Elite Event @ Deity!

I used to live 5 mere blocks from Deity and always, always wanted to try it. Leave it to our savvy Unilocal organizers to plan a raucous night out there.
Walked in, looked down, and saw spiky platinum blonde hair in front of me. My +1 nudged me not-​so-​inconspicuously and I thought to myself «commercial…about the bad cooks, where someone boils a chicken.» That’s right, one of the Food Network’s fave food stars Anne Burrell was in attendance. We each dropped a Benjamin in the bucket for Haiti and headed for the triangular bar.
Those poor skinny, plaid bartenders were quite overwhelmed, but we had fun commiserating with others waiting for their Maker’s and Heinys. Down the three steps to the sunken dining area we pondered aloud about the naked stained glass in a former church. We snagged one slider and one fried ball of som’n, but left the eating to those comfortably ensconced in the booths.
For us, the highlight was checking out the basement lounge and the hip-​hop DJ. It was just us and his entourage, who looked like a bunch of Japanese candy ravers. I will definitely go back on Friday nights, as the bartender suggested, to hear the more underground DJs flex their stuff.

What an amazing night at Diety. Free flowing booze — good booze too, not the cheap stuff, fun people to talk to, some pretty good guacamole and hourderv’s.

Well well, the new Year started with a Bang.
First of all, Thanks Peter K for bringing me as your +1.
Peter D and Jane K thanks for making this happen and for another great night. Your taste is excellent for this kind of stuff, specially the sponsors, Heineken + makers Mark.
My second BK Unilocal Event and it was great.
Dont know if it was planned to bring Anne Burrell from the worst chef in America or maybe she is a Unilocaler in the DL, but it was nice to have a celebrity in house.
The location was great not to far into Brooklyn and lots of places to kill time while we waited for 8 pm. The church looking place from the outside does make you think, is this place worth going in?. well the place inside was great, the décor dark but inviting. the mirror stairways look awesome, the labels on the bathroom door makes you ponder while u wait in line to do your business. The food was good, specially those chicken meat balls and the fish ones. the rest of the stuff that people are mentioning, never saw them, i must have been at the wrong side of the round shaped bar.
Just like everyone else, the drinks were on point, makers and ginger ale, maker sour, makers Manhattan, Heineken and the Spanish wine that one of the patrons kept pushing to taste, good call.
So many beautiful women there it was hard to chose who to talk to :) By the end of the night, could not remember sh! t so went to hanks to finish my Brooklyn night.

So the G train was late. Big surprise. With only 30 minutes to savor the free booze, you better believe I saved the food for last. Come 10 pm, no food left for me but there was enough eye candy all over the joint to alleviate my hunger.
The stained glass and church-​like feel made this venue quite the appropriate one fit for its gods and worshippers. The drinks were strong and the freakiness was stronger as Valissa and I made ourselves a Britton sandwich. Even through the beer goggles, I:
*Saw some old friends (Hellooo Drunkateers!)
*Had half-​sober conversations (mama Unlucky, Amanda, Melissa, Ki)
*Met new faces (Hi Kate B, Audrey, Rachel, Aimee!)
*Danced with a skanky talking tree out back. It did talk, right?
Even for the small space, I ended up spending the whole night looking for people and losing my Gonzo who claimed they were looking for me. You know what? I didn’t even know where the hell I was or what planet I was on half the time. The only thing that was certain was I was in heaven. Makers Mark heaven.
Peter knows how the gods like to party. A million thanks for another successful event!
p.s.
F*ck what the MTA says. This G-​train was definitely running all night long.

Another fun event in Brooklyn! Plentiful drinks kept on flowing. I loved the punch mix at the tables, and the Maker’s Mark specialty drinks definitely got you. It was definitely an interesting setup how the food was set in each table. Deity was a cool venue with interesting and gothic décor.
I didn’t expect that much people at a Brooklyn event, but that’s cool. It was a bit too crowded so some people cut me at the bar and there were people fighting over food. When the waitress brought out three bowls of beef ribs meant to be shared, ppl madly took the entire bowl in a heartbeat and I ended up with a fork with my hand and nothing else.
Despite the chaos, the bartenders and wait staff were extremely friendly and went out of their way. It was still an awesome event! I reacquainted with old friends and met some cool people. Shoutouts to Valissa W and Amanda.
P. S. Where was I this whole time b/​c I didn’t see Anne Burrell?
Many thanks to Pete and Jane! Well done!

