Elite Event: Culture Clash @ Kapow & Dubliner

Better late than never … Culture Clash was a perfect way to celebrate the Unilocal in the summertime. I’m still reminiscing about the Battle of the two Boca area champs: Kapow and Dubliner. A clash of cultures made for an award winning party and big bites of pork sliders, chicken wings, corned beef sliders, and sea bites served alongside some stylish cocktails and craft brews. The energy was high, the applause was fierce, and the photography captured the sights and smiles of an evening with a grand finale– the goodie bags. Both venues were amazing hosts and their staff presented each plate with a smile. Great vibes with an amazingly Elite team of foodies made for an event worth remembering… and repeating.

When Blue announced that there would be an Elite event in Mizner, a few of us immediately started speculating as to where it could possibly be. Honestly, Kapow and Dubliner didn’t really cross our minds because we figured they were already so popular. So imagine our surprise when we found out that it wasn’t just one restaurant but two of them… and two of my favorite Boca spots to boot! To say we were excited would be an understatement :)
We knew the event would be outside, since Blue told us to dress comfortably. So when the big day came and the skies appeared threatening, I was a little worried. But the weather gods smiled upon us Unilocalers that day, although they made quite sure it was swelteringly hot. Oh well, can’t have it all. But if you’re going to be sweaty, might as well be in good company with good food and a cold drink in hand… and that’s exactly what this night turned out to offer.
It was a grand battle between the two restaurants. Originally, we were told it was just a wing battle… but nope, they went all out for this! Soon we were off and running…
ROUND ONE: Vietnamese Wings vs. Guinness Wings
I struggled with this round. I liked the crispiness of Kapow’s (along with the fact that they gave us both a wing flat and a drum to try, since I far prefer the flats), but I loved the glaze of Dubliner’s. The Guinness wings ended up with the edge, since the Kapow wings were a touch too salty. Round one went to Dubliner.
ROUND TWO: Pulled Pork Steamed Buns vs. Irish Sliders
This round was easy for me, since, for one thing, I don’t care for corned beef, and for another, the pulled pork steamed buns are my favorite thing to order from Kapow. Easy win in the Kapow column for this round.
ROUND THREE: Tuna Poke vs. Smithwick’s Fish & Chips
Another easy round for me, as I don’t eat raw fish. I’m quite particular about eating seafood in general, and the fish & chips from Dubliner was lovely. I usually have to drown fish in lemon, but the tartar sauce drizzle was just fine. The fish was crispy and not greasy, as was the potato. I absolutely would order this dish. Easy win for Dubliner.
ROUND FOUR: Vanilla Cheesecake Spring Roll vs. Irish Coffee Tiramisu
I thought this would be a much tougher contest, as I love tiramisu. But in this instance, the tiramisu tasted of pure coffee to me. I could not detect any other flavor whatsoever. Perhaps if I liked coffee, this would’ve been okay… however, I am not a coffee fan at all. The spring roll, meanwhile, was lovely and crispy, although the cheesecake filling could’ve been a tad sweeter. By default, this round goes to Kapow.
At the end of the event, it truly was a tie between the two restaurants for me… a win/​win for sure! So let’s have the drinks be the tiebreaker. Kapow’s «spicy lover» description was not my cup o’ tea, and tasting it confirmed it. Just tasted like cucumber juice to me. Although I was disappointed that Dubliner was not offering Smithwick’s cider by itself (just combined with Guinness), I was happy that Funky Buddha’s Floridian was an option and just stuck with that. With that tiebreaker, the winner is… Dubliner!
I know I’m quite late in writing this review, but clearly I loved this event. Thanks so much to everyone from Kapow and Dubliner for awesome service, awesome food and an awesome battle! And Blue, you seriously spoil us… thanks so much for all that you do :)

I am a little behind on my updates. Please forgive me for this late post.
I was excited to get into this awesome event. Since the meals were all meat based, I was not able to partake the meal portion of the event. However, I did get to socialize with some of Broward and Palm Beach’s awesome Unilocal Elites.
The overall event was very entertaining. Even though I could not eat anything, I enjoyed the atmosphere and company. I met some new people and saw many familiar faces.
I had a great time, and I can’t wait until the next social hour with my Unilocalers!

