Elite Event: Bring Your Own Beret Party @ La Boulange

Life has taken a strange turn as of late and again, I am backlogged on reviews.
This event was so much fun. Thinking back, I am still full from the abundance of goodies offered and had such a wonderful experience seeing some old friends, making some new ones and having a «make up session» with La Boulange in general.
The hospitality shown, the accordion player, the food– OMG the to die for brioche chevre, pesto and portabella mushroom sandwich, the rockin’ little pig in the blanket and the list goes on. It was fun to dress up a little and Nique-​you make me swoon with delight with themed events close to home. Merci.

Well, talk about being a slacker on writing this review.
I have only been to the La Boulange in Downtown San Francisco once so it was nice going to one of their other locations. I was quite surprised with all the delicious food they had lined up for us. And they kept bring it out. It was also nice to be at an event where there was just wine. I haven’t been drinking as much wine as I use to. It was like seeing an old friend.
I love the accordion player. That was such a great touch.
After everyone ate, they brought out a bunch of desserts! I made sure to get some for Kelly T. since I was keeping an eye out ;) Amy J. won a the La Boulange cookbook. And there were individually wrapped macarons for us to take home! While socializing on the patio, we missed out on the To Go boxes :(This is the first event I have gone to where To Go boxes were handed out.
Thank you, La Boulange for being so hospitable!

Not yet being able to fulfill my childhood dream of visiting Paris, I was excited to know that I could sample French fare right in my hometown! Dressed in purple stripes and my +1 wielding a mustache on a stick, it was an unforgettable event. Merci beaucoup Nique for throwing this soirée!
Highlights included:
— pesto hummus
— chicken and provolone slider
— tri-​tip slider
— buttery chocolate croissants
— canelé de Bordeaux
— fruit custard and chocolate tarts
— beautifully packaged macarons
— the jolly accordion player!
The staff at La Boulange are very sweet, especially one guy, who was so tongue-​tied and nervous when he asked if we needed anything that he said «Don’t feel free», which I assume was a combination of «Feel free» and «Don’t hesitate». Later he ended up spilling the giant canister filled with steaming coffee, but it was all good. Made for a very entertaining night! :)
At the end of the evening, they bought out to-​go boxes so we could take the leftovers home and they wouldn’t have to waste food. How thoughtful and generous!

When my husband’s grandmother left to go see family in France earlier in the week, we’d begged to go with her. She didn’t sneak us into her carry-​on, but we were able to attend this French-​themed party and that made up for not actually being in France.
I had recently seen La Boulange’s name at two different Starbucks locations (Point Richmond and Walnut Creek) — how wonderful to experience some of their dishes in their Danville establishment. The weather was nice the evening of the event and Unilocalers spilled out onto the front porch area as well as occupying all the tables inside.
I really enjoyed the pesto hummus and veggie sticks, but a portobello slider was also very yummy. We shared the fun over glasses of wine with some new friends and some familiar faces.
My husband has dual citizenship and has lots of family in France, including a cousin who professionally plays accordion over there. The accordion player at the event was very fun to watch and very skilled. It was the perfect background music to a perfect evening.

Absolutely stellar event!
This event was probably one of my favorite events I have been to in a while. The location was perfect. The ambiance was just so. I don’t know… je né sais quoi? It was intimate and personable. The food… oh the food… not only was it outstandingly quality and divine in taste, there was plenty of! It just kept pouring out… loads of wonderfully decadent treats! Some of my favorites were of the croissant wrapped hot dogs, the array of different quiches… and the conollies… oh, and the chocolate tart like desserts… awe…so many wonderful little treats!
There were not a lot of familiar faces, however, I was able to meet a few long time Unilocal buds for the first time, as well as some new friendly Unilocalers :) I also really enjoyed the story behind the birth of La Boulange and found the service from the staff to be extremely professional and accommodating.
Truly a spectacular evening… We really enjoyed ourselves :)

My second elite event! It was awesome. The tri tip sliders were my favorite. Brie cheese with fruit was also good. I also really liked the salad with beets. For dessert, I had macaroons. I normally don’t like macaroons, but these were really good and fresh. My favorite flavor was the vanilla one. There was also a guy playing the accordion the whole time, which was gave it a French flair. Plenty of wine to go with the dishes as well. At the end we even got to go boxes to take back any left over foods. Plenty of space to sit and to mingle. Overall great event by Nique, the community manager. Can’t wait until the next elite event!
Accordian