(Thump) (Thump) (Thump) (Thump) (Thump)
What’s that sound? It’s either the totally empty dance floor downstairs I’m taking over. .. or my beating heart at an Elite event, which signals I’m in love.
I’m in love with:
1. Maker’s Mark. Boo, you go down so smooth it’s like a massage for my insides. Does that make sense? if not, don’t blame me. It’s 10:30 the morning after.
2. SNACKS. I think bite-​sized portions are so delicious, I often embarrass my friends and family by ordering sliders for a meal. Brett «Shameless Fatty» W.
3. The really attentive owner who made sure you couldn’t see the bottom of your glass, and later gave us the deets on the happenin’ after party hours.
4. Jane, my heart skipped a beat or two when I saw you double fisting. I I think you know me better than my own diary. I also believe 2010 will be great! For at least the first three months…
5. As I said before, that hidden gem of a dance floor downstairs that was totally empty. But not so much the music. Listen, I’m just gonna say it: I will throw down to «Party in the USA,» and you would too. Don’t deny it! But it wasn’t that kind of DJ.
6. I’d be nothing without Preeti (who makes sure I have a drink), Aimee (who makes sure I have a burger, and relentlessly tried for nametags), Liz (who makes sure my feet never stop moving), and Rae (who makes sure there’s always mischief). Get it, girls!
7. Karen M! Where are you?! You’re a trooper who heated up the dance floor.
8. Peter. .. I barely saw you. But it’s fine. I’ve seen the book and I’ve seen the trailer for «He’s Just Not That Into You,» so I think I get it. (Jooookes.)
9. Deity. Aptly named, and who doesn’t want to feel like a god or goddess when they’re in the bathroom? Exactly.
10. Unilocal.Thank you so much for another night of free fun and crazy times! Both are big in 2010.

Yet another Unilocal Elite Event on a FRIDAY.
Can we get a yay-​dot-​com?
Toss in the pretty freaking spectacular mystery punch bowl in the far left corner of the room, and I could get used to this. :)
Always wonderful to say hi to friends, old and new, from our very own host with the most Peter D. to the divine Ms. Jane K. to Roddy Rod Piper (um…more toast? :)), Pedro K. with his big… equipment (*ahem* photographic, of course), Unlucky, Briana, the dynamic Joolz/​Zack combo, Ms. Neener, James F., Jordan and Colleen (SJ/​Los Gatos — I know it!), Natalia, Liz, my +1 Patrick (who never got his dance party, it appears…), Andre L. (who I own — quite literally via Silent Date Auction 2009 — but will use only for purposes of good and not evil… to the extent the compromising Briana picture can be recreated), Britton, Molly C. (hi, dim sum… I want some), Juan with his argyle, and a bunch of other people…
P. S.: One thing… um…I thought Brooklyn events were usually smaller?

This visit to Brooklyn just:
1)increased my total number of visits to the BK by one more than I can count on my fingers
2) made me wonder why i don’t spend a LOT more time here
3) finally broke the jinx of not being able to meet aimee o after making so many different plans in the past
4) reaffirmed my faith that the Unilocaler gang is an awesome lot. yes you beautiful people, you know who you are.
5) made me rather tipsy. but then, as a lightweight i should’ve known better than to down 2 unknown cocktails + a manhattan in under 1.5 hours.
Lisa A., 5 stars to you for letting this manhattanite crash the brooklyn party.
Peter D, Jane K, Unilocal crew. May I just say, you raise the bar with every elite event that I’ve been to.

My name is roderick and I am a Unilocaler.
«hi roderick»
I have found Hell on Earth, and it’s name is Maker’s Mark. Good god did that little devil do a number on me. Let me put it this way: I got home around 8am. Last thing I remember before that, it was 10:30 and I was downstairs on the dance floor with Liz, Brett and others. For all I know, the dance floor could’ve been lit in neon and Tony Manero could’ve been dancing and I wouldn’t have noticed it.
I knew that the evening was going to be a disaster when I was led to our very own VIP table in the back corner, presided by Molly and Ethan. How VIP was our table, you ask? Our table was the only one with our very own bottle of Maker’s Mark, on ice no less. Yup, they knew exactly whose asses to kiss, and it was all of us.
Like Vito Corleone, I know how to return a favor. So i took it upon myself to have my dear friend, Anne Burrell, stop by Deity last night. I figure with a bunch of food geeks at Deity, Anne would make their panties moisten and glisten.
So you’re welcome everyone.
On a serious note, thank you to everyone who were helping me towards the end of the night. Rae and Liz, thank you for giving me at least 20 glasses of water. Preeti, thanks for trying to sober me up and asking me to sleep with you… i mean ask me to stay at your flat while I sobered up. I really, really could not have made it home without any of you. And a big thanks to the trio of pedro, audrey and patrick (the PAP Squad) for literally saving my life.
Also, Danny’s butterscotch concoction literally saved my life too.

