Elite Event: 2014 Oakland Restaurant Week Kick-Off Party

Kickin’ Food
What a way to celebrate Oakland Restaurant Week. This YEE featured several restaurants participating at the event. Each restaurant showcased a few bites from their special menus.
Each food item was absolutely delicious. The only reason I rated this event a 4 instead of a 5 is because there wasn’t one neutral food item like bread. The flavors were too much to handle at one point, and I didn’t enjoy such different range of intense flavors; it was a too hard to handle. There was a pickled deviled egg and spicy meats, but hardly anything except water to cleanse the palette.
The drinks were delicious, but the bar was a bit disorganized.
Overall, this was a fantastic food event!

Impressive way to start 2014 as well kick off Oakland Restaurant Week. There was plentiful food from the vendors (ginormous trays of deviled eggs, the lamb meatballs, sliders, etc.) and the bartenders were very busy. J waited an hour for his drink, but we kept our selves amused by Instagram (pics shown directly on the TV monitor in the main room) and meeting new Unilocalers as well as reconnecting with ones from past events. There was also an artist around the corner at the Oakland Visitors Welcome Center. We liked donating $ to First Friday — worthy cause — plus there was a raffle drawing at night’s end for folks who donated. The highlight for me was talking to Chris Pastena — owner of Chop Bar, Brotzeit Local, Lungomare & Tribune Tavern. I didn’t even know who he was initially, as he was serving meatballs, but I could tell he was a chef as he began talking about the meatballs were made, etc. and going into a level of detail not seen from folks at other food stations. After Nique’s speech, I walked up, introduced myself and began talking to him. He actually lives around the corner from Chop Bar and bicycles to all his restos. Discovered there was no one in his family who was in the restaurant/​food industry except for his grandfather, who was a bartender for 30+ years in Brooklyn. He also handpicks the furniture (love the sliding door that served another purpose at a winery) and constantly thinks of design. It was really fun talking to him and he had absolutely zero pretentiousness (which floored me). Plus, I now know I can ask for a tour of the kitchen, etc. the next time I go to Tribune. Note: I’ve been to all of Chris’ restaurants (in small and medium sized groups) and have had no problem getting food customized due to my allergies & preferences.
To say that Nique & her staff are good to us Unilocalers is an understatement. Nique is sincere, passionate & picky about food and talented in creating well-​organized events which J & I enjoy attending. I RARELY go out during the work week, but will gladly do so to attend an event arranged by Nique & her staff.

Crap! I’ve been so busy I should’ve wrote this a long time Ago.
Much love to Nique and the elite fam. Lungomare is amazing.
The lines were busy for drinks but nobody can deny that the sliders were amazing and those deviled eggs.
Most of the selection of foods were kinda subpar
but it was good to see everyone and ketchup with the faces and
companty that keep this company working.
Plus, I finally got my Lettermen Jacket back ;)

One of my favorite events each year! Always fun to sample from a variety of restaurants that will be open for the foodie week. Favorites were the lamb meatballs from Lungomore and the deviled eggs from Tribune Tavern. The drinks at Lungomore were DELISH to top the evening off.
Thanks Unilocal for another great event!

The setting was really great! JLS is C-​L-​A-​S-​S-​Y!
I’m going to try to not say what everyone else is saying. Trout croquettes and eggs and nido were bombastic!
The drinks were unique. Catherine was really great! She was doing her absolute best to serve drinks. I felt kind of bad because people were snatching drinks so fast! But I caught em all! –Pokemon.
The set up of this place was by far one of the best For an event I’ve ever been to. But they should have had a few more people serving drinks. That’s my honest suggestion.
I also want to honestly say that most of the food was really great (again), but I was hoping for a little more from Lungomare in terms of selection. Most of the other items blew me away that it just left me wanting a little more. I’m sure that their other menu items are delicious and «pic» worthy for your instagram friends to see… But I think the meatball choice probably didn’t represent that well enough for them. Please don’t hate me.
I am pretty excited about winning a $ 50 gift card for tribune tavern! Overall, a super fun and dazzling night!

