Chicken — The chicken breasts were super tender and not dry at all, amazing quality! Later on I found out from Ben that the Springer Mountain chicken are 100% all natural with no antibiotics, no growth stimulants or hormones. However, the sauce was a bit on the saltier side for my taste.
Sticky Toffee — This is a warm date served with vanilla ice cream and toffee sauce. I loved the warm, sticky texture and the cold ice cream combo. It just melts instantly in your mouth.
I just want to say thank you again to Ben, Chef Ian Winslade, and Joel and Mel. Couldn’t have had a better first Unilocal Elite event experience! Can’t wait for the next one.
SYOY,
Jane

My first Elite Event and it was awesome!
I don’t go out towards Vinings much so the trip getting there was pretty bad (I-​285 W traffic during rush hour is no fun…) but I was greatly rewarded with amazing food and drinks and great company. I’m still new to the ATL area so I haven’t had the opportunity to try their sister location Murphy’s but heard many great things about it. Paces and Vine is their new location out in Vinings and after trying this place out, I definitely have to consider checking out Murphy’s as well.
I was first greeted by our community manager Ben and he was super friendly. Congrats on the new father status, Ben! This Elite Event is somewhat different from their regular events because it was a sit down event. We got assigned seats and just chatted the night away, enjoying the delicious food that was brought out.
I came in a little late so I didn’t get a Ginger Cocktail, but one of my fellow elite friend was there so I got to try some of hers. Really refreshing drink for the incoming warmer season.
Appetizers came rolling in next. We had five different ones to try! We each got our own Foie Gras Crostini, which comes with wild mushrooms and wild watercress. This was a special item that was not on the menu and it was super good. I’ve never had Foie Gras before so this was definitely a treat. The other appetizers came out family style sharing:
Flash Fried Calamari with blistered sweet peppers and marinara sauce and mustard aioli sauce on the side. The mustard aioli paired really well with the calamari.
Tuna Tartare with cucumber ribbons and ginger marinade. This was probably one of my favorite appetizers. Really fresh tuna.
Tuscan Kale Salad with mandarin orange dressing, crystalized ginger, brebis, and local radishes. I’ve never really had kale before and I was really surprised with how good this salad tasted. I really like the dressing they used.
Charred Octopus with bulgur wheat salad and picked vegetables. I didn’t know it was octopus and it tasted more like crab to me but still really good!
Next came the wine and entrée. I got to try their unoaked, 100% stainless steel aged J. Drouhin St. Veran Chardonnay. Very good wine — citrusy and spritsy. Went great with the trout.
We got a short menu of different items to choose from and I decided to go with Enchanted Springs Georgia Trout paired with sonora wheat berries and herbal spring vegetables. I liked the trout, especially the trout skin, but I wish it was seasoned a little more with maybe some salt and pepper. The sonora wheat berries were a little surprising. I’ve never had them so I wasn’t sure what to expect but they were a little tough and chewy. Didn’t have much flavor to them but was good to eat with the trout. I also got to try my friend’s Roasted Springer Mountain Chicken and wow… it was good. The chicken was really tender and juicy. Cooked perfectly!
But wait! There’s moreee — Dessert. They brought us three to share with our table:
Apple Cobbler with caramel sauce, baked cinnamon apples, walnut streusel, biscuit crust, and house-​made vanilla ice cream.
Sticky Toffee with warm date served with vanilla ice cream, and toffee sauce
White Chocolate Crème Brulee with caramelized sugar, white chocolate crème, almond and berry compote
My favorite dessert of the night would be the crème brulee. Classic dessert but it was really good here.
Such a great event and I had a great time dining and meeting new people. Everyone was friendly and it was nice to share and try each other’s entrees. Thank you to Ben for organizing this and to Chef Ian Winslade and the staff at Paces and Vine for accommodating us. Food and drinks were awesome, and I definitely wouldn’t mind making the trip out to Vinings again to try some of the other items on your menu.