«Brooklyn Zoo!
Shame on you, when you step through to
The Ol’ Dirty Bastard, Brooklyn Zoo!»
~REMIX~
Stepped to the door, lookin like a thug,
with a mean mug,
Showed the bouncer my ID, gave Janie a hug,
Im in, like Iron man starks, wading through the sharks,
Deity, oh its a nice place, and its really dark
in stark… contrast to the last place… thats fine…
hey mr. tall man, sure i’d like that wine
behind every gift, often comes a price,
not here, its like the people look, and their lookin nice
suf​fice​.it to say… I know you… hey guy, don’t look the other way
its me, yeah buddy, how the hell you doin…
my bad, I understand its makers mark that your pursuin
construing your body language and aggressive tone,
carry on, imma mingle, and leave you alone,
Hey Dre, there is britton, near some sexy kitten
Trying to get by, but she aint really fittin
its packed, its kinda cramped, things are kinda raveled
so much so, Jim and Natasha havent traveled
from their initial place, Payam just showed his face
how you doin man, theres cara, we embrace
and hug, i know you needed that, i hope your day is better
Unlucky asks Where Briana is. Maybe I can get her
B your mom wants you, shes askin where you are
people are so nice here… i feel like im a star
Where did all these name tags come from?
Don’t wanna drop my beer, that would make me look dumb,
rolled up to James and Amanda, said hi to valissa
Is that nina there? Let me go and kiss her
im off, wine is low… where else can i go,
yeah im movin slow, someones on my toe
Tryin to get through, did i say hi to you? Should I sit?
or listen to Kendra’s funny wit
I eat a burger, that was good, it wet my palette
VOTE FOR PEDRO KID, he and his camera are on the ballot
I hug Ki, shes so nice, she’s lookin mighty tan
then I check Joey, that a beard? oh you are the man.
Dr. Becca’s here… right there next to chung.
as are Chun and Danny P. Irene’s eatin poppers, watch ur tongue
Juan T. says hes dominican, like we didn’t know
Hi vivian, Heres my tag, now you’re Jamel O.
Monica R. was near the bathroom, Kendra was bein mean
Lisa D. was there, as was my friend collen
was that melissa z. and who was that, look Juan she’s fine,
oh you got jokes, shes not fine? yeah its the wine…
Wave to Samira, Preeti’s flow is sick
Anne Burrell is lookin swell, and so is Roderick
Hi Karen M. Hey Natalia, I see you’re rollin with sarita
oh is sara now, well then Hi, pleased to meetcha…
man that was my toe, I am tryin not to curse
Peter D. what you doing? carrying Jane’s Purse?
Richard left, Matteo also has his coat
Kendra stop teasin me, or im gonna grab you by the throat
Oh Jade, Ms. South American, dont be mad the fellas swoon
There should be a Unilocal MOVIE, or maybe a cartoon
Joolie and Zack, seem to understand
Zack has these cool stickers, he does them all by hand
Molly’s layin low, Ethan’s kinda tall
Do I have many friends here? sure I do, I love them all
its cheers, oh its Deity, its great and never lame
its a Unilocal event, with tags, so EVERYONE KNOWS YOUR NAME!
Im Gone.

Notes:
1) James, you didn’t spill booze on me, which means it must have been…
2) … Madhuri who you spilled booze on (?), and who was radiant nonetheless!
3) Peter and Jane, thanks for organizing, as always, and…
4) … Bridget, thanks for having my back. And I second 5 stars for the bouncer, who helped me navigate home.
5) Chris H looks nothing like his profile pictures — any of them — but…
6) … he and Brian H were totally sweet to talk with. Seeing Brian’s jacket was a highlight, too.
Summary:
Many bodies. (Many, *many* bodies.) Many smiling faces. Many double-​fisting hands. Many hugs. Many Maker’s Marks.

