Screw Your New Year’s Resolution Elite Event at Chapter One

The OC Unilocal crew knows how to ring in the new year and that’s by making us break resolutions we didn’t intend to keep. Hey what’s a Unilocal buddy for? Resolutions are silly empty promises. Who needs them? All you need is more Unilocal parties and your Unilocal buddies… so let’s get this started.
The Chapter One crew kept the drinks flowing as well as a sampling of a few menu items. We were a bit late and only got the drinks but that’s OK. All that really mattered was the party and kicking it off with the right crew.
I had a blast with my buddies, Holly, Mahesh, Tuan, and Kent. Thank you Hazel for kicking things off with a fun and interesting theme! Mad props to you and your team.

Three, two, one. Happy New Years!
Before that slow count down to New Years, I think I made some resolutions, but I was a little inebriated. I think I made a resolution to drink less this year. Ah, screw it! That’s exactly what I did at this event. I drank to my hearts content.
I did manage to keep one Unilocalolution and that is to meet new people. It was nice hanging out and meeting new Unilocal peeps and seeing familiar ones. I liked the vibe at Chapter One and the Red Room was nice and cozy. The drinks were yummy and I did manage to snag a veggie egg roll and it was pretty tasty.
The music was fun and I’m sure if there was a dance floor, Katie B would have been all over it.
Thank you Chapter One and Hazel Q for hosting a fun event.
Yeah, I’m partying like a rock star in 2012 since the end of the world is creeping up on us.

«Resolutions? What are those? I’m perfect!» (so says the girl whose Unilocal review is late.)
Kicking off 2012 as Unilocal Elite again is such a great experience and I always have to start my review with mad props to the best Unilocal community manager eva, Ms. Hazel Q. & her trusty intern Elise V.
In true Unilocal fashion, we celebrated surrounded by red, enjoying the newly opened Red Room at Chapter One: The Modern Local. I’m already a huge fan of the location, and this intimate setting was a great way to see old friends (shoutouts to Albert E., Randoll C., Drew M., and Unilocal LA CM Katie B.!), meet new Unilocal friends (such as Ashleigh C.), try some cool drinks, and eat some delicious food. I also had fun looking at all the photos that were tagged with #YelpOC on Instagram & Twitter.
Decided to try both signature cocktails on deck for the event — started out with the «Bolivian Mule», which had a fantastic kick to it with the ginger beer. Then, I made new friends with Rohlin A., Laina A. and Cass H. who grabbed me a second drink, «Skiing with Arnold Palmer», which was much sweeter than I would have liked. Using the Agwa coco liquer, both these drinks were a nice alternative to the usual fare.
Menu «small bites» items that I got to try included:
— Mini Mac & Cheese Torte: If you know me, I love M&C, so that was full of win.
— Jerk Salmon Nachos: These beauties looked great on the plate, but were a bit fishier than I prefer
— Mini Scotch Eggs: Ground turkey surrounding what looks like a quail egg — very tasty!
I missed out on the veggie spring rolls but no worries! I was happy with my drinks & the bites that I tried. Loved Chapter One’s spiel about using local produce and changing up their menu with seasonal items.
Looking forward to spending more Unilocal Elite events with the fantastic Unilocal community!

«F*@& YOUR RESOLUTION PARTY! — Unilocal*Elite Event
What better way to start 2012?!
While I waited for the event to start, I took a seat at the bar where Travis was mxing it up!
Travis —
‘Always open to suggestions, Travis recommended their flagship drink — «The Moscow Mule.» (Made from Russian Standard vodka, housemade ginger beer, and lime.)
Photo —
If you like ginger, you’re going to love this!
History of «the Mule» — «Popular during the vodka craze in the United States during the 1950s.»
Wiki —
The select Unilocal*menu offered:
* Mini Mac & Cheese Torte
* Mini Scotch Eggs
* Veggie Spring Rolls
* Jerk Salmon Nachos
THE FOOD WAS GOOD!
(Well, at least from what I heard… I met up with fellow Unilocaler, AC, who joined me @ the bar but by the time we walked over to the Unilocal*area we were too late for the Unilocal*etizers!) Too bad, so sad… «Travis, we’ll take another round, make it a double…» ‘Looks like I’m just going to have to come back another time… 8) Okay, twist my arm!
The drinks were good… ‘And strong.
The featured adult beverages for the night were:
* Skiing w/​Arnold Palmer (Agwa coca leaf liqueur, lemon Cocchi Americano) — Good; strong
* Bohemian Mule (A twist of their signature Moscow Mule — Agwa coca leaf liqueur, lime, & house ginger beer) — Very good; strong; ‘And if you like ginger?! Great!
(Note — The Bohemian Mule was exclusively offered for the Elite Event but if you would like one, the bartenders would be more than happy to mix one up for you!)
‘And if you’re not familiar with AGWA (Agwa Coca Leaf Liqueur) —
‘Saw a few familiar faces and met quite a few new ones! At Unilocal*events, you have a 99% success rate for a fun time! I mean, you’re with a large group of people who love good food, good drinks, & a good time! Great gastropub, a jam’n DJ, and an awesome staff!
Photo —
A big mahalo to Jeff Hall & the team at Chapter One: the Modern Local, Agwa Licquer, and of course, Hazel Q. & Elise V.
— Big Aloha!
Food: n/​a (‘Missed out.)
Ambiance: 5
Service: 5+
Value: 5