First of all I absolutely love the distance to get here! only 5mins away from my job! woohoo!
Mizner has always been one of my favorite places to hangout in Boca. There are many restaurants, shops, museum, etc. Kapow and Dubliner are two of my favorite places.
This event was two restaurants competing « Unilocal style». When we arrived the outdoor area was section off for all the Unilocalers attending the event. Tables were ready for us as soon as we arrived. Drinks started flowing immediately! Thumbs up to that.
My first drink was the Spicy Lover Cocktail. I love tequila so I knew this would be my first pick. It had partida reposado, cucumber, lime juice, green tabasco (but it wasn’t spicy at all), cilantro, agave nectar. It was delicious.
To start the battle we began with the Wings:
Kapow: Vietnamese Wings– salty and full of flavor
Dubliner: Guinness Wings– sweet and tasty
It was tough to just pick one since they were both so different and delicious. However, my first vote went to Dubliner.
Next round:
Kapow: Pulled pork buns– The bun was a little different and I was a little worried I would not like it. But it was very good.
Dubliner: Corn Beef Sliders– First time every trying Corn Beef. I have to say I am a fan! My vote went to Dubliner for this one!
Round 3:
Kapow: Tuna poke in wontons– Not a fan of raw tuna but I did try a bit.
Dubliner: Fish & Chips– It was simple but yet different from your typical fish and chips. I was a fan.
Vote was for Dubliner!
Finally they saved the best for last! Dessert:
*Presentation for dessert was super cute and they also both tasted very yummy.
Kapow: Cheese Cake Spring Rolls– I love Cheese Cake and this one hit the spot.
Dubliner: Jameson tiramisu– a bit too strong with Jameson.
My vote was for Kapow!
The winner in my eyes was Dubliner!
However, both places did an outstanding job. They were on point and very organized. This has been one of my favorite events.
Thanks Blue, Kapow and Dubliner for a great evening!

Everyone knows who the real winner was, but not many have mentioned the big loser?! The big loser definitely was the heat and humidity which didn’t let the Unilocalers to back down and have a good time. Thanks to Blue for providing the awesome hand fans and both the restaurants who kept on bringing cold drinks and yummy food every few minutes… Very creative event with two restaurants side by side competing of course for the best food. The winner all of us who got to try it out and not be wait listed.
I’m sure you all remember the yummy food from last night and the gazillion battle courses… If you don’t remember then check out the awesome pictures which Unilocalers have posted. The item which I keep thinking about is the cheesecake spring rolls… Ummmyummmm melted in my mouth :)
Like my hubby says, elite community is the big undercover mafia who has gazillion ninjas writing reviews and likes to have awesome tasting parties! If we are the undercover mafia, glad to be a part of it… :)

The big winners of the Culture Clash were the Unilocal Elite! What a great event where the Dubliner and Kapow competed head to head on four rounds of amazing tastings!
Both teams provided great service, drinks and samplers. It really gave us the opportunity to realize what dishes each restaurant offers and their general flair.
The Dubliner offered great Guiness wings, Corned Beef Sliders, Fish and Chips and an Aaaamazing Tiramasu shot with what I think was Baileys? They are a fun Irish Pub with live bands and a great staff.
Kapow rocks an Asian theme and offered really tasty wings, a unique pork slider type gyro, tuna poke, and a warm cream cheese spring roll. All very unique and yum. The drink from Kapow was also interestingly memorable with a hint of spice and jalepeno.
The event reminded me why I love Mizner Park and also reminded me to get back to the Dubliner and Kapow real soon. Now that I enjoyed both, I would probably hop for
the wings at one and dessert at another, and of course, drinks at both!
Thanks Unilocal

If you ask me which is better, Kapow or Dubliner it would be a tough for me to pick one. I eat at Kapow during their happy hour and love their food and drinks but Dubliner is pretty good too.
So, our dinner tonight is broken into 5 courses with a food or drink from both restaurants to compete for who is the best.
COCKTAIL vs BEER
How can I possibly not give this to Kapow. The Spicy Lover (tequila with cucumber lime cilantro and hot sauce) was so yummy. Dubliner only offered beer drinks so Kapow easily won this course.
WINGS vs DRUMS
Guinness chicken drumsticks from Dubliner were juicy and had honey glaze all over them. They were the winners this course because Kapow chicken wings were too salty for me.
SLIDERS vs BUMS
Dubliner was the winner this course too. The pulled pork buns from Kapow were really good but the Irish Sliders were just something I hadn’t had before and I was really enjoying the taste. Love the pickled onions on them so much.
TUNA vs HADDOCK
I love raw tuna and this one was so good. It tasted so fresh and the wonton was so good. I really didn’t care for the fish and chips that much so Kapow wins this course.
SPRING ROLL vs TIRAMISU
I know everyone around me was loving the spring roll but the winner to me was hands down the Irish Coffee Tiramisu. The spring roll was really good too and was really close to winning but I really loved that Tiramisu.
So Dubliner just barely won the competition but the real winner was me. I got to enjoy all that yummy food and drinks. You both have great food and service from both restaurants were great. Thank you Kapow and Dubliner for a great night and for our goodie bags.
I brought my friend Ken to introduce him to some of our Unilocal friends. I’m so excited to say he had such a great time that he is opening a Unilocal account and plans to write reviews also.
Thanks Blue again for a great event and for having it in Boca… it doesn’t get much easier than a 5 minute drive from home

