Bling Bling at the Jewel Elite Party

The first and last time I was at Barfly was on a Monday night (thanks to my friend John who thought Monday would be «happening») and the difference between a Monday and a Friday, not to mention the lively Unilocal event, was gargantuan.
Most of the tables were cleared making room for a DJ and a dance floor. The selection of music could have used improvement; I can only handle so much 80’s music. There was an excellent mix of patrons, from barely 21 to older.
To the guy who tried to use his video game system to convince me to go home with him — thanks for the laughs and points for originality.
The drinks were stiff and in comparison to other bars/​clubs, slightly better priced. Although, it helped that most of the drinks were free from the Unilocal event. One of the bartenders however, left a less than ideal impression. Sorry for having hassled you to serve my vodka shot chilled, but isn’t that your job?

Easily the best Elite event I’ve been to! It definitely helps that La Jolla is just a quick jump up the coast for me, and because of the location, parking was relatively easy and of course, FREE.
Michelle A and I arrived shortly after 7:30 to a line that was at the end of the street, but in true Unilocal fashion they had the line moving right along and we were inside in no time.
The hosted alcohol was Skyy vodka– oh yeah, we were soooo upset by this we had to order two drink a piece to drown our sorrows. One thing Barfly can’t be accused of is pouring a weak drink. With each cocktail, I became closer and closer to taking my pants off. The bartenders were also amazingly efficient, pouring drinks 10 at a time, keeping all of us Unilocalers happy.
I was glad to see that the food came out on humongous serving trays. Each one was a mix of appetizers ranging from sandwiches to pigs in a blanket and everything was delicious!
Bottom line– Danny W and the rest of the Unilocal team did a great job working with Barfly to make this an amazing event! It was so good, no one wanted to leave after the hosted event ended. Most of the time, people jump ship as soon as it’s over but I was glad to see a lot of people stuck around because they were having such a good time.
I’m glad I got to see the glory that is known as Barfly, and I’ll definitely be back!

Venue was really nice and it was a great turnout. I gave it 3 stars because the lack of service the first hour of the event. I understand that there was a lot of people there for free drinks/​food, but at least put some effort into your job. It is like they forgot they were catering to the group that are going to be writing the reviews for them.
The second half of the evening went better when I found a bartender that was actually deserved their tips.
I don’t get the chance to hit la jolla much, so I am glad the Unilocal party was held here!

I’m GLAD that there was an event in La Jolla and had a great time with familiar faces — always! I was diggin’ the attire and peeps — especially the girl — was diggin’ the real bowtie. It’s good to dress up occasionally.
I’m SAD that I missed a few familiar faces.
I’m MAD that I don’t blame the bartends pulling attitudes. Danny always gives everyone the heads up that one should always tip. What’s ridiculous is to order 5 drinks at a time for a single person and then fail to tip for the effort. Ridiculous. Tip accordingly.

OVERALL, I would rate my good times at 4. I got to meet new peeps and got with the old peeps. That’s what made this night what it was.
Shout outs to:
Chris, Andy & Alex, Chrissy & Jenn, Kim & Brian, Cindy & Ferdi (you’re welcome for the awesome pix!), Yvonne (Success Shares!), Chuck (amazing photog!), and Danny (loved the BLING earring!)
Also would like to give shout outs to peeps who I am supposed to meet at these parties, and for those who unfortunately missed out!
It was difficult to get drinks since I only counted 3 – 4 bartenders. I was impressed that the girl who helped us remembered about 6 – 8 drinks at a time. A couple of my friends ordered drinks and they tasted literally like juice!
I really liked the band and how they played and danced with the crowd. It was waaaay too loud in that area and you could barely hold conversation or hear what someone was saying.
I tried a mini sandwich and a pig in a blanket. Ehhhh… Then I saw bread pieces and what smelled like fish on top. I deferred after hearing Kim say it was salty.
The DJ was questionable. It was cool to hear 80s mash-​ups (yes, I grew up in the 80s), but it was a weee bit too much of the 80s. It was classic seeing some of my peeps faces when certain songs came on and I LOVED IT!!! «Jesse’s girl!!!» The extreme dancing left me dragging back to the car with my 4 inch heels!!! O what a night!!!

i give my friends a ton of crap for living in SD. I’m not going to completely rescind that thought, but I must say that you SD Unilocalers sure know how to party.
Free drinks, free food when you could find it, and free hotness everywhere (ladies, of course).
Glad I ran to plenty of familiar faces and that the drinks were delish!

