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7009 N 58th Ave., Glendale, AZ
So what was I doing in a boutique? I was there for a Yelp CMYE (Community Manager Yelp Event). This was the first official Yelp event in the same zip code I have my business so I was not going to miss it. I had a good time chatting with some old and new friends. Bitz-ee Mamas a few doors down provided the appetizers we munched on. Definitely not a place I would normally shop in. Thanks to my friends I was able to appreciate it for what it is. They are celebrating their 5th anniversary and it has over time morphed in to a sort of co-op with several spaces showcasing local designer talent. Roughly half the store is stocked by the owner with the other half stocked by over a half dozen vendors. Most of what they have is clothing and accessories with a few collectibles. Listening to the comments of my friends the majority of the stuff is very reasonably priced and there was even some items in plus sizes. Several Yelpers made purchases during the evening. I also heard several comments during the event that many folks did not realize Glendale had a historic area filled with small shops and eateries with easy parking and they intended to come back and explore the area.
Downtown Phoenix Journal (DPJ) is published by Urban Affair.
"Urban Affair (UA) is a modern media network developed to promote Phoenix’s urban lifestyle by elevating urban ideas and related activities. This focus assists the development our urban core, benefiting the people, organizations, and businesses in the community, while making the lifestyle more accessible to Valley residents. UA generates ongoing interest in downtown with assets that include DowntownPhoenixJournal.com, RadiatePHX (monthly networking group), Coe House (historic art gallery office suite), and Urban Affair events. UA was founded in 2006."
One of the items that shows up weekly is a Yelp review of a downtown business. Not sure who selects it and whether or not the business has any say in it. What I do know is I was selected to be DPJ Yelper of the week for my review of the Meat Shop. I thought that was sorta neat. :-)
Friday August 14th, 5-9PM
This event was hosted by Hickman's Family Farms and several restaurants normally only open for breakfast and lunch. It was a charity event to benefit Arizona foster children. The deal was: you bring in a pair of new childrens pajamas and you get a dozen eggs. And while you are there you can eat off of the breakfast menu. I went to Scramble with a group of Yelpers and we ended up sitting around for almost two hours. Attendees were encouraged to wear pajamas to the event and many families had children in pajamas but the only adults I saw in any type of house wear were the employees of Hickman's and the restaurant. It was really a fun event.
Here is a picture album of the event. I am not sure whether you need a Facebook account to view it or not.
4700 N 16th St., Phoenix
It's been a while since I did a Friday lunch out. This month's Yelp Office Hours turned out to be on a Friday so off I went. Any meal out is much better with pleasant folks to chat with while eating. The food was generic sandwiches, salads, soups. I had a grilled cheese sandwich, cup of clam chowder and and iced tea. Bill came to $12.16 which I thought was a bit steep. But at least the food was good and the company great. For me it was about 25 minutes each way so lunch was almost 2 hours by the time I got back. There is a more detailed write up on Yelp.
Once a year Yelp throws a party for all Yelpers in addition to the Elite members. This year the party was huge. We took over Martini Ranch for 3 full hours on Thursday evening. Elite, and their guests had the place to themselves for the first hour and then the rest of them came in. We had what was arguably the top 6 local bands, one every hour (The last 3 hours were open to the public and there was a $5 cover). The three I heard were all good. Mostly cover bands. The bands were actually donating their time to Ear Candy which is a group that gives instruments and lessons to kids who would not otherwise have them. I donated, with his OK, the trumpet that Daniel used in grade school. Ear candy also got the $5 cover charge for the non Yelp people and those Yelpers who stayed after 10PM. Being an old guy with an hours drive to get home I left about 9:30.
Martini Ranch is a big bar encompassing a large main area with a stage and a dance floor that had 3 bars, a downstairs open area with a bar, an upstairs open area and an upstairs lounge with it's own bar. We filled the place up with probably 200 people. We each had 2 drink tickets which I used for beers, a pale ale and a lager which tasted almost identical. Martini Ranch does not serve food but plenty of vendors were there to give out samples to Yelpers for this event. I got a couple of shots of the food tables. The first pic has a pile of pizza boxes and they were also serving meatballs and lasagna. To the right of Mamma Mias was a chocolate fountain which is hidden behind a person but you can see the mound of strawberries. Over on the other side of the room I got a pic of some little tarts provided by Wildflower bread co. None of us went hungry
401 W. Clarendon Ave., Phoenix, inside the Clarendon Hotel
website
My neighbor and I went there last night for PFN (Phoenix Friday Nights). Most of the folks there were Yelpers. We ate , drank and mingled by the pool for a few hours. Both of us had the little mini tacos. She spent many years in Mexico and assures me that is the way soft tacos get served down there. She also had grilled corn on the cob which comes slathered with Parmesan cheese and I think mayo. Good food, good drink (I had Hefeweizen and she had margaritas) and reasonable pricing.