A Boca event! Yay!
I’ll start by saying Blue did a really great job organizing this event, and the staff from both Dubliner and Kapow provided amazing service. I think I was sitting only about 5 minutes before I had two drinks in front of me.
In terms of alcohol I skipped the Guinness as it seemed too hot for a dark beer, but I enjoyed the snake bite concoction, and the spicy lover surprised me. At first I wasn’t sure what to make of it, but the more sips I took the more I enjoyed the cucumbery flavor.
First up were the wings. This was a really hard choice for me because I like Dubliners saucer better, but Kapow gave me a flat wing as opposed to just drums, and I just like the meat from flat wings better. I ended up voting with Kapow, but that was a really tough call.
Next up were the sliders. The pork bun was delicious, but I ended up siding with Dubliner on this one. The corned beef was excellent but the pickled onions and grain mustard really pushed it to the win for me.
On to the «fish» course. I was really impressed with Dubliners fish and chips, especially the chips. I love potatoes, I will even eat them raw, so I was really happy that their «chips» were perfectly crisp yet fluffy, but not greasy and still had great potato flavor, they were even better with malt vinegar added. That being said I had to give the round to Kapow. I just love raw tuna too much to pick haddock over tuna, and that was a great portion of tartare stuffed into that wonton cup.
For dessert I have to say I went in a little biased as I don’t really like tiramisu and cheesecake is one of my all time favorites… and if you fry cheesecake that pretty much a home run, so this round went to Kapow for me also with double points.
In the end I think it’s probably less about the competition as I wouldn’t hesitate to return to either restaurant and order anything we were served. I enjoyed this event so much and the competition aspect really gave us something to talk about at the table as we were getting to know everyone. It was especially great meeting Max and Dennis and talking about my home of upstate New York… it’s rare to meet someone who had heard of my hometown of West Shokan.

This was such an awesome idea. The restaurants are across from one another so we were able to sit in between both of them as servers brought out items from each place in the form of a friendly battle.
I want to start backwards with dessert since I live for dessert. The Dubliner had a Tiramisu in a shot glass with irish coffee at the bottom. Not a Tiramisu fan however this was decent. Kapow… OMG, they had a Vanilla Cheesecake Spring Roll in a caramel sauce. How can I say this… If this was a person I would have flown to Vegas with them last night, married them and had twenty children by them. It was *THAT* good. I actually had a dream about it.
Before I love onto the food I must complement the «Spicy Lover». Any drink that has food in it (in this case, Cucumber slices) is always a favorite of mine. That is saying a lot since I am not a huge drinker.
On to the food:
Round One: wings
Kapow Vietnamese wings vs Dubliner Chicken Wings:
Honestly, this was a tie for me. I think both has similar tastes to them and they were equally delicious.
Round 2: Sliders
For the record, I am a sucker for Sliders
Kapow had pulled pork, Dubliner had Corned Beef. I could eat both all day, every day however I liked the Dubliner Bread just a tiny bit more (like 1% more).
Round 3: FIsh Dish
Kapow offered Ahi Tuna, Dubliner fish and chips (kabob style). Definitely Dubliner for this round. I like Ahi tuna however I like it in a salad not really in a tortilla type shell. It was good though, but not the winner of the round for me.
This was probably one of my favorite ways to do a sampling. It was a great idea to do two different places at the same time. I had been to Dubliner many times in the past however this was a great chance to try Kapow which i will visit again. The whole event was done in such a fabulous way that I have to give Kudos to everyone involved.