Another great event and a great way to kick start the 2012 year! Drinks and hors d’oeuvres were simply amazing. I was big fan of the Bolivian Mule. It was fruity and delicious. The Arnold Palmer was good, but always left my with sticky fingers. No bueno. But I did love the shots that were being offered as well. Let’s just say I got my drink on and enjoyed it thoroughly. Loved all the Unilocal swag being offered as well. I now have my very first Unilocal shot glass! Woo!
Chapter One is definitely a place I will try out again. Food presentation was on point and all the dishes they served were absolutely delicious. My favorite was the smoked salmon nachos thing. Yummo! I forget what they’re really called but it was tass-​ty! It was a special touch when the owner made a little speech about the restaurant. I love to hear that restaurants are farm fresh and based their menus on things that are in season. They make good food, and they’re proud of it. Can’t object to that.
Met a lot of new faces and saw a lot of old, which is always a pleasure. Can’t wait for the next one. SYOY!

Thanks Hazel!!! that was an awesome event. Couldnt have asked any better! I started the year off with a one star review for this place, and that is the first resolution that got screwed coz of this event! The event was very different from Unilocal events I was used to. It was small/​cozy intimate, not overly crowded. People always seem to bring their fun best self to elite events, and that turned out to be true for this event as well!
AS always, the after parties are the bomb, and sure it was — at Play ground. Esp. with the recent heat the chef there got coz of Unilocal response he gave. But I am sure Unilocalers have thick skin and when you say something you would expect something back to be said and told… nothing wrong with that.
Thanks Hazel for organizing this event and got us to a good start for 2012!!!

A good time was had by all in Chapter One: the modern local’s new (and very private) Red Room for this exclusive, Elite only event. Agwa Coca Leaf Liqueur cocktails flowed freely, and an ample sampling of Chapter One’s delicious appetizers were served.
I’m looking forward to coming back to Chapter One to try more of their menu, as well as check out their upcoming promotions and mixers!
Here’s to the awesomeness of being a part the 2012 Unilocal Elite Squad. Cheers, and SYOY!

I’d say this is a good way to start the year! The first Elite event of the year and OC did not disappoint.
Chapter One: the Modern Local’s Red Room provided an intimate setting for this Elite only event. A friendly bartender poured Agwa Coca Leaf beverages while a DJ kept the room rockin’. We got to learn a bit about this restaurant/​bar, and their commitment to local and seasonal (even if it means no strawberry drinks because the season is over) is admirable and I’ve placed it on my ‘to try’ list! Drinks were tasty, but the sweeter Skiing with Arnold Palmer was my pick over the gingery Bolivian Mule (even though I love ginger, I love sweet more). I got to try their veggie spring rolls, which were quite flavorful and worth having again.
While large events can be fun, these smaller intimate events can be laid back and make it a bit easier to get to know some new people. This was a nice and gentle (yet fun) way to start the year. While I didn’t really break any resolutions (since I didn’t make any), it’s still fun to pretend! So I’ll say my resolutions were no drinking, no photo bombing, and no talking to strange men, since I broke all of those!
Thanks to Albert for being such a personable photographer, Elise and Hazel for the event organization, and to Chapter One for hosting us! Let the year begin!

Unilocal Elite — Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!
I almost didn’t RSVP to this event because I’ve always thought of Santa Ana as being pretty ghetto. In fact, driving to the event, from Garden Grove (surface streets), I was wondering where I’d be parking and if it would be safe.
However, it was a nice venue in a pretty cool looking area of town. Throw in adult beverages, delicious finger foods, cool music and even cooler people — one can’t help but have a good time.
Good seeing those familiar faces. Great meeting those new ones!
Hazel, Elise & Chapter One — Mahalo nui loa!