Oakland Restaurant Week can be considered the gateway drug to the culinary wonderland that is Oakland. And with that, Unilocal dispensed its own gateway to ORW with its Elite Kick-​Off Party.
And the first YEE of 2014 didn’t disappoint. Hosted by Lungomere, the Unilocaly crowd gathered before 7 at its entrance with the rising fevered pitch of Walmart shoppers at Black Friday midnight (as plus-​one Amy J. paraphrased). Entering, our wide party area was flanked by tables from one of Lungomere’s sister restaurants: Tribute Tavern (whose offerings of rosy-​hued deviled eggs; my personal taste fave with their sophisticated mix of flavors and texture), and Chop Bar with its Trout coquette balls (who knew fish balls were so big?). Nido was on hand with samples of meat skewers (and a guacamole all the more amazingly tasty given the season); a dish I hear is actually on the ORW menu. And Brotzeit, whose sausage sliders seemed the most envied cut of meat for the circling hungry Unilocal sharks.
Beyond the good food, the hosts’ bartenders kept the cocktails cranking out for us thirsty Unilocalers. Of the offerings I sampled, their Requiem, with Wild Turkey Rye, Campair, Lemon & a squirt of Absinthe made me a fan. I had thought perhaps the hosts could have pre-​mixed some of the drinks’ components to save time, but that would have denied seeing the ‘tenders’ showmanship and lightning-​fast execution in crafting several cocktails at once.
The big thanks of course goes to the folks who invited us in the first place: Our den mother Nique, Shirene, Jelena and the entire Unilocal team. Thanks for once again seizing the opportunity and turning out an amazing event. Thanks once again for allowing me to be part of it.
It was good to see Unilocalers familiar & meet faces new. I hope they, and all, get to enjoy the bountry of offerings we got just a glimmer of last Monday. I have my rezzie for Tribune Tavern all set. I’m looking forward to a dynamite meal. Though, I may just ask if there’s any deviled eggs in the back.

First YEE of 2014 and wonderful appetizer to get a taste of what’s to come…
Thank you to all the participating restaurants. Highlights of the night were the Lungomare meatball. It was a delicious hybrid of veal, lamb and pork. Followed by the crunchy trout croquettes. Tribune’s eggs however tops my list. Something about that devilish temptation just spoke to my taste buds. They offered in three different ways. My favorite of the trio was the pickled pink goodness.
The night was capped off by a door raffle prize which we WON! I was already planning on going to some of the restaurants already, guess now we add one more to the list!
Until we elite again!

First YEE for 2014 and exciting kick-​off for Oakland’s Restaurant Week.
As a new resident of Oakland, I know of many community events that I wished to attend, but time and pre-​obligations prevent me from going. Oakland Art Murmur got me looking forward to First Fridays or Saturday Strolls. And of course donating to a great sponsor who offers a place for artist to display their art and to offer even better events each month — was a great choice for this YEE.
The bites from Chop Bar, Nido, Lungomore, Tribune were indeed the perfect choices to peak the interest of the Unilocalers who were ready to for ORW and what it will offer. The venues that sampled their food was a good choice and I cannot wait for the 17^th to be here.
Nique and her team — did it again!
****
With the positives come some negatives. My SO and I didn’t get to sample the drinks, as the bartender completely ignored our half of the bar for roughly 15 minutes. We walked away with an «oh well» disappointment.
And secondly, is how these YEEs have evolved. There used to be much more camaraderie at these events. Everyone wanted to get to know each other and were polite and more welcoming with each other. In the past year, I noticed that there is less and less of that. I feel as though there is more high school mentalities that go to these events and I feel that YEs forget that its a social event where you can get to know other and gush over our interest of food and maybe more. Instead its «free food, free drinks, free reign» to forget all common decency and that is just sad.
Other than that, I do go to these events to become aware of what is happening in my area and where I can go to still be more active with Unilocal

You know what? I thought there’d be more restaurants showing off their stuff. Or, at least enough food to last the whole event. I really enjoyed the trout croquettes from Chop Bar. They were trouty and crunchy while being soft on the inside and were not soggy. The meatballs from Lungomare were good but kinda chewy and not juicy. Love the deviled eggs from Tribune, I gotta say. Nido’s and Brotzeit wares were decent but not spectacular. The food was fine but didn’t make me want to go to restaurant week very much.
Drinks were delightful for the most part. I thought the absinthe rinse in the requiem was kind of strange but not necessarily bad. Favorite was the rosicrucian though.
Loved the look of Lungomare. It’s definitely got a kind of tavern meets italian restaurant feel.