It’s so nice to have an event close to home and at one of my favorite happy hour spots no less (Kapow has an awesome happy hour). The Dubliner and Kapow share a perfect outdoor spot in Mizner Park where the event was set up. Half of the tables were set up on the Kapow side and the other half on the Dubliner side for the big culture clash match up of food.
As we waited for everyone to get settled the servers made sure everyone had ice water first because it was very hot outside which was really nice. Then the drinks started and I opted to skip the beer and try the Spicy Lover that had tequila, cucumber, lime, cilantro, agave, and jalapeño hot sauce. At first I wasn’t sure if I liked it but it grew on me and I drank 2 – 3 of them. It was refreshing to sip and the flavors were really working together.
The Food:
Wings: This round for me easily went to Kapow. I liked the bold flavors and the saltiness of the spice rub. The Guinness wings from Dubliner lacked some flavor for me they were missing something, maybe more seasoning.
Pork Steamed Buns (Kapow) /​Irish Sliders (Dubliner): Again, this one easily went to Kapow for me because my slider bun was very soggy on the bottom, I could barely pick up the sandwich and the flavors were just lacking for me. The pork bun did need a little hot sauce to give it that extra flavor kick but overall it was really good.
Tuna Poke (Kapow) /​Fish & Chips (Dubliner): This was a hard decision and honestly, I loved both equally. The fish and chips were fried perfectly and the sauce was great. The tuna poke was in a fried wonton cup that added a good crunch to the tuna and it tasted delicious.
My Favorite — Dessert
Cheesecake Spring Roll w/​caramel sauce (Kapow) /​Irish Coffee Tiramisu (Dubliner): I hate to say this but I did not like the Tiramisu at all. It needed to have more of the cream added because there was just too much cookie to balance it, but the spring roll was heaven! It was so delicious and I couldn’t stop dunking it into the amazing caramel sauce that it came with. I almost poured the extra caramel in my mouth it was so good!
THANK YOU so much to Kapow and Dubliner for hosting such a fun and delicious event!!! Both restaurants did an AMAZING job and the service was great! All the servers were working really hard to make sure everyone had plenty of food and drinks as well as clearing the tables quickly. They also gave us gift bags with a kapow gift card inside! (Sweet to be Elite indeed!)
And of course Thank You to our CM BLUE for always finding creative ways to bring our community together!

What a great night and fun event! I loved the Culture Clash challenge hosted by Kapow! vs Dubliner, I especially enjoyed participating in cheering for the favorites and the anticipation of having the winners announced. The outdoor patio was a great space to host our event, while watching the 2 restaurants battling it out as dishes came out from each respective kitchen was very entertaining, drinks were also flowing and being promptly served, and once the food started coming out everything was so well orchestrated. The restaurants even provided us with a custom Unilocal printed menu which was a very nice touch and made our Unilocal party feel very welcomed.
Drinks:
Kapow! served:
–The Spicy Lover which was a spicy drink with cucumber, lime, cilantro, agave and jalapeño hot sauce
–Funky Buddha Floridian
–Hop Gun IPA
Dubliner served:
— Guinness beer
— Snake Bite which consisted of Guinness + Cider
Charmie’s winner: Kapow!‘s Spicy Lover
The First Course started with the Battle of the Wings:
Kapow! served Vietnamese Chicken Wings: Crispy wings marinated with sweet chili and garlic, they had a tasty dry rub and Dubliner served their famous Honey Guinness Chicken Drums which were juicy, sweet and savory. I think most people said that Dubliner had the win on this one, but I personally liked Kapow! s wings better.
Charmie’s winner: Kapow!
Then we were on to the Second course — The Battle of the Sliders
Kopow! served Pulled Pork on deliciously soft Steamed Bun, with Asian BBQ sauce, scallions and picked cucumber — it was delicious. Dubliner served their take of an Irish Slider which consisted of Corned Beef, cabbage, pickled onions and sweet grain mustard. I’m don’t generally like corned beef, but I did take a bite, it just wasn’t for me. Once again Kapow! won this challenge for me.
Charmie’s winner: Kapow!
The Third Course was the Battle Seafood:
Kapow! seved Tuna Poke which consisted of sesame citrus soy marinated tuna in a crispy wonton cup and Dubliner served Fish & Chips which was a beer-​battered haddock with potato plant and house made tartar. I no longer eat seafood so I don’t have an opinion on this one, but every one around me favored the Tuna Poke.
Crowd winner: Kapow!
Finally the last challenge were the Desserts:
Kapow! served a vanilla Cheesecake Springroll served in a shot glass with banana caramel sauce, I loved this desert, it was delicious, crunchy, light and sweet, so good! Dubliner served an Irish Coffee Tiramisu served in a shot glass and it was supposed to be taken as a shot, I wasn’t a huge fan of this Tiramisu, once again Kapow! took this win as far as I am concerned.
Service was very friendly and welcoming and they appeared to be having as much fun as we were. I loved the gift bags provided full of goodies from Kapow! and Dubliner, they were a very nice touch! A very special thank you to Blue for putting this fun night together, I am sure it takes a lot of effort to coordinate these fun events for us to enjoy, also a special thanks to Doug Waszak for the amazing reception and to Kapow and Dubliner for the wonderful food and for hosting this memorable event.