I don’t come to the Vinings often, but this was well worth the trip. I’m a huge fan of Murphy’s and glad the tradition is carrying on in this new location. Love the area and the restaurant is really well decorated (makes you feel very «at home» when you walk in) and the patio is awesome.
We were treated like rockstars as soon as we walked in and this was another amazing Elite Unilocal event. Thank you to Ben and team for making this another super success.
The Ginger Cocktail hit it right out of the park to begin with. What a delicious and refreshing drink. It may be my new fav for the summer so you’ll see me getting to know the bartenders soon enough.
Next came the Appetizers and I really enjoyed all of them including the Kale salad which can be a hit or miss for me. The mandarin dressing was mild yet strong enough to make me enjoy Kale (I know non-​Kale lovers know what I’m talking about — lol). The Foie Gras Crostini was my favorite and melted in your mouth with the right amount of wild mushrooms and wild watercrest.
There were 10 of us at the table and we shared bites of our main entrees which was awesome. I loved that there were a few new Elite Unilocalers at the table and we could really share a meal like a true «family». Just another great testimony to the great community that has created.
Anyway, back to the food — I got the Flank Steak — cooked to perfection (medium rare) and it was quite a large portion and thicker cut of meat than I expected. Absolutely delicious! The bites that I had of the Rare Tuna Salad and Roasted chicken were awesome too and I would definitely come back for more.
Even though I was stuffed, there was still room for that heavenly bite of White Chocolate Crème Brulee — best dessert of the night and I highly recommend this for chocolate lovers (not overpowering at all). I’m actually salivating as I’m writing this review — what a great night and look forward to more meals at Paces & Vine!

This was my first event as a Unilocal Elite and it did not disappoint! This event was a great opportunity to meet some great new people, while sampling the new menu at Paces and Vine! This restaurant is located in Vinings Jubilee just a hop, skip, and jump from the city! It was the perfect dinner with great wine, fabulous food, and the opportunity to sample the menu. I could not ask for a better first event to attend! They really took the time to wine and dine us and it was evident in the presentation and courtesy of their staff! I truly cannot wait to come back for Sunday brunch!

I shall start by saying that I am very glad this was my first and last Elite event (in Atlanta). The two hours at Paces & Vine flew by so quickly and every second was packed with laughter, awesome people, and delicious food.
I still remember walking into the restaurant, being warmly welcomed by the staff, and feeling very comfortable in the cozy, warm environment. As I told them I was attending the Unilocal event, the PR manager walked over led me into the private room in the back which Ben and a bunch of Elites had taken over already. On my way into the room, one of the servers handed me the Ginger cocktail which I absolutely loved! Must say the spicy kick became quite addicting.
After meeting our wonderful community manager Ben, I found my nametag and seat (randomly assigned seating!) and met Jade C. And boy oh boy, I’ve met a bunch of different people in my life so far but she’s really a unique character! Her enthusiasm and energy was so amazing and contagious and I instantly fell in love with her (aaaand here’s my public girl crush confession). A couple minutes later, we sat in our seats, introduced ourselves to each other a bit more and anxiously waited for what we had been waiting for… FOOD!
Appetizers
Favorites: Foie Gras Corstini — Felt so special eating this because 1. foie gras, 2. its a special menu that’s not listed on the menu! The balance of flavors of foie gras, mushrooms, and watercress was to die for.
Also really enjoyed the Tuscan Kale Salad — Honestly I am not much of a kale fan even with all the kale rave going on these days but the citrus-​y dressing made the salad so refreshing and flavorful.
Tuna Tartare — Also very tasty and fresh! Portion was very small so couldn’t take a huge bite since we were all sharing but it was enough for me to remind myself how much I love raw tuna.
Main (Chose 1 from 6)
Guinness Braised Brisket — The moment I spotted the word «brisket» on the menu, I knew there was no going back — there was no going back to unseeing it and I simply had to get the brisket. I can’t say that I’ve had a lot of brisket before but I knew I had a fair share to know what to expect out of a good one. And Paces & Vine definitely did it right! The brisket was soft, tender, and actually meaty. You know those briskets that have more fat than meat? Well these chunks were real meat with just enough fat to make it juicier. However, the mashed potatoes and «horseradish crème fraîche» truly completed the dish. The blend of potatoes, horseradish, and brisket all together was absolutely magical in my mouth. I know I will definitely be getting this menu again if I were ever to return to Paces & VIne.
Dessert
Favorite: Crème Brulee — Hadn’t had a crème brûlée in a while and a spoon of this sweet dish was truly wonderful. However, I would have preferred a crunchier caramel top. Custard was on point though!
I was so full by this point that I couldn’t really enjoy and appreciate the delicious flavors :(
So as you can see, food was really awesomely great and I have nothing bad to say about the meal. However, what made the experience even better was the intimate, family-​dinner esque interaction with everyone. It was great to talk about random subjects such as how we don’t feel awkward taking food photos at Elite events to throwback moments to lazy college days. Even though this was my first event and first time meeting everyone, the experience felt like a regular dinner with a crazy, loud bunch of friends I had known for a long time. I felt so comfortable with everyone and now I can’t stop gushing on how amazing and wonderful everything was. Huuuuuuuge shoutout to Ben, Chef Ian, and everyone that made this event possible. Seriously. Awesome, awesome job you guys.

