Molecular Yelpstronomy – Reno’s First Yelper Party

So much fun! I had always wanted to check out the Discovery museum and what better way than an after hours party when the place wouldn’t be crawling with children?! Color me stoked.
Food, food, drink, food, spin a wheel, food, climb a structure, food. Everything I tasted was phenomenal but the real stand out to me was the cauliflower ceviche from Twisted Fork. It was absolutely divine-​and meat free. Oh! That cocktail with the flower in it was quite tasty as well.
I may be biased but I thought The Great Basin Food Coop had the best presentation. The edible garden looked like a garden! Super impressed with the kitchen at GBFC.
So much fun was had at this event, I can’t wait for the next one.

Thank you thank you thank you Michael T. for allowing my hubby and I to attend our first reno Unilocal event! It was incredible! Totally worth taking off work a little early and making the drive to reno!
I’ve been to reno 100’s of times and I never even heard of the terry lee wells museum. How creative pairing foodies and science! Perfect combo, right!!! Such an great concept and so much fun for everyone!
I know most of the reviews are on the food and drinks, which don’t get me wrong were mind blowing. But I also thought it was pretty cool that we got to explore the museum. I love puzzles and brain games so I had tons of fun trying them out. I felt like a little kid again.
Some of my fav food and drinks from the night were the Bella burst (twist to a Moscow mule), cloudy walker, apples from the pickling process and that salted carmel pretzel ice cream. Mmmm
Way to go reno Unilocalers on making this event such a success. Weeks later and I’m still talking about it with friends!!! Hope to see you all at another event and hope to get to know you!

My first chance to have a plus one instead of being a plus one! Huzzah!
I was thrilled to bring a fellow foodie friend to this event after I’d been chatting her ear off about all the other neat Unilocal events I’ve been fortunate enough to attend lately. I’m kinda hoping she will now get Unilocal fever since I recently caught it myself.
First off, I was excited to see all of my new Unilocaly friends in attendance. They are what make these events so special to me. I’m here to foster the foodie friendships.
Secondly, the actual food! I enjoyed sampling everything but it will always be the sweet treats that hold my heart. The gelato made with the anti griddle, the cotton candy drink, and the caramel pretzel ice cream were the big favorites of the evening in my book. I did love everything else I tried I just always seem to remember the sugary ones the most.
Thirdly, holy moly I didn’t realize how big Unilocal is! The event was packed full of Unilocalers and it was surprising to see us take over such a large event space. I admit, it was quite a bit overwhelming for me.
I was thrilled at the chance to attend this event and to continue to build relationships in the Unilocal community. It is quickly becoming near and dear to my heart.
Now if only I could have found a way to sneak out a carton of that ice cream I would have been the happiest girl in the world.

These Unilocal events just keep getting better and better! I’ve been looking forward to this event for months and even rearranged a trip to Australia to be there and it was definitely worth it!
I was happy we showed up on time because the line to get in was out of control and during the 10 or so minutes we stood there before the door opened, the line started doubling back upon itself. I knew it was going to be a mad house once we all got inside. And I was kind of right. After checking in, we stood in the line for the welcome drink, not knowing we could just skip it and head to the first lab (luckily we figured it out and made it to the 6:15 lab on time). The butchery lab was in WAY too small of a room. We were packed in there, it was hard to see what was going on, and it was hard to get samples. Lines in other areas were a little ridiculous too, and it wasn’t clear if we had to stand in the line or just grab the samples in any order.
Despite there being too many people, and unfortunately missing out on some of the samples (Twisted Fork was completely packed up and had left by the time I got to their table), this was a great event. There was a ton of amazing food and drinks. The labs I was able to make it to were informative and I loved getting the opportunity to ask questions. The businesses seemed to be really happy to be there and tell you all about their products, where to find them, etc.
My favorites from the night were the garlic vodka from Tahoe Moonshine, the salted caramel pretzel ice cream from the Atlantis, the pickled veggies from Nevada Brining Company, and FINALLY being able to try a miracle fruit. The cocktail class was really fun and you can’t beat the opportunity to meet Mark Estee during the butchery class.
I wish we had some more time (how did 3 hours fly by?) I felt like if I wanted to experience everything (and get to the labs on time), we didn’t have a lot of time to sit and enjoy each sample. Overall though, this was a great collection of the innovative and interesting food and drinks that Reno is putting out right now and the great people responsible for it.