It was so much fun to go to two of my favorite restaurants for a Unilocal Elite event. It’s hard to say which I liked better, but since it was a competition, here goes:
Kapow Vietnamese chicken wings verses Dubliner Guinness chicken drums. Both were delicious. Both were sweet with a tangy sauce. A close vote, but I give it to the Guinness honey glaze. Winner– Dubliner.
Kapow pulled pork steamed buns verses Dubliner Irish sliders. I call that a draw. They were both delicious. A tie.
Kapow tuna poke verses Dubliner Smithwicks fish & chips. I’m not a great fan of ahi tuna but I have to admit it was really good. Dubliner’s fish and chips were delicious. The batter on the fish was so lite and crispy. One piece wasn’t enough. I wanted more. Winner– Dubliner.
Kapow vanilla cheesecake spring roll verses Dubliner Irish coffee tiramisu. Both were great but the Kapow caramel sauce won me over. Winner– Kapow.
I feel like I’m the real winner. I got to spend a great evening drinking spicy lovers, my new favorite drink, eating delicious food, and spending time with old and new friends. (I finally got to meet Britt in person. We kept missing each other.)
Thank you Blue for putting together a wonderful event. You make me so happy to be an Elite Unilocaler. Thank you to Dubliner and Kapow for the great food and drinks, and the goodie bag.
Just an extra note: Both Kapow and Dubliner have incredible Happy Hours, and they’re both open late. Dubliner has great entertainment most nights.

As promised, I’m posting this review by 11:30am for Max ;).
Shout out to Blue, I don’t know how he does it but each event is better than the last. Thanks to Kapow and Dubliner for hosting and serving up some delicious treats and drinks and huge thanks to the staff. I figured they’d be overwhelmed by us and all of our drink orders, but they handled themselves quite well!
As requested by Blue we tried to sit with new people. It was great meeting Max, Dennis, Jenny, Randy and finally Hiram in person!
Drinks started flowing immediately and although the snake bite was one of my favorites I pretty much stuck with the spicy lover the whole time!!! Very refreshing for such a warm evening.
Food–
Kapow and Dubliner went head to head with some of their delicious menu items.
Wings–
I give this round to Dubliner. The Kapow wings were a hair too salty for me.
Sandwiches–
Pretty much a tie. Both sandwiches had something great going on for them. The grain mustard was delicious.
Fish–
I already knew the tuna poke from Kapow would be my favorite and it didn’t disappoint. The fish and chips from Dubliner were great too though!
Dessert–
I’m not a tiramisu fan so I pretty much gave this bite away. The cheesecake spring rolls were absolutely amazing!!! Max tried his best to see if I could get a second, which sadly didn’t happen, but allowed us to after party with more desserts down the street!
Another great night out with old and new friends!!!
Ps thanks for the birthday drink Allen! :)

What a fantastic event and a great evening! I have to say, this feels like a once-​a-​lifetime experience for me. First, I work way down south (Doral) therefore I can’t make to most of the Unilocal!events on weekdays. Second, I normally limit my travels between the North and South Broward county lines, and it’s highly unusual for me to travel that far from home (in my mind anyways on social occasions. And third, with two of the top Boca restaurants battling in a food challenge, only good things can come out of it.
The event was held in the Mizner Park plaza where they are located. Both restaurants are in different buildings, leaving an outdoor hall way space between the buildings to the parking garage which makes a perfect setting for the battleground. Before we started the tasting, they were serving us beers and cocktails. I picked a Guinness since we’ll taste some Irish food and a Funky Buddha Hop Gun because it’s one of my favorite draft beers.
Blue did a brief introduction about the two restaurants and what we will be expecting for this battle, followed by the manager of each restaurant who gave us a little more information about their business and the types of food and drink they are serving. Even before the battle begins, you can feel the energy in the air because everyone seemed very engaging to what’s about to happen.
First was the battle of the wings. Kapow served us the Vietnamese Chicken Wings. The skin was very crispy and I like the taste of chili marinated in the wings. Dubliner served us the Guinness Chicken Drums. I can really taste the Guinness in the chicken and also the honey glaze on the skins.
Next were the Buns vs. Sliders. Kapow presented the Pulled Pork Steamed Buns. The pork was served in a light BBQ sauce and the pickled cucumber made it tasted fresh. Dubliner presented their Irish Sliders and basically it’s like corned beef and cabbage served as the beef patty in a burger which was pretty good.
After that it was the fish course. Kapow delivered us their Tuna Poke. The tuna was served in a wonton cup and it was fresh. It has a little bit of soy in it but I added a little bit of sriracha sauce in it which gave you a totally different flavor profile. Dubliner delivered us their point of view of the Smithwicks Fish & Chips. The beer batter on the fish was light and crispy, and I also love the taste of the potato and both the fish and potato were served on a stick.
And finally, what better way to finish the evening with desert. Kapow rolled out the Vanilla Cheesecake Springroll served in a glass. I can taste the cinnamon in the springroll and the sweetness of the caramel sauce from the bottle of the glass is good for dipping. Dubliner finished off with their Irish Coffee Tiramisu in a shot glass. The idea is to take the whole thing as a shot but I just couldn’t do it. But I do like the taste of the taste of the Jameson & Baily in the cream.
Well, what more can I say about this event. Blue and the new Unilocaltern! Ashley did a fantastic job organizing this event. The managers from both restaurants all stopped by and say hi, the servers were working hard all night serving us food and drinks. Everything from begin to the end was picture perfect. Thank you Blue and Ashely for a terrific job you’ve done last night. I am so glad to be a part of it. And also big thanks to both Kapow and Dubliner for their generosity and hospitality, and an exciting food battle.