Ooh la la! What a wonderful way to spend a Thursday evening!
There were lots of stripes, accordion serenades, delicious wine (especially the dry white), incredible savory and sweet food spreads, and wonderful people. What more could a fille ask for?
As my fellow Unilocalers have already noted, the staff were incredibly friendly and attentive. We spent most of the evening sitting and chatting out front and multiple staff people checked on us often.
Last but not least, merci, Nique!

Absolutely loved this YEE, although the evening did not go as planned. My lovely +1 Julianne L. agreed to accompany me and we were going to be there right at 6:30…well a quick trip to the Emergency room and 6 stitches later, we were able to attend (with Dr.‘s permission of course), however we were late:(
While I think we missed seeing some Unilocalers I haven’t seen in a while, and we missed the talk about how La Boulange started, we definitely did NOT miss the food. I was delighted with what seemed like an endless array of La Boulange goodies which consisted of fresh veggie/​fruit/​cheese trays, delicious salads, sliders (my favorite was the vegetarian slider: the Portobello mushroom and goat cheese one), pastries, and desserts. We were spoiled Unilocalers for sure! They even brought out to-​go boxes!
I was lucky enough to finally meet Ethan Z in person, and he was kind enough to invite us to sit with he and his wife. Over lovely conversation and the much appreciated position of sitting, I was able to focus on forgetting the trials and tribulations of the ER visit and enjoy this amazing YEE!
Thanks so much to Nique & Be for organizing, the amazing staff of La Boulange that SO NICE AND GENEROUS (I will be back for happy hour and Brunch for sure) and my fellow Unilocalers for being such a great bunch!
Unilocal 100 Challenge: ⁶⁶⁄₁₀₀

N: you are too good for words!!! Thank you, again, xoxo
Wine from the Luberon Valley (yes, same area as that touted youthful Cavaillon melon)!!! Cote du Rhone and the best pain au chocolat and brioche bread ever!!! Not to mention the great tarts and macarons tried.
Excellently organized and planned. Beautiful patio area as well… spacious place!
Sliders (chick provolone, tri-​tip caramelized onions, and portobello), salad, corn saad, homemade kettle chips with trout dip, ranch, or pesto hummus, and wonderful bell pepper crostinis out for consumption… whole dessert trays of perfect croissants, moist caneles, and delicate tarts (lemon and gâteau), macarons, oh yes!
Happy hour menu, catering menu, and laaaarge space compared to the SF outfits! Thank you, La Boulange — your walnut baguette made our lunch!

The early bird gets the worm! Or in this case, a cookbook. Not only was this event super chill, but it was intimate and fun. I caught up with a bunch of familiar faces I hadn’t seen in awhile and chatted with a few new people as well while noshing on some yummy food.
La Boulange were very gracious hosts. They came by to fill up our wine (if we wanted), coffee, tea or whatever else wanted. The fun French theme was complete with a tattooed man playing the accordion.
I enjoyed the salads, sliders and of course the macarons the most. The beautiful veggie platter and all of the desserts were excellent as well. The weather was nice enough where you could sit outside.
While we enjoyed the food, we also were given a history of La Boulange which started out as a small kitchen and eventually turned into a small chain featuring many French items that weren’t available anywhere else. Some of their baked goods are now available at Starbucks, luckily, this hasn’t affected the quality of their food or the type of business they run. I usually stop at different La Boulange locations for breakfast, brunch or lunch so I’m pretty excited to go back one day for happy hour — when the flag is up, that means it’s time to get happy. I’m sure some of my fellow friends will want to join in the fun as well.
The makeshift photobooth was also great fun. The props were fantastic and really brought it all together. I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s pictures.
Thank you La Boulange for letting us Unilocalers take over your «home» for a few hours and to Nique of course for being the hostess with the mostest.