Fantastic event! Unilocal and Michael know how to throw a party! Well attended with the best of the best in Reno set up to demo, teach and entertain the crowds with everything cooking and cocktail related.
The science theme was genius and is the kind of thing that is making outsiders take notice of Reno and making Renoites proud of our Biggest Little City. Hosted in the futuristic Discovery Museum downtown it couldn’t have been more fitting.
I attended two of the demonstration labs (classes) the cocktail class and the gnocchi making and I learned so much in both. Plus I got a delicious yummy tropical cocktail with yummy foam on top while watching the cocktail class and I figured out what I can do with all of my cantaloupe I’m growing.
I was so inspired in the gnocchi demo that I tried to make gnocchi at home for the first time ever the next day. (I have some practicing to do but I think I’ve got the concept down)
Between the wonderfully unique food and cocktail offerings including: watermelon flavored as ahi tuna, infused drinks, charcuterie, liquid nitrogen frozen marshmallows, pickled vegetables, moonshine, entertainment, classes, people watching and so much more there was no way to get to everything. It would have taken days.
But one thing I do know is that the more you learn the more you want to know. I will definitely be visiting the establishments of the talented local demonstrators that were there often to learn and indulge even more.
I’m so lucky to live in such a a great little talent filled city.

This was such an awesome event. I learned a lot about different foods and cocktails. The Discovery Museum was an awesome location. The party seemed to run flawlessly, and everyone enjoyed themselves!
Can’t wait for the next!

Free parking, first in line, fun pics in the foyer, hugs and kisses for everyone I know, delicious food and drink concoctions, lots and lots of people in a museum created mostly for children in our town, all in support of our local chefs and businesses and a great celebration for the Unilocal community headed by the magnificent maestro, Michael T.
I learned a lot from and enjoyed the workshops I was able to attend; Clint Jolly’s Pig Demo, Booze School with Ben and Nicole, and Emulsion Explosion with Josh from Heritage. There was some confusion with the «sign up» process with the labs, but my Elite yellow tickets allowed me nearly hassle free entry. It’s neat to be Elite!
There were so many booths to visit and sample. While it was packed in those areas, the lines seemed to move quite steadily. The timing was tight trying to see and do everything and still attend the labs promptly. What I did get to experience was rather unique, often confusing the brain with the input of texture you were expecting with the taste on your tongue… like a green liquid blob and powder with a few other ingredients tasted like salad, but there wasn’t crispy lettuce/​greens.
A number of booths ran out of their samples before I got to them, and I missed out on Justin, the magician, checking in at the Unilocal booth for my raffle ticket, and dancing to the dj’s spins. So much to do and see… so little time… three hours goes by way too fast. But I got to climb the clouds (while they were closing up shop) so that was a high!
There was an amazing turn out for this event… I hope those Unilocalers will continue to engage with the Unilocal community. And we can continue to make Unilocal Reno bigger and better for all! Thanks, Michael, for a fantastic evening! Let’s do it again! :D

My first Reno event and it knocked it out of the ballpark.
What stood out at this event? It was super organized. I loved the itinerary, map, and how mostly everyone stood in line. I was able to try everything as there was plenty to go around.
My favorite? Surprise, surprise. The salted caramel pretzel ice cream from Atlantis. Apparently, they do this table side in their steakhouse.
There were options from numerous local spots in town which made this event that much more special. This event was represented by places such as Campo, Twisted Fork, Great Basin, and Sierra Meat.
Ah…the wheel of Unilocal… Precursored by strawberries and champagne. Pretty awesome!
There were quite a few demonstrations but I was only able to make it to the pasta perfection one from La Vecchia. Learned how to make gnocchi… and was given a bag of homemade pasta. Fantastico!
Last, but not least… I finally got to meet our CM, Michael! Great event put together by the Unilocal crew. Looking forward to many more in the future! Thanks for letting me be a part of this!

Thank you to our awesome CM Michael! Everytime I attend one of these amazing events I think to myself «this was even better than the last event, even though I didn’t think it was possible!» Blows my mind how creative he is! This is his calling for sure!
This was an amazing night of a fun filled three hours of overwhelming amazement! Everywhere you look there was something to see or do, something to eat or drink!
We looked over the agenda for the night before going, and knew we were going to have a hard time choosing what to do! Reno’s best of the best we’re all here! Chefs, restaurants, breweries, distilleries… The list goes on! What a great way to raise money for our amazing discovery museum.
When we arrived we had our IDs checked, wrist bands applied, and then our Unilocal passes scanned. We mad our donation and headed in to the event!
We soon realized there was it enough time to see and do everything while socializing along the way! We went to bartender school and tried to hit all the booths both downstairs and upstairs! I can’t even express into words how much fun I had! We also brought some friends new to Unilocal and they were amazed at how much fun all these events are!
Once again thank you so much to Michael and all the businesses involved in this event! Blew it out of the water for sure! Unilocal never ceases to amaze me!