Kapow! vs Dubliner. Both restaurants met in the «middle ground» and presented Unilocalers with 4 rounds of food to determine who is the best. Let the battle begin!
Round 1: Battle of the Wings
Kapow!: Vietnamese Chicken Wings. These were salty with a hint of sweetness.
Dubliner: Guinness Chicken Drums. Flavorful, juicy, and the Guinness Honey Glaze is delicious.
First round goes to Dubliner. 0 — 1… next round!
Round 2: Battle of the «sliders»
Kopow!: Pulled Pork Steamed Buns. These I’ve had before many times and I’m a fan. The scallions and cucumber add a little bit of freshness to the Asian BBQ sauce pork, and the steam bun is warm and doesn’t interfere with the flavors.
Dubliner: Irish Slider. Corned Beef, cabbage, pickled onions and sweet grain mustard. I’m not a fan of corned beef sandwiches but still gave it a try. Not bad but not something I would order again.
Second Round goes to Kapow! 1 — 1 Things are getting interesting…
Round 3: Battle Seafood
Kapow!: Tuna Poke. I’m not a fan of raw tuna but, this was delicious! To the point that one of the servers came to pick up the empty plates and I guarded mine to make he didn’t take it away until I was done. The sesame citrus soy marinade completely transformed the tuna for me, and loved it.
Dubliner: Fish & Ships. Loved the Kabob presentation, and that they served it with the malt vinegar. Good flavor but the fish had too much breading for my taste, making it too greasy.
Third Round goes to Kapow! 2 — 1 Kapow! takes the lead.
Round 4: Desserts
Kapow!: Vanilla Cheesecake Springrolls. Very nice presentiation, in a shot glass with banana caramel sauce on the bottom to dunk the cheesecake springroll. The caramel sauce is a little too sweet for me but the cheesecake inside the roll is warm, creamy, not too sweet and delicious.
Dubliner: Irish Coffee Tiramisu. I love Tiramisu but this one was too strong on the Jameson.
Fourth Round goes to Kapow! 3 — 1 Kapow! wins!!!*
*Please note, results of this review are solely based on my opinion and do not reflect those of other attendees :p In fact, if I’m not mistaken, I believe Dubliner won with majority of the votes while there.
Regardless of who preferred which dish this was such a fun event. It was great to see both restaurants get in to the friendly «competition» and go all out with so many dishes for us to try, and have their amazing staff help out as well. There was no empty glass at any point, they made sure we had a clean plate for each dish, and napkins for all the finger food. They were friendly, attentive, and you could tell they were really enjoying the event as well.
Kapow! & Dubliner thank you for a fun night, and for your excellent food and service.
Blue, you did it again… great job with this one! Thank you again for your hard work and giving us the opportunity to enjoy these amazing events.

