La Famiglia Yelpa – An Elite Event at A Cena

As a +1 this was an amazing event to attend! Fantastic wine, boar balls, heirloom pizza and plenty of Unilocalerzz to enjoy and discuss all the temptress appetizers with. Let alone a give away that include the shake weight? What? I have to say that I was incredibly disappointed that neither I or my beautiful girlfriend did not win it, but the look on the face of the lady that did was priceless.
Well done A Cena, and Don!

What an amazing event! Delizioso!!!
Being part of the Unilocal Elite, I’ve been exposed to many new restaurants, food, and good beverages. This event was absolutely my favorite! Dressing up is always fun to do and see others do as well. The food at A Cena was AMAZING! I thoroughly enjoyed Firesteed wine and will be seeking that out ASAP. I’m glad my man was my +1 cause now he knows the perfect spot to bring me for dinner on that special romantic evening. Thanks again!

Negroni, oh hello.
One of my top five favorite drinks of all time, at another five-​star Elite Event in one of my favorite neighborhoods.
I only had two, I was very well-​behaved at this one. I considered stuffing my pockets full of Michael K’s fresh mozzarella but then remembered that ladies don’t line their pockets of their nicer trench coats with stolen cheese. Ladies DO, on the other hand, spend fabulously rainy afternoons at fancy restaurants talking to beautiful people.
Anna A: best. leggings. ever.

Thanks a mint, Don B and Tiffany C for another wonderful event. I will be back to A Cena very, very soon.

Another top notch, over the top great event! I loved everything about this one. The food, the space, the owner and employees, and of course my friends.
Northern Italian food is one of my favorite cuisines, and the food certainly didn’t disappoint. I tried the risotto balls, focaccia, foie gras, chocolate mousse, fried artichokes, pizza, and wine. Even though Sellwood is a distance from me, I plan to go back for more of A Cena’s delicious eats.
Everyone involved did a great job! I’m looking forward to making the pasta that was offered to take home. That was a really nice touch.

Whoa.
Happiness is being Portland elite.
Yet another lavish party, except this one was maffia-​fabulous equipped with potent negronis, hand-​stretched in front of you mozzarella, god-​fatherish Unilocalers and foie gras. The foccacia bread and olive oils/​salts were absolutely bangin! I loved the roasted artichoke too. Meeting up with the other Anna’s was also tops.
Thanks Donfather for organizing such a killer event!
I hope to dine at A Cena soon :)

a-​chayna. Say it with me now, a-​chayna. It is worth remembering.
I know some people like it loud, but I prefer events that are intimate and conversational. A Cena was the perfect venue on a rainy Saturday afternoon. I’ve been meaning to visit for ages, but am usually diverted by Jade Teahouse and Patisserie’s tractor beam. Now there is another ‘must visit’ dining destination for me in Sellwood.
The owner, Chris, was a delightful and gracious host while pouring wine. Special thanks to Michael K for making fresh mozzarella while we sipped New Deal cocktails and Ninkasi beer. The appetizers were wonderful little tastes of different items from A Cena’s menu that whet your appetite and left you wanting more. The risotto balls on a bed of mozzarella left the biggest impression until I saw the chocolate tray. Little bites of chocolate mousse that dissolved into bliss on my tongue. Finger licking good indeed.
Many thanks to our ever brilliant CM, Don B, and to Tiffany C for making the trip to be his efficient consigliere. Grazie!

Another 5 star event courtesy of The Don and Co. !
I was impressed with the courtesy and friendliness of the A Cena staff. Not only did they turn out delicious treats for us throughout the event but they gave us pasta goodie bags (complete with a cute note inside) and a raffle prize! Neither of which did I get to enjoy but I appreciate the sentiment. Now I could be wrong, but I got the impression that the delightful wine pour man was the owner of the establishment. Not only was he always ready to top me off with a smile… but he was not phased and even encouraged our DIY wine pouring that picked up towards the end. Bless Him!
That cherry tomato pizza sample is going to haunt me… I will be making my reappearance shortly no doubt. A Cena, the yeeps, and the entire event left me with a lovely taste in my mouth.
Gratzi !