This was great event for pregnant girls because there was no hard alcohol for me to swoon over but never taste.
Also for the bulbous belly types like me there was more than enough food to go around. I was especially excited about the desserts.
Service provided by La Boulange was exceptional. My drink of choice was regular decaf drip coffee. I loved how the little condiment bar lets you spoon your own sugar. I hate having to pour and guess or tear a packet and guess the sweetness.
My husband enjoyed the red wine provided.
We ate dinner already so we didn’t try any of the savory dinner options. But we did eat every dessert on the table. The little towers of eggy sweet pastry were my favorite along with the lemon tart.
They had macaroons to go and I took a chocolate one home for my son. I snuck a bite and it was fabulous.
It was a small intimate event and I really enjoyed it. My Elite event days are going to be few and far between so I’m so glad I was able to enjoy this one with friends.

This was an awesome Unilocal elite event! Kudos to la boulange for hosting us, and bringing out loads of delicious goodies! Star of the show (for me at least) were the tri tip sliders (delicious!). Will definitely be trying out la boulange in the future for their happy hour specials!

Wow thanks so much La Boulange de Danville for hosting us Unilocal Elites! The event was fabulous, the service was exceptional and the food never stopped coming! Thank you guys so very much!!! I loved the history of La Boulange, the wine and the buffet of sliders, cheese, fruits, salad, baguettes, and especially the pesto hummus!
All the sliders were delish and will be a great additional to HH. My fave was the tri-​tip and grilled onions and the portobello mushroom one. All the desserts were delish. Although I am not a fan of the macrons from here I really liked all the dessert tarts. Key Lime, Egg and the Strawberry Custard Tarts were all delish. The bread puddings were yummy too.
Great event, Nique! As per usual! This time I didn’t have to stand in a massive line for cheese and baguettes =P I loved the accordion player, made me feel like I transported to Europe for a second there!

Stripes, mustaches, and berets — oh my! Endless samples of food that switched up each time I walked by the table. First it was just bread, dips, salad, and sliders, then desserts started popping out. The food went great with the wine selection. Endless accordion music from a very dedicated accordionist (is that even a word??). And endless décor that matched the French theme. Loved the mini bites — from the sliders to the chocolate croissants to the dips to the bruschetta to the macaroon gifts bags. Didn’t get to try all the desserts since they didn’t replenish like the sliders, but must’ve been pretty darn good since they disappeared so quickly! Loved the atmosphere. And loved the fact that I managed to find parking in a seemingly full lot. Thanks La Boulange and Nique for the wonderful experience!

The La Boulange YEE was an intimate gathering with a fun, Frenchy theme. Smaller crowd than normal but it made for a nice, relaxed atmosphere. I got a chance to hang out with a couple of old friends and make several new ones! Danville is such a cute place. It’s got that small-​town feel… clean, safe… and worth the 45 minute drive (from Berkeley) in after-​work traffic to get there! :)
The food buffet was delicious. There were fruit and vegie platters, shredded carrot salad, green salads, a variety of sliders (tri-​tip, chicken, portobello mushroom), and yummy berry tarts and macaroons (my cheat for the week)! I usually stay away from bread and dairy but the potato chips, pastries and cheeses looked amazing! There was also tastings of white, rose, and red wine, which complemented the bistro food so well.
I learned that La Boulange fare is now in all the Starbucks, the chain originated in the city (13 SF locations), and it has three locations in the East Bay… unfortunately not Berkeley :(The Danville location is very charming and has an adorable French atmosphere. Our fabulous CM Nique had set up a fun photo area with a French flag, fake moustaches on sticks, black berets and baguettes. Many of us were dressed in theme with black and white striped outfits so it was quite a festive soirée!
Merci to La Boulange for opening up your café to us and your amazing generosity! And hats (umm…berets) off to Nique and East Bay Unilocal crew for yet another great YEE!