I was so excited that they held an Elite event in Boca. Not to sound selfish but my office is within minutes of Mizner Park so I could not have been more thrilled. Okay enough about me & lets move along to the good stuff.
I usually thank Blue for being so amazing at the end of my review but today Blue is at the top of the list. Everyone always says that they would love to have his job because it appears to be so much fun. I can only imagine the stress & pressure he must feel at times. Negotiating with these different venues must not be an easy thing. But like a true professional, Blue ALWAYS manages to create & execute amazing events for us. I truly appreciate all of his hard work and dedication that goes into holding such awesome events for us very lucky Unilocalers. I met Ashley and she is super sweet & I hope she has a fun internship working for Blue. Thank you Blue & Ashley for creating such a creative & unique event for the Elite members.
The competition between Kapow & the Dubliner was so much fun. We all have our favorites but having the opportunity to try so many different things from both restaurants was incredible. I tried just about everything & I enjoyed the Tuna Poke from Kapow the best. It was a crispy wonton cup that had delicious sesame citrus soy marinated Tuna in it and it was topped off with a yummy habanero cream sauce.
My preferred beverage of the night was the Spicy Lover, also made by Kapow. OMG I absolutely loved this cocktail. It was made with Partida Reposado (tequila), cucumber, lime, cilantro, agave & believe it or not it had a jalapeño hot sauce in it. Usually I tend to go for the more fruity drinks but this was an unbelievable treat & I will order it next time I am at Kapow.
Both restaurants did an amazing job last night. The servers were all great & were very attentive. They kept our drinks full & were always there if we needed anything. A huge thank you to both the Kapow & Dubliner restaurants for hosting this «friendly competitive» event. And thank you for the cool gift bags too. That was a nice extra touch & very much appreciated.
My favorite part of these events is meeting new friends, seeing old friends & hanging out with a great group of people. It’s not always about the food, it’s about the company and I am lucky to be a part of such a wonderful community. Through Unilocal I have met some wonderful people & I am making great friends.
Blue, you are truly amazing. Last night was so much fun & I know you put a great deal of effort into pulling it off. Thank you for being the best CM ever!!!

There’s nothing better than a good food fight, LOL. Tonight we had Kapow against The Dubliner and what a battle it was!
First were the drinks. Kapow won hands down with the interesting fruity combination of the «Spicy Lover,» but I’m not a beer drinker.
The next round, the wing battle, went to Dubliner. I was surprised in this one, as I love Asian flavors. However, Kapow was a bit heavy handed with the fish sauce and the wings were very salty.
Round 3, pulled pork steam buns against corned beef sliders. This was a really tough round, they were both excellent. Although the pulled pork was strictly American, it was delicious. the corned beef in my slider was almost lost in the honey mustard.
Round 4 — again tight, but went to Dubliner for the amazing fish and chips vs the tuna poke. Another surprise. The poke should have been served with a bit of soy or something to brighten the flavor.
Last round — the desserts. This was REALLY hard because I love both tiramisu and cheesecake. But, you have to vote, and caramel will always push to the top for me. It was unbelievably yummy with the delicate springroll. This made Kapow the overall winner, but a bite (or a sip), but I’d definitely go back to either one.
Both sides, and Blue, get major kudos for excellence in organization and service. Our new intern, Ashley, gets bonus points for surviving and thriving during her first event. Welcome to the family, Ashley!
We also got aquatinted with some fun new people at our table, Vanessa and Hiram, along with many wonderful old friends, and that’s what it’s all about.

So tonight was a brawl between two popular Boca Raton eateries owned by the same restaurant group: KAPOW VERSUS DUBLINER ! ! !
Who’s up for some competitive fun? ? ?
LET’S GET READY TO RUMBLE ! ! !
* * * ROUND ONE (Battle of the Wings) * * *
KaPow came out slugging with a Vietnamese Chicken Wing BUT Dubliner didn’t even loose it’s footing by hitting back with their Guinness Chicken Wings… at first KaPow was delicious but after a couple bites the saltiness and overly sweet taste was too much… Dubliner was good from start to finish
Round 1 goes to Dubliner
* * * ROUND TWO (Battle of the Meats) * * *
KaPow played this round safe with their ever-​classic Pulled Pork Steamed Buns and Dubliner stood it’s ground with Irish Sliders (corned beef, cabbage and pickled onion)… as much as I love KaPow and their buns, Dubliner impressed me
Round 2 goes to Dubliner
* * * ROUND THREE (Battle of the Sea) * * *
KaPow stepped into the ring with a stutter step, presenting Tuna Poke (citrus soy marinated ahi tuna in a wonton and habanero cream sauce) and Dubliner may have lost it’s chutzpah showcasing their Smithwicks Fish and Chips… unfortunately they were both a little boring; although I think BOTH dishes have potential to be better
Round 3 is a Draw
* * * ROUND FOUR (Battle of the Buzz) * * *
Here comes the combination… jab jab punch upper-​cut… oh yeah, KaPow came out strong with their Spicy Lover (SIX, yeah, that’s right, I drank six)… Dubliner’s defense was weak… Snake Bites (Stella beer with cider)… our menu cards had a miss-​print (Guinness stout beer with cider is actually called a Black Velvet)… had I been served a Black Velvet the round would have been closer but the Snake Bite was like drinking watered down cider.
Round 4 goes to KaPow
* * * ROUND FIVE (Who wants a Happy Ending ?) * * *
Wanting to build on the muscle they showcased in round 4, KaPow threw a Vanilla Cheesecake Spring Roll into the ring (oh, that caramel sauce was superb); Dubliner was loosing stamina; Irish Coffee Tiramisu was alright but it was clear on the faces at our table that KaPow wanted this round more
Round 5 goes to KaPow
* * * * * FINAL RESULTS * * * * *
Score cards say (2) rounds for KaPow, (2) rounds for Dubliner and (1) round was a draw… final results are a TIE ! ! !
I’ve been a regular at KaPow; and for those that don’t know it they have a great happy hour menu (a lot of discounted items for roughly 3 or 4 bucks each), but after tonight I think I may be splitting my time with Dubliner (quite impressed and look forward to trying some of their other menu choices). Plus our waitress (Kris) told us that Dubliner also has a happy hour with food and drink specials.
Trying not to sound like a broken record… «each event is better than the last» and this event is no exception… great food, excellent booze, cool servers… Damn, Blue knows how to hook us up ! Thanks !
And welcome to the party Ashley M… you’re in for a wild ride !
Thanks KaPow and Dubliner for being one of the best local joints in the area… I just wish I remembered how good Dubliner was in the past (shame on me)
And at the end of the night, I drove home «Half-​Naked» and for that I also thank KaPow and Dubliner again (think hard and you’ll figure it out)