Wow. All I can say is that thank god I left when I did because the evening took a turn for the worse after I left Deity, and I blame it on the Manhattans.
The ones that my brother kept passing on to me. The ones I kept chugging down like it was iced tea. Sweet, delicious, alcoholic iced-​tea. *sigh*
However, extreme post-​event malaise aside, I have to give props to Peter + Jane and the Unilocal crew for pulling off such a great event and keeping their cool while the place was fit to burst.
The bartenders were lovely, keeping us supplied with alcohol and not forgetting us, even though they clearly were being bombarded by all sides with thirsty Unilocalers. One thing I would like to point out that was disappointing — it was the lack of tipping going on by said Unilocalers. People save those singles from the strip club and shimmy them over to your overworked bartender — I guarantee they’ll speed up service.
I also thought that the servers, those lovely smiling ladies, were absolute troopers. Unilocalers are a ravenous bunch and when steaming chicken meatballs, cod and potato croquettes, sliders, mushroom croquettes and other goodies are present — it takes a strong person not to falter under the attack.
Getting to snag a butterscotch blondie from Danny P. was the icing on the cake for me.
The best part of the event, as always, is to bump into, wave by, smile at, hug, kiss, fist bump and have fun with my Unilocal peeps. Y’all rock.
Surprise celebrity guests aren’t a bad thing either!
(this review is rambling because I think my brain is still trying to recuperate)
I was a fan!

Wow, this place was a hot mess.
I think the venue could have done with a lot less.
I like the space though.
Even if we po’.
Bartenders rocked, beer and drinks flowing.
After awhile, everything was glowing.
Met many kewl peeps.
My social life growing bounds and leaps ;-)
My first «rhyming poem» review, and inspired by this great event that Jane K and Peter D put on. You guys rocked!
Shout out to the New Peeps:
Natasha and Jim
Britton B
Andre L (lets talks some renal)
Peter K (the unofficial Unilocal photographer)
Jamel O (Finally we meet in person)
Melissa Z
Cara A (sorry they kept coming out with burgers and meatballs)
Chun (nice to meet you and the SO, and I steered clear of the shrimp)
Ethan C (ROTD x 2)
Oldies but goodies:
Payam (sad to see you go, viva Toronto!)
Richard B (like your new reviews)
James F (you have to write a book, I want a signed copy)
MIA:
Deanna
Marie B

Please note:
If I inappropriately hugged anyone for too long, I apologize. I blame Roddy.
Well, actually, I blame the extremely strong Maker’s Mark Manhattans that I thought I could drink two at a time because Roddy was drinking them two at a time.*
Nice one, Liz.
Pretty cool space, tight, yet cool and in one of my most favorite Brooklyn neighborhoods. Tasty appetizers floating around too.
Cheers again to Peter and Jane and the Unilocal crew for a mighty fine event.
Brooklyn will always be cooler than Manhattan.**
*See what I did there? I blamed everyone but myself.
**Except maybe for the drink.

… who the fuck are all these people?
Pretty tight for BK event.
Damn Manhattanites.
maker’s right on the mark, cocktails, & food (say yes to chicken meatballs),
Happiness is double-​fisting.
Cara and Madhuri, so fun, so cool, so pretty and neither complained as I spilled booze on them. Valissa, as engaging in real, as life as online.
Hi Jamel, are there are any women on Unilocal you don’t know?
Brian!
Anyone see Brian?
There’s Lisa, there’s Liz C (wow, wish I was smarter and taller), there’s Liz W (never had a blonde fetish,… until now) there’s pedro (snapping photos… surprise!!). Audrey the elite of the elite,… shit did I spill whiskey on her?
Run. Run.
More booze on floor than in my mouth. Run to the restroom, wave hello, goodbye (lovers of jazz check out Bob Brookmeyer song of same title), run to get my coat,
run out of time,
(I fear, that sadly I’m past my expiration point)
is it over?
(the event? my life? my liver will let me know)
Shit,
Damn.
A little bit closer to the grave, but a little bit happier.
PS. thanks to all those i saw but didn’t mention and
peter and Jane for good start to 2010

Hot and tight. And hot. And more tight. Just not the way I usually like it.
Thanks to Peter D (eity) and Jane «Golden Unilocal Elite Deity» K. for organizing this. What an AWESOME way to start the new Unilocal year!
The bartenders were amazing: those two guys couldn’t stop to breathe half a second, and somehow managed to keep all those pesky Unilocalers happy with their drinks. They could mix a mean cocktail too (The Wolf, I think???).
Two cocktails, four Makers Mark, and two beers later, the party moved a few blocks east to Hank’s. The fact that I thought the place was awesome probably says more about me and my intoxication state than anything else. My memory of the following events there is foggy. I know I made it home…
A BIG shoutout to my awesome friends: Chun and Rachel, Jim and Natasha, Jamel, Cara, James, Brian, Joey, Richard, Dr. Gonzo (where was Gabrielle?!), Irene, Chris, Payam (it hurts to see you go, man!), Melissa, Liz, Britton, Kyle. If I left somebody out, blame it on the Makers Mark.
Friends I missed:
Deanna W
Janeen B
Wendy C
Franco C