This is the best Elite Event I’ve been to either in San Diego or Atlanta.
Why?
The 20 of us sat down at two tables and actually talked to each other. The Paces and Vine staff were gracious from exec chef Ian to the waiters.
We started with a cocktail that was ginger with aged tequila, ginger lime pure, ginger beer and a tad of red wine floating on top — with more ginger. Very refreshing. We then sat down and devoured crostini with mushrooms and foie gras. Wow! Each table then shared three appetizers over wine — calamari, a tuna salad, and a kale salad.
We selected our main course from a list of six.
I had the fettucine with lava beans and parmesan foam. (How do you foam parmesan?) And we since we were eating family style, shared bites with our Unilocal family. I tasted the steak, the trout and the chicken. I didn’t get manage to snag any of he seared tuna or the brisket but they both looked great. Thank you wait person Melinda for a great recommendations.
As if that wasn’t enough, we then pigged out on three desserts per table: apple cobbler, amazing crème brûlée, and a cake made of dates with ice cream on top.
It was a great evening. I actually got the chance to talk to the people seated around me. (Despite the volume. We were loud.)
A big tip of the hat to new dad Ben, who arranged all of this. Is there an award for the Unilocal Community Manager of the Year?

Hmm… I don’t know where to start. April 28, 2015 is a special day for me. Not only because it’s my first ever elite event, but also I took my last ever final as a student at Georgia Tech, and I am getting my Masters of Science in Civil Engineering this coming Friday. Life is good, isn’t it!
Back on topic. I admit I have never heard of Paces and Vine before today, even though the office of my internship is just 5 minutes drive on the other side of 285.
Paces and Vine has been opened since October 2014 by Ian Winslade, who also owned the renowned Murphy’s in the Virginia-​Highland area. I have never been to Murphy’s in person so I would save the comparison part for other elites to comment. Ian was present in person and appeared midway through our entrees to welcome us with his «Southern» accent from Southampton, England. I know what to talk to him if I see him next time: Soccer!
Benjamin, our Community Manager in Atlanta, greeted us one by one. He introduced us first-​timers the rundown and as soon as we put our name tags on, the server greeted us with this seasonal Ginger³ (Ginger Cube) cocktail. OH MY GOD this is already a climax! I will let you find out how wonderful this is based on the description on menu: «Ginger infused el jimador reposado, house made ginger-​lime purée, q ginger beer, red wine floater.»
We started with five appetizers, which we passed around for everyone to share. Among the best are (surprisingly) Flash Fried Calamari with their secret mustard aioli, and not-​on-​menu bread appetizer with mushrooms on top.
Here comes the entrée menu. Guinness Braised Brisket entrée is going fast and I didn’t realize I got the last one. Sorry mates. Normally the brisket cuts in typical BBQ restaurants comes with a lot of fat. Not here. It’s very «meaty» with the right portion of fat. The Guinness goes well with mashed potatoes, but it is a little bit savory for my liking. Still good though!
And guess what. I had a phone call and there went the dessert. Thanks Troy and Yinka saving me a few bites of Brulee and Cobbler.
I will be back for my own internship go-​away lunch for sure!