This was my second Unilocal event. Hella fun! The first one wasn’t that great. Not much room to sit and just talk. I’m not a clubber so this place was cool. I like sitting and talking with friends more and being able to actually hear them. Spent the whole time on the outside patio. Got tons of drinks. Place was nice, parking was easy, it was on a friday soI could get smashed!
Great all around time. Thanks Unilocal

I didn’t have any of the issues with the staff that others spoke of. Maybe they were taught to respect their elders or something but I was treated with nothing but respect at this event.
The band was fantastic and my plus 1 Donna occupied herself all night trying to lure poeple onto the dance floor.
I really dug the outside patio which is where I spent the majority of my time. It wasn’t until the end of the night that I even noticed that they had an outdoor bar. Oh well. Didn’t matter much anyways because I had my minions fetching me drinks all night long. Minions as in nice guys who took pity on my aching feet.
Once again a great event Danny. I for one had a blast!!!

any opportunity i get to rock the red lipstick (miss v and i’s new favorite discovery) is a welcomed occurrence. as well as opportunities to wear my great gma’s engagement ring i hold dear to my heart. every girl loves to *sparkle*
friday nite | classy | out-​of-​the-​norm sector of SD:
all wonderful, refreshing things. kudos danny… your hard work continues to shine through.
venue: not super in love with giant open floor plans with no divisions… crowds often make me anxious. the outside area is a nice escape, however, with cozy seating and fire pits — always a-​ok. i got the opportunity to meet the owner toward the end, and he was a really cool and seems very in tune with current venues and appeal. i am sure he is going to continue to observe and improve barfly as it makes its journey through its growing pains. the bar is set high with all the nite life options in SD and it’s on a bit of a pedestal/​spotlight with the lack of choices in the area. its commendable to take the risk and challenge
on a final note: anyone who went to UCSD knows about the sun god festival. i had my first completely sober nite at a Unilocal event and was a bit appalled by some observed behavior. its like on sungod where the studious kids let loose for the first time all year and take it to the extreme, not knowing how to handle it. we are adults people, most long out of college. please reevaluate your choices and actions. it was embarrassing for me to be associated with Unilocal and seen [as a whole] in that light. esp. considering we do this EVERY month, not once a year.
***OH one more thing: Thrilled to find out Chuck F is officially a Unilocal photographer! so talented, thoughtful, and out to make us look our very best. its a welcome return.

Thanks to Danny I got to relive my High school days! Not only that, but I still fit into my Homecoming dress and 5-​inch heels minus the velvet gloves (that would have been a wee bit much). LOL!
Oy! Felt like PROM all over again. If they played Babyface’s, «Everytime I Close My Eyes».I swear I would have thought I was 10 years younger slow dancing with my date to end the night ! /​GAH
I came Bling Blingin’ with my girls (LL’s, Lisa T. and Amy D.) ! Great minds think alike, because we met up with a few friends and whadya know… we all were color-​coordinated in bling blingin’ style! SWEET !
From the red carpet entrance, LIVE Jazz band, paparazzi shots to the classy venue atmosphere, I sure felt like a celebrity even for just one night. Hehe. I must say, EVERYONE cleaned up nicely. From bow ties to 2-​piece suits, and even creative bling blingin’ accessories: Cindy W.‘s sparklying princess crown and Christopher M.‘s crown ROYAL chain ! Ha! You guys rocked that bling !
Vodka was the drAnk of choice and for me that spelled: SCORE !!! I’m a vodka lover and I ended up with a vodka cocktail that I had no clue was mixed in it, but DAMN was it goooooooooooood ! Whoever got that for me deserves a hug ! (((HUGS)))
I LOVED the LIVE JAZZY band ! It added a little classy elegance to the mix and the tasteful music got me in the mood to dance. What can I say ??? When I’m feeling the music, I just have to roll with it and let loose… and loosey goosey I did!
Next up was the after party and it was the DJ’s turn! Haha! Rondizzle was probably my biggest competition on the dancefloor since he was all over the place busting moves left and right. I did my thang and mingled and danced the night away and made a few friends while at it.
Overall, the event was a success. Danny looked mighty handsome in his 2-​piece suit and I almost didn’t recognize him. hehe ! (Nice chit-​chattin’ for a bit) =) BarFLY staff and the venue itself were FLY ! Wow. I just can’t find one thing to complain about.
I made it home before midnight just like a responsible High school girl on a curfew should.
/​big sigh
For a gal who is close to hitting 30, I actually did feel like I was 17 again… Oh my. to be young again !!!