What a blast this was. I am not going to beat a dead horse because all of my fellow Unilocalers have written amazing and thorough reviews for this event. I am just so glad that I was able to make it. Thank you to Michael T. who always knocks it out of the park with the events.
My favorite part of the evening was the mixology class. Nicole really knows her stuff and I am looking forward to her opening her own bar soon. That ought to be epic. The «balls» were yummy and very unique as was the frothy cocktail that they made. I learned a lot that night and feel fortunate to live in such a great city that has evolved so much over the past few years and continues to get better and better.
There are so many places that I didn’t even know existed until this event. Kudos to all of your efforts and hard work for putting together such an awesome event for so many people. The Discovery was the perfect setting for the night too because it allowed everyone to explore all over upstairs and down.

March 19, 2015 Thursday 6 PM Event time!
2 Adults
Logistics — 5 stars
Atmosphere — 5 stars
Food — 5 stars
Service — 5 stars
Background — Unilocal event yeah I am in. Huge Unilocal event oh yeah baby!
Logistics — Unilocal,the Discover Museum, vendors and CM Michael T. for pulling off a hugely successful event. I hope this translates very well for all the vendors in the future. About four hundred Unilocalers descending on the museum, the place was large enough to handle that crowd size. Some lines got a little long that just meant the other lines were short. Why wait and waste your time. Move over to those short lines. All the vendors came with enough samples.
As a side note for Discover Museum as they had an unfinished room. I think it could be turned into a theater/​lecture hall.
Atmosphere — Normally a small child’s learning museum and tonight became an adult educational experience. Great way to bring people to the museum that would not normally go because they really did not know what it was. Love the use of space.
Food — So many excellent samples. The one that stood out for me was the watermelon tuna. That was the true molecular gastronomy I was expecting tonight. We live in world full of science and chemistry and bringing very technical aspect to creates mind bending menu items
Service — Everyone was great, smiles everywhere. Big thanks to all the volunteers! I thought the night was flawless. I enjoyed the Gnocchi, Butcher and the Mixology classes.
Future — I hope this becomes a yearly event, if not more frequently. I could easily see this going for 5 to 6 hours with a few more classes. But you still need to keep the crowd size the same.

Michael out did himself once again, Bravo sir, Bravo…
Overwhelmed with the excitement for this party, I arrived at 5:20 instead of 6 in hopes of snagging a good parking spot, which was a total success! I even got to see a little behind the scenes of the set up which was so awesome!
The party kicked off right at 6 and in no time, what seemed like hundreds of people arrived! The line was out the door, and around the corner!!! I got my wrist band, name tag and a little yellow raffle ticket that meant I was an elite member for the labs! Made me feel special! …Over 20 vendors and participants came to show off their own twists on molecular gastronomy in the culinary world, and what a blast it was! As Michael put it, «Was your Foodie brain filled!?» Yes, yes it was, besides, who doesn’t LOVE seeing an Anti-​Griddle and liquid nitrogen working side by side in the same room?!
First on my agenda was the drinks! I chose the bloody Mary at the door and it was spicy and yummy! A mix with vodka in it already, how can you resist that?! Then I spun the wheel of Unilocal which is always fun and got a little Unilocal swag! Not wanting to miss out on the pasta lab, I headed there first. Because of my handy dandy little yellow ticket, I got right in and was able to snag a seat right up front to watch the Chef of La Vecchia make Gnocchi! I even got to go up and roll a few on the fork myself which was fun and actually way more challenging than he makes it look! He sent me off with a little bag of homemade Beef rigatoni I believe it was, that he made himself!!! Can’t wait to try that!
Then where to next?! I couldn’t decide, so I walked downstairs and began my walk through the USBG drink line. The wine was fine, after aerating it, the wine was slightly better… I’d love to try this method with a nice bottle! The Pink Pinwheel was good… but that Bella Burst, where she slapped the basil… that is where it was at! Seriously the best drink all night hands down… I probably could have bathed in it… Tahoe Moonshine had some very… VERY tasty spirits but my absolute favorite was the Peanut Butter Vodka! WOW!
A few of my favorite foods there… Let’s start where I started… PICKLES! Nevada Brining company had some of the BEST pickles, pickled cauliflower and this freaking awesome cucumber, red onion and dill salad that he added a little sugar to, in order to cut down on the intensity of the red onion which melded perfectly in this simple little pickled concoction… not overwhelming at all, and definitely something I could imagine on a warm summer day with some BBQ!
Oh Campo… Your Cured and Cased meats… your ‘Charcuterie’ was TO… DIE…FOR! The smell alone had me at hello! The man behind the counter making the little boats was super nice, and smiled politely at my little quips and jokes… I was a little warm inside ok, I was having fun!
The 321 Below Ice Cream was so, so good! I want to go to the Atlantis now just for that ice cream!
The Emulsification class was hilarious because the man from Heritage was so funny and super smart! I thought it was adorable when he geeked out on his big words and then took a second to explain them to us! Entertaining and informational indeed.
The best lab of all however was the Booze School Bartending lab… where two of the funniest people and their «eye candy» as they called it, put on the best class ever! We were all roaring in laughter as if it were a comedy club and the fact that we got to drink and learn was so fun, not to mention I got to sit next to a super funny and super friendly fellow Elite Unilocaler… whose name is unfortunately escaping me… but he made that lab even funner!
To finish off my amazing and super fun night I just want to shout out to Great Basin Co-​op, your radishes picked that morning in that hummus was AWESOME! The Cauliflower Ceviche was surprisingly good from Twisted Fork. The watermelon that was made to taste like Ahi Tuna BLEW MY FRICKING MIND! The Maltodextrin powders and deconstructed salad were also mind blowing! I was able to guess the olive oil, bacon and peanut, but not the almond or walnut, although all of them were amazing!
All in all I would say not only was this party a blast and something to talk about for awhile to come now, it was informational, and delicious too! Way to go Reno Community, for coming together like this… let’s do it again sometime!