What does it mean to be Elite?
One of the arising questions that ran in my head as I stepped into my first elite event.
It was a cold day with no wind and I was wearing the perfect stretch pants to fill me up with the most delightful of meals offered by the local Oakland restaurants.
Since this was my first time I couldn’t really compare it to anything. But what I do know now that I will prepare for next food event is.
1. Come early
2. Build relationships with fellow Unilocalers
3. Take advantage of their unlimited drinks
4. Don’t eat so fast since the food comes back for seconds
5. Wear a warmer jacket
6. Bring bigger pants
Overall I had a good experience and the scene was filled with great vibes and gold energy!

Oakland Restaurant Week is one of the coolest things to have ever happened to our infamous town, outside of Art Murmur. And lucky for us this year, we got to celebrate this great event with a kickoff party at the «new» Lungomare!
Granted, I’ve got a lot of history with the locale, but I wanted to give Lungomare another try. I gotta tell you, the sausage and deviled eggs offerings really took me for a delicious loop, so much so, that a couple friends and I decided to stay after the party to partake in dinner. Now that’s a successful YEE! But let’s get back to the party, shall we?
The décor is really nice, the waterfall at the front giving a very dramatic entrance to start your visit off with. The cocktails, while complicated to make (I should know as a former bartender), were really yummy. First and foremost, I’d like to give a big hand to all the staff for keeping the hordes happy with their offerings and service. I know how hard it is when there are so many people at an event. So 5 stars goes to all of you!
Lastly, I’d like to comment on the TV displaying in real time pics from Instagram that we Unilocalers were taking all night. THAT WAS SO COOL!!! I was all excited to see my pics up on the big screen! So folks, the next time you’re busy Instagramming your food and drink pics, make sure to tag them with #yelpeastbay and you too might see your photo front and center on the big screen.

Another lovely Unilocal Elite event. Thank you.
I loved the skewers of fresh grilled chicken with guacamole and the Turkey rum cocktail and the wonderful waitress who took care of me. The meatballs were good too.
I missed the music and I thought it was a little hard to get around since there were many people in a relatively small room. It would have been nice if the restaurants gave out their business cards as it was dark inside so it was hard to see which restaurant sponsored which dish.
Overall, it was a nice party. Thank you.

Great way to start the year!
This event was a lot of fun. Several Oakland Restaurant Week participating restaurants gave us a treat of what to expect from them if we decide to visit them this week. Nido was offering pork skewers & chips + guac, Tribune Tavern was offering two kinds of lovely deviled eggs, Chop Bar and Brotzeit Lokal served sausage sliders and trout croquettes. I did not have dinner before the event, but by the end of it I was stuffed.
Our amazing hosts, Lungomare, were providing not only seemingly never-​ending meatballs, but also 3 very tasty complimentary cocktails. Let’s just say their bartenders were very very busy for the duration of the event. I also came to learn some useful info: Lungomare’s restaurant week menu includes infinite wine, something that they also offer on Sundays. Use this information responsibly.
Also if you haven’t checked out the Oakland Art Murmur, I highly recommend it!
Thanks to Nique and East Bay Unilocal,as well as Lungomare and the participating restaurants and sponsors for a great event!