It’s no secret that the best cure for the first rainy fall weekend in Portland a hearty dose of comfort food in a cozy environment with friends and family. This year, you couldn’t ask for a better spot than A Cena.
Many thanks to Don and the the Unilocal crew for organizing another lovely event. New Deal, your gin martini is suburb, cheers. And my most heartfelt thanks to A Cena for not only hosting us, but for the gift card. I was already looking to coming back for dinner, but you’ve made my return trip a little sweeter. Now to just wait for another drizzly Saturday evening.
I don’t think I’ll be waiting too long.

I love everything Italian; Italian food, cocktails, fashion, boys, Sopranos, The Godfather, even Italian trash reality shows (Jersey Shore & Real Housewives of New Jersey), and now to add to my list is the La Famiglia Unilocala @ A Cena.
A cena setting is warm and intimate. It was perfect for this gathering with my Unilocal family. A Cena’s talented bartenders made stiff Negroni or Martini with New Deal’s Vodka or Gin. Not only that, they served us endless Red Table wine, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. I love love love love the red wine. It was so smooth and not bitter. As always Ninkansi was there to company beer loving yeeps.
Now, let’s talk about the delicious and tasty nibbles. The deep fried Artichoke was my favorite. I found a new way to eat a whole baby artichoke which is deep friend and eat the whole thing at once. I know it sounds weird, but it works and A Cena made them in a very delicious way. Besides the artichoke, I enjoyed the meatballs, Arancini (fried risotto balls), Pizza with tomatoes, Foie Gras with cherries (sooooo good), and mini Chocolate mousse cake.
However, the star of the party was the fresh pulled Mozzarella. Michael, one of our Unilocal elites really know how to works that Mozzarella. I don’t think it’s as easy as it looks, but he has a talent in cooking, and make tasty food. Thanks to Michael, for the first time, I had fresh pulled Mozzarella. I was surprised how Mozzarella tasted differently when I dipped them in the Truffle salt from Petrovo. I couldn’t get enough of the Truffle salt, I think I might need to buy a jar of it one of these days.
Thank you for yet another amazing elite event, Don B and crew, sponsors, and all yeeps who always make my day brighter. Thank you, A Cena, we will be back for dinner. Keep on Unilocalin, y’all!

Nothing like family and friends to get you through a gray rainy day.
Nothing like drinking with them, laughing with them, feeding them, and pulling my cheese curd in front of them. Thank you ALL, we (A cena) had a great time too.

Wonderful! Thank you Don B and Unilocal for this great event!
Ditto to everything that has been written so far. Everything was superb and I can’t wait to go for dinner.
You can tell that the owner and staff really enjoy what they do. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. The food was exquisitely prepared with attention to detail, both appearance and taste.
Fun, fun, fun!
Oh and the Gin was really to good, probably the best I’ve ever tasted.

Awesome!
Cheers to A Cena!

When you consider all the moving parts of this event, it’s awesomeness demonstrates the excellence of our Unilocal fam, our small local restaurants, food and drink producers, and our community manager.
Portland Unilocaler Michael, gifted chef at A Cena, proposed the idea. The restaurateurs and the community manager developed a real raport. The size was intimate, perfect for conversation. The restaurant prepared tasty small bites in perfect quantity, variety and adventurousness. Italian influenced cocktails from our local distillers and a great beer and wine complement, all served with class. An opportunity to sample small production olive oil, balsamic; truffle and floral finishing salts, all with home made mozzarella and flatbread.
The theme allowed Portlanders who never have a chance to dress up a little to free associate on Jersey, Italy, paparazzi, hats, heels and gold. There were crazy raffle items.
It’s all good; thanks all!

