Charlotte Elite Event: Red, White & Zink!

This my first Elite event as a Unilocal Intern… it was simply fabulous! The elite crowd know how to have a party. Everyone was dressed to the nines with perfect ’ All American’ fair. I was so thrilled to have some many of the elites write cards to the troops!
Everyone from the Zink team, to Tonya, the band and of course Nicole worked together to throw a flawless event on the Zink Patio. (the humidity even seemed to calm down)
Zink’s patio, with chic and modern style work to take any visitor out of busy Southpark Charlotte. Zink’s patio is a perfect escape to grab a drink or dinner after a busy day!

Very happy it didn’t rain and we got a chance to hang out at one of the most amazing patios in Charlotte. Nicole you put together another great event. The food was great loved all the different sliders, mushroom, beef, turkey, lamb (don’t judge me I had one of each). The wine from three girls was delicious and New Belgium never disappoints with their beer selection. The live music was an extra bonus these guys played some great songs and kept us entertained all night. Of course I stayed a little after the event to get the full Zink experience. If I never stopped at the bar the friendly bartender may not have informed me that Tuesday nights is ½ price wine YAY!
The staff at Zink were great they made sure everyone was taking care of big + for service. I can’t wait to come back thanks Zink & Nicole!

Ok, so I will admit it… I wasn’t too stoked to go to an outdoor event in the middle of June. Humidity and I broke up a long time ago and it still has some bitterness towards my hair, my skin and I. But give me cushioned seats, a spacious, open patio, some tunes, booze and food and my mind can be swayed like that (I’m snapping my fingers together when I type that… well with one hand at least)
As for the hooch, Three Girls it was! I proclaimed that I was going to leave after one to two drinks but we know that never happens. I instantly fell in love with their pinot noir. Smooth like butta I tell you. Which leads to the live music by Jonathan Brooks. This guy rocked! Ok, so I can’t really name anything he sang but I know I was jammin that night. You can thank that to the pinot noir.
There were a few other appetizers going around such as the flatbread, tomato, basil and mozzarella kebabs and pork bellies. The main feature of the evening was their sliders. Both of the sliders were amazing however I heard there was a turkey burger one and another beef one topped with pimento cheese but didn’t see them so in my mind they really didn’t exist. The lamb one was excellent thanks to the tomato jam and the fact that, hello, it’s lamb and lamb is amazing. The angus one was so succulent it just melted in my mouth. Add the fact that it was on a mini pretzel roll, the salty taste of that and juiciness of the meat was the perfect combination
And cmon, we got our Elite gift of the year — watches! I love that it was red since I was wearing red and apparently I really enjoyed March 7^th since I didn’t change my settings for a good hour (who am I fooling, I had Nicole change it for me since I am not watch savvy) Top all of this off with Zink giving out free dessert coupons and Ric Flair making
a cameo (maybe one of these days he will make elite status?) and it was a rockin evening.
Thanks Nicole for setting my watch and throwing together an awesome pre-​July 4^th bash for us! This was my last Charlotte Elite event and I don’t know how but you keep topping yourself with each event. I feel bad for the next CM I run into in whatever city I wind up in because they have some majorly awesome shoes to fill!

Thank you Nicole!!! I had the best time! The food was fantastic — LOVED the mozzerella and tomato and basil apps, the pork sliders. YUM! I cant wait to get back and try a whole meal here at Zink! Thank you! :-D

This Unilocal event was awe-​some! I’ve never been to Zink before and didn’t realize that they had such a great outdoor patio. The food was so yummy. I loved the portabella mini burgers and the tomato, mozzarella and pesto flat bread. The music was fantastic — bravo to the two guitarists!
Thanks Nicole for putting this together. I had so much fun!

I certainly couldn’t have asked for a nicer first Elite event. The patio was spacious and very comfortable, the food was good (the only thing I didn’t care for was the peach skewer thing), and it was really cool to meet some of the people whose reviews I read.
We’re definitely going back to Zink! I’d like to give a big thanks to everyone who brought this event to fruition.