Great event at a wonderful venue. East Bay Elites gots it good!
The cocktails were worth the wait. They were stiff and you could definitely taste the alcohol, in a good way. Small bites were plentiful and all were so good! I especially enjoyed the pink deviled eggs from Tribune Tavern and the plates from Nido. It was a great way to see the servings for Restaurant Week and got me super excited to try these restaurants! I liked that the event wasn’t so packed that it was hard to maneuver. Good size crowd at a god size venue.
ArtMurmur gave us raffle tickets but they never did the drawing, or at least not up to 8:30pm when we left. Boohoo.

What an awesome way to kick off the 2014 Unilocal year AND Oakland Restaurant Week! Beautiful location, diverse crowd, great art, the most courteous of employees/​servers, and good food! I especially liked the real time photos showcased on the flat screen via social networks! How clever is that and kudos Unilocal team! I loved it or shall I say #loveit.
Now for the food!
Lungomare served up some delicious veal and lamb meatballs paired with a garlicky romesco sauce made with red peppers and an array of nuts. The meatballs had a nice gamey aftertaste that wasn’t overwhelming as the sauce nicely complimented the meat with its garlic flavor. John, the kind gentleman behind the table, told me that they typically put these meatballs on pizza — though their menu is always changing and the chef is constantly switching it up. Katherine, thank you as well for being the sweetest server and for allowing me to try all three complimentary drinks — shout out to the bartenders as well!
Tribune Tower had two selections of deviled eggs which put a unique spin on this classic. The pink egg was colored using beets and had a nice spiciness to it from the pickled jalapeño. I was amazed. What won me over though, was their crab and shrimp deviled egg. You can taste the seafood in every bite and there’s a slight hint of wasabi towards the very end.
Nido is a farm to table Mexican restaurant. I had no idea what Nido meant but they were kind enough to tell me! Nido means nest in Spanish and like birds they «gather» food to bring to the «nest»…hence farm to table. They served up some al pastor and pineapple skewers with guacamole, a chip and a mild salsa. The pineapple was genius. It added an element of sweetness to the bold and spicy flavors of the dish.
Chop Bar served up Troutballs with a garlic aoili. Yum! So light and airy and fried to perfection. They had a nice crunch but the garlic aoili won me over. I forget her name, but she swears that they put this sauce on everything — almost like In&Out’s spread. If you’re going to Chop Bar, she recommends getting their Chicken Torta — I’m taking her word for it!
Brotzeit Local’s sausage sliders were so cute! They were flavorful and had nicely pickled veggies that went well with the smokey flavor of the sausage.
Overall, this was a wonderful event that I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m glad to have met some new Elites and rekindled with familiar faces as well. Cheers to Oakland Restaurant Week and another year of Unilocaling! :)

It was a bustling event, as befitted the opening kickoff of Oakland Restaurant week. All the sponsors (Lungomare, Chop Bar, Tribune Tavern, Nido, and Brotzeit Lokal) were very generous and the servers were super friendly. Food was amazing! My personal favorites were the deviled eggs and the mixed sausage bites.
I had a few Queen Anne’s Revenge (made with Appleton Rum) which were potent and tasty, though I’m really not a rum fan. It would have been nice to have more bartenders on hand as the wait for drinks was a bit crazy. But the main bartender was excellent at shaking up the cocktails quickly and efficiently once you got your order in :)
As always, it was good to run into some old Unilocal friends (glad I got to see Kelly T. before she jets off to Australia!) and meet a few new ones. I think I prefer the smaller YEEs where the atmosphere is a bit more relaxed and intimate, but I had a great evening. Definitely made me excited for restaurant week!
Thanks Nique for starting off 2014 with a bang!

Restaurant Week sure attracts a big, diverse crowd. Last night’s event was cray-​cray-​crazy packed. I had been waitlisted but I was offered a plus one thanks to John Z. This event always seems to be the most popular event of the year and I can see why.
There were so many awesome things to try. Those pink deviled eggs from Tribune Tavern were devoured by many. Nido was one of my favourites because the pork skewers with chips, salsa and guacamole had a good amount of flavour. Actually, now that I think about it, the sausage sliders were tasty as well from Brotzeit Lokal. I’m glad we arrived early because the crowd seemed bigger than Black Friday shoppers at Walmart if you know what I mean. (I credit JZ for that tidbit of information.)
Even though the crowd seemed overwhelming, the food and drinks never seemed to end. I had a fabulous time catching up some familiar faces and meeting a few new ones too.
Overall, I’m excited to try a lot of the new restaurants in Oakland and all over the bay area.
Thanks for the lovely time, Nique, Shirene, Lungomare and friends. What a way to start the new year — with a full belly and lots of hugs.