What an awesome way to kick off 2012! Thanks once again to Hazel Q., Katie B. and Elise V. for running an awesome event. It looked effortless from where I stood.
So the Agwa Coca Leaf Liqueur is remarkably easy to drink. …Okay, okay. It’s remarkably easy to shoot. Just when I thought I was going up for another Bolivian Mule (which, I realized, is a tribute to the liqueur’s Bolivian Coca Leaf derivation) or another Skiing with Arnold Palmer, the bartender/​rep was selling me on another «reverse tequila shot» — where you take the lime first and then shoot the liqueur. It goes down surprisingly easy for a 30% ABV content.
Chapter One: the Modern Local did a superb job of hosting us Elites. The «red room» in the back is a nice, intimate place to host a gathering. Their resident DJ was spinning some cool tunes (and rockin’ out himself!), and the food was delicious. Those mac ‘n cheese bites were fantastic, and the flatbread was excellent. I didn’t try much else beyond that, but everyone was raving about those quail eggs!
2012 is gonna be a fabulous year!

Chapter One graciously hosted the first Elite event of the year and they did not disappoint. The bartenders were freely flowing the booze with new drinks to enjoy and I went through a few Bolivian Mules myself, which had a nice kick to it.
For food: I enjoyed the mini scotch egg and spring roll. The latter was my fav of the night.
I prefer the events with just Elites. It makes you get out of your bubble and meet new people. A special thanks to HQ for kicking the tires and lighting the fires, Elise, and Chapter One for a grand night. There is nothing like welcoming in the new year with old friends while making new friends along the way. May this be the year of AWESOME for us all.

The Good: 2012 is in full affect! Chapter One in DTSA is a beautiful venue. The totally took care of us with appetizers and drinkers throughout the night. From fried mac and cheese, a mini scotch egg, and spring roll to about 5 different drinks. My favorite was the fried mac and cheese with a bits of bacon. Great to see all my favorite Unilocalers, it’s seems like it’s been forever since I’ve seen them. The had a private room for us, with our own bartender and DJ, what what?
The Bad: It wasn’t in HB, like I told HQ to make all future Elite events.
The Ben: Thanks HQ, Elise, Unilocal,Jeff from Chapter One and of course Chapter One: The Modern Local.

What a great kick off to 2012! Chapter One was definitely a solid choice for an intimate gathering of arguably the best group of Unilocalers out there (by my completely objective anecdotal evidence).
I skipped the drinks on this one, but helped myself to a few bites off a menu that delivered some strong flavors (I particularly dug the spring rolls), and will definitely have me coming back soon to try out their menu!
The event must have been successful, because as we walked out towards our next destination, there was a brume of booze in the air. The bartenders were doing right by us, that’s for sure.
Thanks to Hazel for getting the events kicked off in style for 2012, Elise for being a check in gangsta as well as manning the booth for the Polaroid contest, Chapter One for hosting us, and to all the amazing OC Unilocalers who continue to make the community a better place for foodies everywhere :) See ya’ll on the 29^th!

This was my first Unilocal Elite event where I wasn’t my wife’s «and one.»
It was a really good way to start off 2012 and the place was packed. I really felt bad for the servers having to work their way through the sea of humanity.
I arrived a few minutes late as I found a little problem parking … need to remember to show early. After signing in and ordering a Bolivian Mule (a very nice and unique drink), I started sampling the appentizers:
Mini Mac & Cheese Torte — I really don’t like Mac & Cheese, but this didn’t taste like Mac & Cheese … yum!
Mini Scotch Eggs — Hard-​boiled egg with good stuff inside and out. Really good!
Veggie Spring Rolls — Nice combination of ingredients with a kick. Yum yum!
Jerk Salmon Nachos — Smoked salmon, jerk seasoning, caviar, sour cream and crispy wanton. Wow!
Flatbread Pizza — The best appetizer in my opinion and that is saying a lot!
Needless to say everything was great and very innovative!
It was nice to see Drew and Hazel again and it was nice to meet Vy. A thank you to Hazel, Elise and Chapter One: The Modern Local for a really great event.