What a great party! The patio was spacious and made for some easy mingling. The night was temperate and not too humid, and the food was a hit. I ate a couple sliders and found them pretty good, they even had vegetarian options such as the portabella and feta slider that was pretty awesome. My favorites of the night were definitely the caprese on a stick, the pork belly, and of course the wine.
The Chardonnay was apparently very popular as I was disappointed when Suzanne S. told me they had run out. But the Pinot Noir was just as good! Most people were rocking their red, white, and blue festive attire. Tonya P. was making the rounds with her fun self glass of wine in one hand, camera in the other!
Thanks to Nicole for putting together such an awesome event for us, and I can’t wait to try out Zink for a dinner service since David won us a $ 25 gift card and they handed out vouchers for a free appetizer and dessert!

My first event as an ‘Elite’ Unilocaler and I couldn’t have asked for a better first impression. Venue was fantastic, the people were friendly and social and the food was incredible. I loved all the red, white and blue flair floating around and the patio at Zink turned out to be a great location. I will certainly be back here based on the comfy patio furniture and the impression left on me by the great food. In particular I loved the pork belly bites and the sliders were to die for! The 3 Girls Wine Pinot Noir was my vice of choice and it was a smooth Pinot that went down very easy :)
Thanks to Nicole and all who attended for making this a great event!

This was my first Elite and Unilocal event and it was great meeting all the Unilocalers that I read reviews from. And great to see Chad and Denise again whom I’ve known for years.
The food was great, the wine was good and the music was wonderful.
Loved the patio at Zink… comfortable seating which was a perfect setting in near perfect weather to allow you to relax, drink your beverage of choice and socialize with fellow Unilocalers.
Thanks to Nicole and the folks at Zink for putting this together.

Summertime in the South usually means lots o’ sticky humidity with a chance of thunderstorms hanging overhead. That can make outdoor events hit or miss. Lucky for us, the skies were clear and the humidity under control on the modern and brightly colored patio of Zink. Things only got «hot» once Ric Flair made an appearance. Woooo!
Nah, seriously, he wasn’t really there for us, but Zink and the other vendors treated us like VIPs all evening long. With a pretty endless stock of New Belgium beer and 3 Girls Wine, I think everyone’s thirst was quenched.
Zink kept the plates of warm flatbreads and caprese salad skewers circulating and these were spot on, even for those opting for vegan or vegetarian. Candied pork belly on a skewer? Wowsers. Same for the stacks of sliders, especially those served on mini pretzel buns. Even the portobello was o’ so tasty. I’m thinking this is a great place for a casual week night dinner or some quality weekend patio time with friends.
With a patio lounger dedicated for writing letters to the troops, there was also a great chance to mix and mingle with other Elites and remember why we actually have a holiday for Independence next week.
Acoustic tunes from Jonathan Brooks kept the mood just right and my girl Tony P. at Poprock made sure to snap enough photos to record the night permanently.
Another fine Elite event. Like the old AmEx commercials… Membership has its privileges. Well done to our CM Nicole!

In a summer that has already sported 20-​something days that have hit the 90s, the awesome patio at Zink was a great location for this event, and the fact that it happened to coincide with an evening in the low-​to-​mid 80s seems suspicious at best. Has our over-​achieving CM finally figured out that elusive weather control device?
Whatever the case, the Charlotte Unilocal Funky Bunch was out in their (mostly) red, white and blue regalia for one of the best events yet. New Belgium beer and 3 Girls Wine poured steadily from their post off to the side, while the sounds of Jonathan Brooks kept everyone entertained throughout the event and that bossy-​yet-​cuddly photographer we know and love, Tonya from Poprock, captured it all for posterity.
Meanwhile, our incredible hosts at Zink kept plate after plate (after plate) of sliders — lamb, meat and even portabella — filling the buffet, accompanied by tasty pork belly skewers, and a couple of flatbreads to round out the eats.
A ton of those sliders were left uneaten (I tried my best — back off), Jimmy D. was kept a safe distance from the martini menu, and many letters to soldiers were written. Thanks to our sponsors, to Zink for the insane amount of food, and to our fearless leader Nicole W. for putting together another great event!