Stars: 3.5
First Unilocal review of 2014 for me!
This was my first official elite event in the east bay (I used to roll with the Sacramento elites before I graduated).
People who greeted us at the front were super sweet and welcoming.
Once we went in, we started nomming away. The food was delicious!
Guilty. I went back for fifths and sixths!
Tribune Tavern’s pink deviled eggs were amazing. I’ve never had deviled eggs like theirs before! They had a delicious extra crunch to them :)
Nido’s pork skewers with chips were so delectable. Their homemade guacamole tasted so fresh and flavorful. I died.
Chopbar’s trout croquettes were fried to perfection. A little too fishy for my liking though.
Brotzeit’s sliders were alright. I wish they toasted the buns!
Lungomare’s meatballs were definitely my favorite. Mm I’m getting hungry just thinking about them. However, my guest and I did not really enjoy their drinks :(They were complimentary though, so I can’t complain! The bartenders did a great job and were working very hard!
I did enjoy the venue. It was a cute little place to have the Unilocal event at. My guest and I went outside to explore Jack London Square as well.
Thank you Nique, Lungomare, and Unilocal east bay!

Awesome event for a first-​timer. My very first YEE. It sure made my night. Arrived 10 minutes after 7pm and the line was already out the door. Lungomare was the place to be at JLS. Greeted by the lovely Nique and Oakland Art Murmur folks. Everyone was so nice at the check-​in table. Donated my $ 10 for Oakland Art Murmur.
Stood in another line for the free drinks. The bartenders were very busy, and yet they still offered excellent service. Love the complimentary bites from 5 different kick off restaurants and of course, the awesome cocktails. Lungomare hooked it up with the alcohol. They were strong. I like the Requiem but my favorite was the Queen Anne’s Revenge. MMmm, cinnamony & frothy creamy.
My favorite bites were from Chopbar… fried trout balls with tartar sauce. Yum. Tribune Tavern’s deviled eggs with pork belly were delish too. Lungomare lamb/​pork meatballs were good… as well as Nido’s awesome quacomole & chip. And lastly, Brotzeit Local sliders filled me up! Thanks for the food.
Everyone was happy and smiling throughout the night. My plus one & I went to Oakland Visitors Center to check out the artwork. Very nice paintings. We stayed until the end of the event because raffle ticket was held at 9pm. Didn’t win but got to see two happy lucky winners. Thank you Nique for throwing this event. I’m definitely coming back to Lungomare for dinner.

We didn’t stick around to take pics with Mayor Jean Quan this year but we did rub shoulders with Oakland Art Murmur VIP Pamela Mays McDonald and my fellow Unilocal Elites at the tres chic Lungomare. My man and I have a special place in our hearts for Jack London Square, it being our first date location, and now we can add the 2014 ORW kickoff to those good memories.
We Unilocal Elites are a diverse, friendly bunch so there was no jostling at the busy bar as we sampled all three signature complimentary cocktails, the Requiem, featuring some non-​hallucinogenic absinthe, the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and our fave, the Rosicrucian.
We enjoyed the tastings provided by our generous sponsors; Nido’s tender alambre al pastor with that delectable guacamole, two deviled eggs from Tribune Tavern including my first helping of shellfish in over two decades (look Ma, no allergy!), sausage slider with red cabbage from Brotzeit Local, various varieties of meatloaf with romesco from host Lungomare, and those fried troutballs from Chop Bar.
Definitely a great party… many thanks to our hostess Nique, door diva Shirene, and a shout to my my fellow Elite John H. for remembering me from the J-​Table at the Bourbon and Beef Social Hour. Unilocal Elite life is the good life!