I have always wanted to drink Maker’s Mark in an old synagogue so when this thing came up it was a no-​brainer. How many chances are you going to get to have a cod fritter flanked by a whiskey drink with an egg in it? Game on.
As usual, Unilocal did a fantastic job of organizing the event and making sure that everyone had a good time — continued thanks to Jane K. and peter d. as always. Deity did a great job of accepting the challenge and although you had to wait a bit at the bar to get served, the bartenders were totally friendly and continually working while not looking put out by the hordes of people inquiring about the free beverages.
What I have noticed now about these events is that it is still hard to find the people you actually want to meet. We all have Unilocal friends who you expect to meet in person at some point, but then when you get to an Elite event you have to match up the thumbnail photo with the real person and to do this you have to confirm same by looking at the name tag. However, the issue is that most people put the name tag somewhere on their chest so when you are trying to look to see who that is coming down the stairs, it may appear that you are looking directly at someone’s chest. Built-​in excuse taken care of, but it is real.
Drink review: Maker’s Mark cocktails weren’t bad. I would not have ordered them if they were not free, but they were pretty decent in the end. The smart ones among us just took the Mark on the rocks and maximized our free-​ness.
Food review: I saw someone with like a burger on a stick and I am still jealous because I did not see those going around and I still want one. All I saw going around, near me, was fried mushrooms (decent) and cod fritters. I apparently offended one of the servers when I said the mushrooms were better than the cod fritters — she asked, «What was wrong with the cod fritters?» Hmm, they are cod fritters, that is what was wrong with them… and they burned off the roof of my mouth. Referring to the book of classic appetizers — pigs in a blanket, deviled eggs and of course, cod fritters.
Overall, really nice venue with good staff at Deity. Really, we were in Boerum Hill? Great job by Unilocal on the event and organizing donations for Haiti at the same time. And of course, cod fritters.

Got in at 8:30 ish
Jane K. Registered me, Said hi and Thanking her for the Elive Event.
Overcrowd bar and everyone was all over ANNE BURRELL who was next to me for 5 minutes. waited at the bar for 20 minutes to get my drink.
Saw old peeps and new peeps, tried to grab a taste of chips and Guacamole (GOOD AND A BIT SPICY).
Walked down by end of corner who I met up with Nina C. and Joolie T. with Zack and their 2 bottles of alcohol. DAMN!
Should have refillled my drinks at their tables without waiting.
Mingled, saw new peeps, mingle.
Good times Thanks Jane K. and Peter D.

This was a cool venue! Got to meet new people and meet up with some old friends. Makers Mark was generously poured into the cocktails.
I had something called the «Wolf’s Mother» or something like that.
*edit, correction* Mother & Wolfe drink which consisted of pear liqueur, lemon, sugar, and egg whites. It reminded me of a Peruvian cocktail, Pisco Sour but not as sour. It was downed within 15mins. The poor bartenders were getting bombarded with the same question «What’re the specialty drinks/​cocktails?’ But they were so nice and friendly. The punch was overly sweet but also very good, and of course you can’t go wrong with Markers Mark & Gingerale.
After a few drinks, the artwork in this place really started looking strange. I can’t believe this place used to be a Synagogue.
Finally got a proper introduction to Peter D., very cool guy!
And the best thing of the night is, Anne Burrell! I don’t know if Unilocal got her to show up or if it was just a coincidence, but I’ve been a fan of hers since she’s been on the Food Network!
Oh and the food was pretty damn good too! Burned my mouth with the fried mushrooms, but the burgers were slammin!

Now, I’m not accustomed to the goings-​on of Unilocal Elite events, but I’m fairly certain that they don’t comprise spending the night being fiendishly harangued, having beer spilled on me, bartenders randomly climbing out from between your legs, and being subjected to brutality tantamount to being pulled down from your pigtails and mercilessly tickled.
Can’t wait for the next one! Fabulous job, Jane & Peter :) & a big hat tip to the graciously attentive owner & bartenders!