Would have been 4.5 stars, but someone jacked my lunchbox. This is my first Elite event, and my first lunchbox. That’s cool… cuz I put some exploding blue ink as well as velociraptor eggs inside. So hopefully they should just hatch as soon as the a-​hole opens it.
Besides losing my lunchbox, I also lost 83% of my inhibitions, which led to a loss of some partial memory. Sorry folks, I know I tried to introduce myself to several of you and may have introduced myself again later on that evening. Oh well, Im sure I’ll figure out who I met on the next event.
Other than that, pretty cool stuff. Cool drinks, had just one piece of the appetizer though. Cool dance floor and music. Thanks Danny and other Unilocal people for setting up. Finally I got to wear da suit besides letting it collect dust.

Barfly is a beautiful lounge in the heart of downtown La Jolla with potent drinks poured with a heavy hand! The interesting array of music reminded me of dancing at a wedding reception, but I’m sure it was meant to appeal to everyone in the crowd. Mellow evening to relax after a hard week and mingle with new friends! :o)
Ultimately, it’s the company that makes any event fun so thanks Unilocal and Danny for another memorable night!

This was my first Unilocal elite event that I attended and I was super impressed. I drove all the way from San Gabriel to make it to this event with my roommate from college, Andrew N and his girlfriend. We arrived right on time and were able to find parking one block away (and it was free!). Everyone for the most part was dressed classy and I didn’t see too much bling bling on people.
When we arrived in line, we didn’t have to wait too long. We signed our name tags and went on to become rock stars! We hit the bar hard that night but it was totally worth it. I had 6 vodka w/​pineapple and 4 beers. I was disappointed that the food was pretty limited but hey I can’t complain with free booze. We tipped a buck per drink. The bar was super busy at first but then as the night went on, people ended up straying away from the bar, allowing Andrew N and myself to parade our drunken butts to the bar to get more booze.
We sat outside, kicked it with a bunch of cool people and were even able to score those Unilocal tin lunch pales. They had shot glasses, lip balm, and bottle openers out in the outdoor seating. We ended up bouncing at the end of the event time but this was off the hook!
Barfly looks great for the La Jolla area.
I can’t wait for the next one. BOO YA!

Danny is a class act with his party planning and I appreciate his efforts for mixing it up this time with the venue and having it on a Friday night so most of us don’t have to go to work hungover the next morning!
I had a good time, enjoyed the theme of this party and was glad the one bling headband souvenir I bought for myself in London the week before this party came in handy. The theme was fun, the venue was new for us and the live band all made for a great evening.
Knowing ahead of time we weren’t going to be eating much, we didn’t have much time to grub before the party, so we snuck over to Roppongi’s next door to load up on dinner. We made it back in time before the party ended, but to see the food that was served placed directly on the same huge round trays most restaurants use to bus used dishes made me not want to try the food. Small disposable plates or placing them on cocktail napkins might have made the food more presentable.
Thanks to Barfly for the cool venue, the live band that made it festive and Unilocal for continuing to throw these comp parties that gives us incentive to keep writing about the fun stuff we love to do in this town of ours.
Sidenote: I love my +1 and he can use some lovin’ with Elite nominations. He thinks 2015 will be his year, but I’m gonna pimp him out so he can have that pretty red badge on his page too. LOL!

YAY for:
–OC Elite entering hometown SD Turf
–Bringing BFF, my +1, for this YEE
–Unlimited Skyy Vodkas + Bud Lights
–Swanky new venue w/​hip décor, esp. the patio section
–Yummilicious HORS D’OEUVRES everyone’s gawking & snatching at!
–The mingling w/​more cool & awesome Elites & +1’s
–The band playing notable 70’s songs
–Snapshots from Chuck, a very familiar photographer
NAY for:
–The amount of calories consumed from the vodka AND the fruit juices
–Walking almost ½ a mile to the $ 3 parking w/​skinny heels
–Where was Danny W?
Great times =D.