Delicious food, good tunes, attentive service, great drinks, and awesome fellow Unilocalers made this another great event! My favorite food was oddly enough the pork belly (and here I thought I didn’t care for pork belly) …I may also steal their creative caprese salad on a skewer idea for a party dish.
I also thought it was really thoughtful to have cards available to send out to the troops.
As always many thanks to Nicole, Todd, Zink staff, Poprock, musicians, and the delicious vino and beer suppliers !

Totally agree with Chad E. on this one. A great event accompanied by great weather.
I haven’t spent too much time in this part of Southpark so it was great sitting outside, the fountain going, and the great live music made for an awesome evening. How can I forget the great company of my fellow elites in addition to the festivities…
Thank you to Nicole to planning and making this event super fun! To our hosts at Zink!: Thank you so much for putting me in slider heaven. I can’t wait to come back and dine (regularly) minus the Unilocal!elite crew.

What a fun time! Decent weather, tasty food and good reds, whites and booze!
The manager made sure to get me some no-​cheese veggie dishes, I had my fill of 3 Girls wine, and it was fantastic catching up with my lovely Unilocalers. The veggie dishes consisted of a basil and tomato flatbread and a few slightly dry (but still good) portabello mushroom and tomatoes sliders.
Jonathan Brooks was a pretty pleasant listen. He drew a bunch of the other Zink customers out to the patio. And as always, I enjoyed making terrible faces for Tonya when she was circulating about haha. I swear I don’t mean to!
My guests got to circulate around meeting friendly faces and had a general impression of «oh hey, that was rad.»
Thank you Nicole! You’re so wonderful!

Let’s face the facts that Elite Events are pretty darn fun, but Zink really stood out in their endless food and their cheery attitudes, they really were hospitable. I throughly enjoyed myself — I know this surprises everyone.
Many thanks to the musicians, the booze group, Nicole & Zink! A job well done.

Awesome time. I’m not sure why but this one seemed to have more of a communal vibe than most. Maybe it was the upscale backyard BBQ theme. Regardless of the motives, I liked it.
It was a little warmer outside than I’d like, when I arrived, but other than that no complaints at all. All of the burgers were tasty. The duck confit on flat bread was awesome. Good flavor to the caprese kabob, and of course the booze. Then for desert? Candied pork belly, drooling just thinking about it.
Oh, the booze. I am a fan of New Belgium, so I knew what I was getting myself into there. 3 Girls wines however, were quite new to me. The chardonnay was great, and I’m not normally a fan. But the chilled pinot noir stood out. It didn’t have the pronounced nose when chilled, but after a minute or 2 to breathe, it came out spectacular.
The venue, Zink, I’ll be honest I don’t normally feel «welcome» at restaurants on that side of town, but you guys are wonderful. No pretentious atmosphere, just friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful people. What a beautiful place inside too.
Johnathan Brooks put on an eclectic show, with covers crossing all diversities of life.
All in all, definitely one of my favorite elite events so far. Thanks to all that were involved.

Echoing the words of my fellow Elites, this was an amazing party that was put together by the most awesome event planner Nicole and graciously hosted by the fine folks at Zink! The staff of Zink did an excellent job keeping the food flowing and they understand the art of making each guest feel welcomed and appreciated!
It was a perfect venue and I love the patio with the big comfy couches. The music was a nice touch (thanks to Jonathon Brooks) and of course, it was great to have Tonya (Poprock Photography) catching everyone with the big smiles on their faces. Kudos to New Belgium and 3 Girls wine for keeping everyone’s thirst quenched!
As for the food, the turkey and the portobello mushroom sliders were good but the flatbreads stole the show in my book. My fav was the Duck flatbread. It was a perfectly balanced blend of savory from the slighty salty duck with a hint of sweetness from the fruit (was that grilled pineapple or mango or apricot?) and a touch of goat cheese with fresh herb topping… like Guy Fieri says, «that’s money»! I didn’t see it listed on their regular menu — but I hope it will be there on my next visit!