Wow! So much fun. Cocktail class, various methods of aerating wine, several blends of drinks, charcuterie, vegetable ceviche, compressed watermelon, nitrogen blended caramel pretzel ice cream (I’m salivating as I type this). Good food, great drinks, and finally meeting some people I’ve been able to communicate with on Unilocal is priceless.
Huge hat tip to Michael T. for putting this together, as well as the other Unilocalers involved; lots of incredibly appreciated time and trouble, not without notice. Aside from that, Michael was also a cavalier host, very friendly, and generous with his time. We met other Unilocalers and made new friends. Hopefully an enduring and newly regular event in our future.

This is by far the best Unilocal I have ever been to. I love the Reno community support that showed up to make this event so spectacular. There were so many local business, from food to bars to co-​ops, that attend this event. It was at a perfect venue, such as the Children’s Discovery Museum that catered to adults. I still can’t believe that this was a free event.
The food samples were top notch. My favorite one was from the Twisted Fork. It was a cauliflower caviche which was packed with so much flavor. That restaurant has been on my bookmark list for way to long and now I can’t even wait to go eat there. My second favorite sample was the salted caramel pretzel ice cream which you can get table side at the Atlantis Steakhouse. It is simply to die for. I would probably say that this is the best ice cream that I have ever ate.
All of the vendors and attendees were really passionate about this event and their products. The enthusiasm showed! I was so excited to learn about how to make gnocchi at the pasta making class.
Thank you Unilocal Reno!

Last night was wicked cool. We arrived to the event a couple minutes before 6 and there was a line wrapped around the building! Many Unilocalers waiting to have their taste buds tantalized. This event did not disappoint. From watermelon that tasted like tuna to garlic vodka, my mouth was singing.
It was nice learning about businesses in our community that I’d never heard of. I am going to be checking out those restaurants and buying those delicious spirits very soon.

This was my first Unilocal event and it was amazing night! There was delicious food, great drinks, music, and some really awesome personalities putting on science based demonstrations. This event gave me the opportunity to meet a lot of super people whom I have seen on Unilocal and never met in person. I connected with old friends and made new ones as well. We drank and had a blast exploring the discovery museum and all the activities that it had to offer.
The demonstrations were all fun. The people that were putting them on seemed to have a real passion for their craft and that translated well when watching them work. My favorite was probably the cocktail infusion demonstration. The people that were in our «class» were all actively participating and everybody was having a great time. The presenters were fun and knowledgeable. Some of the food that was being sampled out was so good that I cant wait to make a trip to their businesses and taste even more.
I want to thank all the people that made this event possible. You guys really put on a spectacular evening. There was so much to do and everybody working the event and participating in it were awesome. I cant wait to continue exploring Unilocal events and meeting the people that make Unilocal such a success.