Really? Only 10 reviews so far? Everyone must be too hungover from last night still :)
I love glamming up so I thought the Bling Bling theme was so much fun. it was fun to see all the Unilocalers cleaned up and lookin flyyy.
While I agree that the bartenders weren’t the most consistent I’ve seen (one time I put in my order, and the bartender took it. but never ended up making my drinks. and when I reordered, I got the wrong drinks) but I don’t doubt the hard work that went into working this event. we’re all serious about our free drinks I think they did a good job keeping up. there weren’t as many bartenders/​bars as I’ve seen at some other events too, so that probably added chaos.
Anyway, I’ve been wanting to check out Barfly and I’m glad I finally did! I thought it was cute, the band was great, and it was the perfect amount of space for us all to walk around, mingle, sit, eat, and drink. Thank you Danny and everyone at Barfly for puttin on a great party! Best Friday night preparty I’ve ever been to ;)

You know it was a good night when:
1) You wake up early still buzzed. And only had 3 drinks the night before. They sure know how to pour a stiff drink! I think the cups were filled up halfway with alcohol!
2) Your plus one bailed on you last minute and you decide to go alone to avoid sulking at home and ended up having an amazing time, forgetting about that jerk! That’s a lot for someone who’s shy and avoids being in crowds alone!
3) You got to hit up a swanky La Jolla venue without spending a dime (besides tips!) and sampled some yummy bites!
4) You were surrounded by a bunch of beautiful people all dressed up, and you got to dress up too!
5) It’s all about the bling bling!

I would reserve the 4 stars after a visit in the future. For this event, I give them 3 stars.
Everyone mentioned the pluses and minuses.
Band — great and interactive
Space — new and outside patio with fire pits (remember a place like this in hillcrest that I would hate to say is close now)
Location — La Jolla needs more places like this especially after Jack’s closed
Attire — well if it was enforced more, yes I gladly welcome a nice place to dance and be actually dressed more clubby than grubby.
Staff — mixed, drinks are free so I don’t expect them to load the alcohol. Food wasn’t expected but sporadic.
Overall I would give it 3 ½ stars. for this event. but since we can only rate 3 or 4, i tend to go lower.
The company of fellow Unilocalers was good and Danny’s effort was first rate. As for the staff, I am not sure how they knew how to react to the free loaders but seriously, its like any place trying to get a good word of mouth, you need us to start spreading the word and if you don’t give us the warm welcome, how are we going to recommend you.
However, thanks Barfly for the party. I need to try you for HH but can you at least move it up to 7 pm. I don’t get off work until 5. Thanks.

I remember first reading about this event about a week ago. I thought, this event is…
…on a Friday night?! NICE!
…in La Jolla Village?! NICE!
…semi-​formal attire?! NICE!
…at new venue Barfly?! NICE!
Fun to see everyone lookin’ sharp and blinged out.
Barfly, what a great addition you are to La Jolla Village! I do have to say though… I find it slightly unsettling that «barf» is so prominent in the business name. Luckily my night didn’t go that route.
The venue was full and intimate but not frustratingly over packed. A fun vibe that I didn’t think was pretentious. Awesome bartenders (especially the spunky petite brunette) though getting our first drink was a slow process and we didn’t drink much during the evening. I haven’t really entered a stereotypical club/​lounge «scene» for a couple years – you’d actually have to drag me kicking, screaming, clawing, and biting to such a place – but moving forward Barfly could be a possible exception.
Jesse and I were able to snag and hoard a few light munchies spread on bread rounds – smoked salmon and cream cheese, olive tapenade (my favorite), and tuna salad. Pretty good! Oh, and apologies to those of you who got a whiff of my fishy vodka breath during conversation.
Damn near a 5-​star event, methinks. Thank you, Mr. Danny!

I brought my bling alright! I brought a frickin’ wedding tiara with tons of Swarovski crystals and pearls, if that isn’t bling, I don’t know what is! Not to mention, the dress I wore had a huge jewel on it.
I really like the venue here and it was big enough for all of us. Loved seeing people get cleaned up and dressed up for the event, it was a nice change. The bartenders are hot! My goodness! I was worried for them that something was going to pop out of their tops! LOL.
It was great catching up with everyone and seeing everyone again and meeting some new faces! Great to see Ron be Ron. Got to see adorable Vanessa! Finally got to hang out with Shay! Lisa is cute as ever, as usual! Marisol was glowing with her beautiful outfit! Cat, beautiful as ever and thanks to her, I was her +1! Got to finally catch up with Ferdi, got to meet Maria, saw Kristin F. but forgot to grab her for a photo! dammit! Melly Su is so cute, I just want to pinch her!
Honestly, I didn’t notice the food, but had a few drinks and danced off my buzz and then headed home. The band was very lively and the old school songs made it that much more fun to dance to. Though, dancing in heels wasn’t easy for me lol.
Well worth the drive for me and I look forward to the next one. Great event, Danny!