2012’s First Elite Event for the Unilocal Orange County Crew is FUN FUN FUN!
The atmosphere at the Chapter One: The Modern Local provided a great way to «Screw Our New Year’s Resolution!»
As always, I had FUN with new and old Unilocal friends. Add drinks, and the many YUMMY appetizers helped make it an AWESOME evening!
And also many thanks to Hazel and Elise for another GREAT event!
And last but not least, here is your photo links below… ENJOY! =)
Chapter One: The Modern Local pictures link below:
POST Party Pictures on a separate link:

Chapter One is one of my favorite restaurants and to have the first elite event of the year there is just icing on the Unilocal cake.
Thank you to Chapter One for hosting an intimate gathering of Unilocalers in their new Red Room (which is available for private parties). Thank you to Agwa Coca Leaf liquor for providing the libations for the night. I really enjoyed both the Bolivian Mule and the Skiing with Arnold Palmer, in addition to the shots. I tried everything on the menu: mini mac & cheese torte, mini scotch eggs, veggie spring rolls, and jerk salmon nachos. At one point they even brought out chicken flatbread which was also delicious! My favorite was the mini mac & cheese torte. Decadent and delicious.
Thank you to Hazel Q., Elise V., and crew for putting together a great event to kick off the new year. It was great to see so many familiar and new Unilocal elites: Mike Q., Michelle M., Kent D., Andrea V., Erin V., Aaron L., Mari H., Drew M., Shane D., Joa K., Vanessa H., Dan H., Donald S., Jonathan Z., Ben W., Albert E., Mahesh S., Suki B., and Jenny L. If I missed you, I’m sure I’ll see you at the next event. Have a Unilocaltastic 2012!

What is a fun way to start off 2012?! With a Unilocal Event, of course!
Held in the hip «red room» inside of Chapter One — which, by the way, I’m ready to actually come at eat at very soon since the restaurant and staff impressed me! This event was very low key and relaxing, yet upbeat and loud. You’d have to be there to understand this, but it was so incredibly fun! It was a very enjoyable night and I loved every minute of it!
I’m happy that I got to see and mingle with some of my favorite Unilocalers (some of which I hadn’t seen in months — sorry!), eat fantastic finger foods, have a couple of drinks made by the awesome bartender and tap my foot to the beats played by the DJ. What topped the night off was the owner of Chapter One made a quick «thank you» speech thanking us for coming and letting us know about all the awesome events that the restaurant holds and events that happen in the room the Unilocal event was held in. Very informative and insightful.
Another wonderful night with amazing people. Thanks Hazel and staff, you guys and girls have again rocked my world!
See everyone at the next Unilocal Event! Until than, cheers!

I loved it! Thanks Hazel and crew for putting this on.
Sitting at my compuer in my Ambien coma, I feel like it’s inspired me to write. I really like that drink Skiing with Arnold Palmer. Those deep fried mac and cheese bites were to die for. Everyone was super duper nice and I loved chatting with Kent D. (ahem…call me), Mahesh (sweet mahesh), Holly (gaydar queen), and Kristin (you’re gonna be the best bride ever.
I love Unilocal because I can hang out and get wasted with a bunch of awesome people. LOVEEEEE

2 descriptive words for this Elite Event: Low Key. 2 more: Thank You. 3 birthday partys this past weekend should have put me at home watching the Kings Vancouver game. Eff that. It had been a while since I had attended an officially sanctioned event, and I love this venu and staff.
A whole bunch of my fave Unilocal buds jump started me out of my 5 day runner haze. Thanks yall. And I got to meet some of my most talented fellow Unilocalers for the 1^st time. Jersey Sandya N and I have been exchanging some healthy insults recently and nearly came to blows. Jersey vs Detroit. Cmon! No contest yo!
A great Unilocal kick start to the new year Hazel and crew. Much thanks as always.

Goodbye New Year’s Resolutions, Hellooooo Awesomely Good Times!!!
After a few decadent hours at tonight’s event, my New Year’s resolutions were a distant memory. In fact, what I do recall was strolling to the back of Chapter One’s exclusive Red Room, which was adorned with awesome Unilocal swag and even more awesome Unilocalers celebrating the 1^st Elite event of the year! Truth be told, I’m just a lucky son of a gun to be part of this amazing event!
With that said, what’s a better way to ring in the New Year than with a kick ass Unilocal event?! Right?
We’re talkin’ super sexy venue (please see my review) check!
Tasty finger foods, check!
Kick ass DJ spinning hot dance music the entire night, check!
Sick bartender pouring endless alcohol, check!
and Awesome company, check!!!
I had an incredibly good time tonight and I’m very grateful to all the people involved in making events like this happen. Mad props to our CM Hazel Q, Mike Q, Elise V, Katie B, Albert E, and Chapter One for making all of this possible…
Happy New Year my fellow Elites!
Here’s to kickin’ off 2012 in STYLE!
Happy Times!