I was pretty excited to get into this event after being on the wait list because I’m not that fast at viewing my e-​mails these days.
Kapow is a place I’ve been a few times now, but I’ve never been next door to the Dubliner, so this was a great opportunity to try some new things.
If this were a competition, it’s a tie to me.
The Dubliner had some amazing things. Their fish and chips were amazing — and served adorably on skewers and I almost wish it was an all the time fish and chips appetizer they served. It’s just perfect and was my favorite thing of the evening.
My next favorite thing was Kapow’s Spicy Lover Cocktail. Kapow has the best cocktails ever — and this was no exception. Perfect mix of sweet, refreshing and spicy. Delicious.
Following that was the steamed pork buns — something I have had before at Kapow — and of course, they are amazing. The buns are so yummy, soft, and great with the pork.
Kapow’s dessert was my favorite as well — most likely because I detest tiramisu — but cheesecake spring rolls are an amazing delicacy I must have again. The caramel sauce they came with was perfect. Similar idea to a cheesecake cannoli, only much much better.
This was a great event — well paced, amazing service, lots of friendly people, and certainly, delicious.
Plus, it furthered my love of Kapow and pushed me to go to the Dubliner for my missing ‘Irish pub’ hole in my food places down here in Florida.

The battle of the neighbors was a fantastic one tonight! I’ve been to both places before and was eager to try out what they had on the menu for us tonight. Luckily, this food fight was all in good fun and company.
The Kapow Spicy Lover’s cocktail was different with the cucumber mixed with lime juice and tabasco. I don’t do spicy and I liked it. The snake bite from Dubliner was good as well. I don’t do beer, but will drink up if it has cider in it. And yes, I had another round of the Spicy Lover’s cocktail. Asian won me over this round.
Both places had great wings. The honey glazed sauce on the wings from Dubliner were delicious and the Kapow wings had oj, sweet chili, garlic, and fish sauce on theirs. Again, Kapow won my heart this round as well.
The second course was sandwich bites and we munched on pulled pork buns filled with scallion, cucumber, and bbq sauce from Kapow and Irish sliders consisting of corn beef, cabbage, onions, and mustard sauce. The buns were so soft and yummy and it was so damn close that it was hard to break a tie between the two. Needless to say, it was third time’s a charm with Kapow.
The tuna poke in wasn’t a fan of mine since I don’t care for tuna that much. The fish and chips served on the sticks made a fantastic presentation. The potato plank and haddock served with tartar went together really well. Dubliner finally got a point from me.
If the dessert was served first, I think we would have missed on out on all the awesome food we had tonight. The tiramisu from Dubliner was alright, but then it got slammed by the Kapow’s vanilla cheesecake spring roll. Oh my god. A spring roll filled with walnuts and cinnamon sugar and banana caramel sauce to dip it in. The sweet ass dessert was worth the wait and I’ll definitely get it when I stop in again. Plus, those gift bags were a nice surprise for everyone, which had a few cute things from each restaurant and a gift card for Kapow. The generosity is very much appreciated.
Kapow and Dubliner were both winners tonight. It was great to have such wonderful hosts to provide a fun match up for us to experience. The atmosphere was welcoming and the service was excellent. The staff stayed on their toes the entire time making sure we had our drinks full and our plates taken care of when were done. Thanks for having us a part of the battle and letting us try some of the amazing things on the menus. Blue, you can’t be thanked enough for organizing this event. You kicked ass once again! Our community is so lucky to have you as the manager and we can’t wait to see what else you have up your sleeve for us in the future :)