Great event bringing together different restaurants from all over Reno. A few I have been to and others I’ve never heard of so naturally we started with what we knew and moved on from there. The veggie ceviche from Twisted Fork makes me want to eat there more than I already do, delicious! Great Basin brought their Outlaw Milk Stout, an almost perfect beer which we love. Then we moved onto ice cream made fresh from the Atlantis which we will be visiting very soon for more! Then I think we are the only two people in Reno who haven’t been to Campo, so we watched their demonstration and tried some of the food from Reno Provisions. It was very good too!
Overall it’s been a great night and we can’t wait for the next. The lines have been a bit much at times but we found that if we move on from a crowded station and come back later, it’s been much easier to get where we want to go.

I’ve been to my fair share of events around town and I must say that this was certainly one of the best that I’ve been to! The array of businesses and culinary treats was vast and of very high quality. You never know what to expect when you enter a community event that brings together many vendors, and especially one that is FREE of charge! I was really impressed with the quality and quantity of food and drink out out by each business. Everyone was really passionate about this event and their products, and the enthusiasm showed in the presentation and explanation provided by all. There were so many fancy foods created in unique ways, but I have to say that my personal favorite was the decomposed «salad» by trokay café in truckee. The powdered blue cheese, lettuce granita and vinegar gelee was so surprising and quite tasty!
Overall I was extremely impressed with this community event. So cool to showcase the museum and so many other local businesses. This was a total who’s who, see and be seen, kind of event! With all of the vendors and mini-​events, you could tell that the logistics were complicated but everyone did a great job of pulling it off! Thanks to everyone who helped contribute and a special thanks to community manager, Michael T., for reno’s first (and hard to beat) Unilocaler party! Everything was awesome!

An excellent event to bring together the local Unilocal community with local vendors. The food is amazing and the drinks very tasty.
Very cool that this was held in the museum since I might not have otherwise come here. Now I want to come back and bring my kid.
Having tried the food from a variety of vendors I will most certainly be visiting their store fronts very soon.
I would do this again in a heartbeat.

The Molecular Unilocalstronomy event was a success, well organized and filled with interesting presentations. Terry Lee Wells Nevada Discovery Museum’s staff were enthusiastic and helpful. The site was clean and presentations were well laid out. Navigating the event was a breeze with the detailed brochure/​schedule/​map provided. Sponsors generously brought fantastic treats and gave demonstrations with panache. DJs from DoWell events provided great music. Unilocal themed decorations added to the festivities.
Heritage sponsored the emulsions class led by Josh, who was a like rock star with a wisk. We learned about making vinaigrettes, and aiolis, which is fancy talk for mayo. Josh was very entertaining, and the class was informative.
La Vecchia Italian Restaurant’s representative showed us how to make gnocchi. He was charming and the class has inspired me to attempt cooking gnocchi myself. Or maybe I’ll just go to La Vecchia! They very generously provided attendees with their homemade pasta and a coupon for the restaurant – yeah!
La Vecchia also offered samples of pan roasted paccheri (pasta) stuffed with whole milk ricotta, pancetta powder, grana padano, & eggs, served with pecorino fonduta, and salt cured duck egg yolk. I don’t know what any of that means, but it was phenomenal.
Nevada Brining Company gave out delicious pickle samples – pickled cauliflower, yummmmm. They also made a quick pickle with thinly sliced apples, onions, dill and peppercorn. All was delicious.
Reno Provisions used an anti-​griddle (which flash freezes) to make gelato popsicles, which were wonderful. It was very cool to watch.
Thank you Campo… the mini chartecurie plates were sooooooo good!
Atlantis Steakhouse had an interesting demo. They made ice cream at 321 degrees below, which they make tableside at the restaurant. It was pretty cool… if you want to watch:
The flavor was salted caramel with pretzels – absolutely amazing.
The Great Basin Community Food Co-​op had yummy, fresh hummus with toasted nuts and carrot dippers. Healthy and delicious!
When leaving the museum, «miracle fruit» was available. Also known as synsepalum dulcificum, once chewed, taste buds are fooled into thinking sour foods are sweet. The sample given after the miracle fruit was lemon… so weird how that works.
There were many other demos, but I didn’t get to all of them. It was wonderful to see my Unilocal peeps. Love you guys!!! Thank you Unilocal for another amazing event!