So I realize that Don B warned us in advance that there would only be nibbles, but he totally failed to mention that they would be the most heavenly nibbles ever placed on fluffy clouds of Parmesan cheese and rivers of sugo sauce. It was hard trying to play it cool and not obviously stalk anyone carrying a platter of risotto balls, but given that I was not slapped with a restraining order, I guess I did it just right. Phew.
Loved the restaurant, loved the nibbles, loved the event. Can’t wait to go back for dinner to try the raviolini with Maine lobster.

A Cena was not the kind of place I expected. I expected a large, loud dining room. Instead, A Cena is an intimate, warm, romantic restaurant. What a pleasant surprise! Their menu is precise. They know know what they’re good at, they know how to use what’s in season and what’s local and this is what they have to offer. Love it and can’t wait to return!

Whata event! Don et. al. went over and above again for something really special. I have no doubt, based on this brief exposure, that I will be returning to A Cena for dinner. EVERYTHING I ate was SUPERB! The fresh mozzarella (made before our eyes) was so tasty. Even if it had had no flavor (which I assure you it did), the texture would have blown me away. Risotto balls, meat balls, pizza — everything they presented was exquisite. Michael (from A Cena) was a joy. Everyone on the staff was a joy. The New Deal gin — tried my first as a Martini so I could really taste it — was, what can I say, a joy.
Then there’s the Yeeps. Seems like every time I go to one of these events I get the opportunity to chat with folks I’ve chatted with briefly before, but I get to get deeper than before. This happened a few times this afternoon and I’m the better for it.
We’re really looking forward to returning to A Cena!

La buona famiglia riunita!
This is indeed a family gathering! Love seeing those members who we have lost touch. To the new ones, «Benvenuto nella famiglia».
Our kind host, A Cena, showered us with fine food and awesome drinks. I still can’t get enough of the risotto balls, meat balls, fried artichokes and fresh mozarella drizzled with truffle sea salt. And pardon to those sensitive people here but I also dug the foie gras with dark cherry appetizers.
To my well dressed Mafia, uhmmm Unilocal Famiglia. Good day.
A toast to Mikael, Cristopher, the awesome A Cena crew, Don B & the Unilocal crew!

By far one of the best elite events ever orchestrated by the amazing Don B. and the warm and welcoming peops of La Cena!
Firesteed wine, Ninkasi Total Domination, and some mad martini’s and Negroni’s mixed with love.
The food… oh, the food… it was fantastic. Next time I have a reason to celebrate I will return to La Cena for some amazing italian food. There were deep fried artichokes, truffle risotto balls, tomato basil pizza, and fresh mozzarella dipped in the most amazing floral salt I’ve ever encountered!
The owner and waitstaff at La Cena truly seemed to enjoy serving their wonderful fare with authenticity and aplomb. Add on to all this wondrous food and drink the Unilocal «family» who all clean up pretty damn well-​made this one of my favorite elite events yet.

My best friend and I were welcomed with open arms at A Cena. Great martini drinks with an orange wredge and white wine along with fabulous appetizers complimented the experience. I got to meet old friends, and make new ones as well. The staff was super friendly and made sure we got to try what they had to offer.
The meatballs, pizza, homemade mozzerella, risotto, and artichokes were simply divine. I missed out on the pasta giveaway though :(, that’s what I get for socializing with my yeeps. Don once again pulled off a fantastic event. Hilary B. looked fabulous as the italian paparrrazzi photographer. It’s definitely a great way to start the fall season!!!

Don B. made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.
Strong drinks, fresh Italian bites, and quality time with fellow Unilocalers in a cute cozy neighborhood place.
I started it all off with a negroni. Gin, vermouth, and bitters all in a martini glass with an orange slice. That’s one strong but delish drink and that’s all it took!
Fresh arancini (fried risotto balls) with corn in a bed of parm, fried artichokes and lemons, boar meatballs in tomato sauce, mini chocolate mousse-​like cake, and best of all was the foie gras on toast with a juicy cherry. It was all mouthwatering. I’ll have to head back for dinner!
Of course, the company and raffle prizes were awesome. The shake weight definitely proved to be just as hilarious in person as it is on its infomercial.
Thanks Don B for another great event!