As we were driving to Danville, my date Judy asked me if many of my friends would be in attendance. «I hope so!» I didn’t ask around to see who else would be coming, because I love the element of surprise in seeing old friends and meeting new ones.
So I was delighted to see Miz Tam and Amy J at the front when the event started. Disappointed to miss many of the other usual suspects, but I’m sure I’ll see them at another one soon.
With one exception (shrinky dink name tags!), this was the most intimate Unilocal event I’ve been to. La Boulange also stands out as one of the most generous sponsors.
I loved hearing the history of La Boulange, and being introduced to the team. Everyone on the team was super friendly and helpful. The food spread was fantastic. I am hooked on those home made seasoned potato chips! Other items that really stood out for me were the hummus, and the sliders (tri-​tip and chicken). Honestly, everything was scrumptious. And then came the desserts, which I almost didn’t have room for, but somehow managed. Everything was good, and the strawberry tarts were perfect.
They kept the wine flowing, I really enjoyed the dry white blend.
And here’s generosity that I’ve not seen before at a Unilocal event. After the desserts were served and nibbled and noshed, they brought us «to go» boxes. There were loads of food and pastries left over, and we Unilocalers boxed them up to bring home and reduce waste! Mr. M and the little M’s were beneficiaries of this generosity, and truly loved the chips and pastries last night and this morning.
The casual photo booth was great fun and allowed us to memorialize the event with great souvenir snapshots. FUN FRENCH FACT: «Souvenir» is French for «to remember»
Ce fut un événement fantastique. Merci, Nique!

A great event and wonderful hosts! Thank you La Boulange for taking me to Paris tonight! My favorite sampling tonight? The chicken provolone slider and the bacon/​pea quiche. And the white wine was perfect. Food was yummy and I’ll see you at brunch this weekend:)…

We were 40 mins late because of work but it was still fun when we got here.
Awesome YEE soirée by our gorgeous CM Nique. Thank you always!
A glimpse of the event:

Another fantastic YEE arranged by our spectacular CM Nique F.
and hosted by the amazing French café/​bakery La Boulange.
Boulange went all out to make us Unilocalers feel welcome offering a cornucopia of food and drink with an ample supply of fantastic sliders, wine and cheese, salads and, of course, a broad selection of their signature pastries. Boulange also provided complimentary servings of their potent house-​brewed coffee to help ensure we all made it home safely.
La Boulange actually shut down the shop for the night so that us Unilocalers could have exclusive run of the place. That’s definitely going above and beyond!
These Unilocal events are very special since they provide an opportunity for us to meet our Unilocal friends and are especially wonderful when they are hosted in a magical setting like La Boulange. I finally got to meet one of my very first Unilocal buddies, Robin L.
as well as two of my more recent friends Christine T.
and Amy S.
Thanks to Nique F. and Unilocal for making Unilocaling my favorite pastime.
We love La Boulange and have patronized their Walnut Creek location many times and so we were delighted to be able to have such a personal welcome at their Danville location.
Until the next Unilocal we meet, Adieu!

I always love attending East Bay YEE’s bc I know that the incredible Miss Nique knows how to throw a party! This evening was no exception. With a cozy venue such as the Danville La Boulange and a French themed event, how could I refuse? I’m familiar with the downtown Danville area, so I was very relieved to know that there would be plenty of free public street and lot parking available. Having arrived a little late due to traffic, I easily scored a parking spot across the street. Upon arriving at La Boulange, I first noticed a gentleman playing the accordion and serenading all the Unilocalers. I knew I was in the right place.
As promised, there was a generous spread of small bites including cheeses, fruits, baguettes, salads, sliders, bruschettas and quiches. There was also a table serving three different wine choices: white, rose and red. I really enjoyed the caramelized onion and beef slider. The freshly baked buns were just so buttery and delicious. As if that wasn’t enough, they also brought out some of their signature pastries. Everything looked delectable and I had just enough room in my stomach to try the canele and strawberry tart. Both were yummy! There were several other choices in sweets. Gf tried the berry pastry and chocolate croissant, which she enjoyed. Single macaroons were packaged beautifully, so we had to grab one for the road.
The La Boulange staff was outgoing and accommodating. I met the manager who told me a little bit about their menus and catering. We also learned about the history of La Boulange and how the café became a popular chain. Not only is the Danville location open for bfast, lunch and dinner, but they also have happy hour. If you see the French flag outside in front, that means it’s happy hour (weekdays until 7pm).
I’m glad I got to revisit La Boulange during this YEE. I’ve only been there a few times for bfast or for an afternoon pastry snack. I’ll definitely stop by if I’m in the area for something a litlte more hearty or simply a glass of wine in the future. Thank you La Boulange de Danville, Nique and Unilocal staff for putting on another wonderful event! Merci!