699 S Mill Ave., Tempe
La Bocca web site
Only in Arizona can you show up to an upscale wine bar in jeans and nobody even gives you a glance. The most recent Yelp Elite event descended on this place Sunday from 6-8PM. I had read the reviews and had on a pair of slacks and a pressed shirt and most of the men were also business casual and many of the women were dressed up for an evening. But there were plenty of jeans in the group too. We had roughly half the restaurant and the wine was all you could drink and pizzas and Bruschetta were coming out constantly but as a group we devoured it faster than they could make it. The wine was ok, well actually the Merlot sucked, but the Pinot Noir was pretty good. The pizzas were interesting combinations with a very thin crust, which I like, and good taste. I did get one piece of bruschetta with diced Queen Creek olives and ricotta, very yummy!
This is sort of an upscale place for being on the fringe of the ASU campus. I did finally find out where to park for free Near the Mill Avenue district without much of a walk. You cannot walk five feet in any direction without being panhandled. Nice for a date with a light meal. A bit on the pricey side for me in general. I noticed the had Peroni on tap.
It was a well attended and fun mixer. I chatted with several folks I knew and met some others I only knew by their screen names. I went the long way around to avoid the traffic from the baseball getting out and still got there in an hour and the trip straight home was only about 45 minutes. Sunday evenings are usually spent getting ready for the week but I am glad I made the time to go.
2009, A documentary by Anat Baron about craft breweries and their struggle to gain market share against the big breweries. It was shown only once, Thursday April 16, as an event, live to 440 theaters nationwide except in the West where it was tape delayed in it's entirety including the pre screening credits and the panel discussion afterward.
What better way to get prepared for a movie about craft beers than to have some. Several of us Yelpers met up at the Scottsdale location of Four Peaks Brewery for beer and appetizers before walking across the parking lot to view the screening. I had two glasses of Kiltlifter, very good! I also had a very good spinach artichoke dip which came with warm flat bread and totillas that was recommended by one of the folks I knew. My first thought was at $9 it was expensive for an appetizer but it was enough food for dinner for two people.
All in all it was a very fun evening even though it was on the far side of the valley on a weeknight.
Here is the synopsis of the movie
"In America, size matters. The bigger you are, the more power you have, especially in the business world.
Director Anat Baron takes you on a no holds barred exploration of the U.S. beer industry that ultimately reveals the truth behind the label of your favorite beer. Told from an insider’s perspective, the film goes behind the scenes of the daily battles and all out wars that dominate one of America’s favorite industries.
Beer Wars begins as the corporate behemoths are being challenged by small, independent brewers who are shunning the status quo and creating innovative new beers. The story is told through 2 of these entrepreneurs - Sam and Rhonda - battling the might and tactics of Corporate America. We witness their struggle to achieve their American Dream in an industry dominated by powerful corporations unwilling to cede an inch.
This contemporary David and Goliath story is ultimately about keeping your integrity (and your family’s home) in the face of temptation. Beer Wars is a revealing and entertaining journey that provides unexpected and surprising turns and promises to change the world’s opinion on those infamous 99 bottles of beer on the wall."
Saturday, April 18th, 6-10 PM
Sunnyslope is a neighborhood region of the city of Phoenix. Twice a year they host a gathering of artists and craft people in roughly the center of the area. They said there were 100 of them and I am not sure I saw that many. Not being much of an arts and crafts person I walked the tour but was mainly there to hear the bands and eat. There were several Yelpers there and the woman in charge of the event is a Yelper. I got to see a cover band that is losing it's bass player (Amber) that was pretty good. There was also a pretty good jazz band and some others. There were 4 music venues spread out so you could wander along and and listen to whatever you wanted. Try Me Bicycle left before I got a chance to get down and see them. No beer tent but folks that were interested could get some at many of the stores and restaurants. The restaurants were all open so I tried papusas from one place and a hot dog and garlic fries from another. The weather was just perfect!
Actually my weekend sort of started on Tuesday. After closing I rushed across town to The Mission for a happy hour sponsored in part by Yelp. I close at 4:30 it started at 5:00 and it is a 30 minute drive at the best of times. So much for best of times, I was going through the center of town in rush hour and managed to find an accident. I still made it in 45 minutes even after circling to find a parking spot I could fit my truck into. Met a whole bunch of new folks including the Yelp community director. I was going to try and make a run to Sweet Republic but after 3 beers and 3 hours I headed for home.
It turns out meeting the community director was a bonus in itself. I already had a good reputation on Yelp and she was suitably impressed that she nominated me for Elite status the next day.
Friday night was a birthday party for one of the Yelpers I hang with at Bomberos wine bar. About 20 people showed up and we had a great time. I was more than well received because I made chocolate covered strawberries. While there CP asked if I would like to be +1 at an Official Yelp Elite Event. It seems the woman she had asked before had to cancel so there was an extra seat but I would have to check in as and wear Emily's name tag. I have met Emily and she is much better looking than I am. :-).
Skip to Saturday. I had a change of clothes in the truck so I could take off early and go to the event at the Breakfast Joynt. I had two emails awaiting me: One from CP with the details of the event and another from Gabi congratulating me on being Elite. So I got to go as myself! Pigged out, had a great time.
I am behind on restaurant reviews. Two of the events I attended I have reviews for on my Yelp profile page if anybody cares to follow the link.
You need to type it in. Per hidden-email.com it is invisible to bots this way.
