Elite Event: New & Gold Dinner @ Piccolo Ristorante

Wow wow wow! I LOVE these sit down dinners, it is SO nice to really get to know your fellow Unilocaler. I had the absolute pleasure of sitting with fellow Golds Brenda P. and Patty W. and with new Elites Linda L. Joanna S. and Ilene F. We were the ‘loud’ table… or at least competing with the other loud table that was intelligently put across the room from us. (Blue, you know what you’re doing, without a doubt!)
Ok. Chocolate crème brûlée. It was the talk of the night, and for good reason! I am not a crème brûlée fan, just like the owner. However the chef, her husband, sure has a way of proving us non-​believers wrong! The taste and texture of this crème brûlée was spot on, usually I find the sugar crust on top to be too thick and the flavor of burnt sugar deters me but this was perfectly prepared. OK, chef, you made me a believer!
I also really enjoyed the eggplant dish, and there were two wines that caught my attention.
Really though, I have to shout out to the amazing service the staff provided. The night went so smoothly, we were all able to indulge in great food and fabulous conversation without thinking twice about food and drink.
Thank you Piccolo, thank you Blue and thank you my fellow Elites for such a wonderful night. Lots of love to go around!

Awweee yes, a event around Italian food! Who doesn’t love all that cheese and pasta sauce?! Oh and the best part… the dessert.
Getting here was a little tricky– as far as parking. There was only one way in by car and I did a few circles as I first tried going through the back. And then, parking was limited so I drove out and back in and just parked anywhere I could with an open spot which was kind of far. Upon entering, I was late by a few because of all the after-​work traffic! Blue directed me to my assigned seat. The homemade focaccia bread was already at the tables and it was so good! I actually kept grabbing them to go along with every meal. Ceasar salad was first which was served with light dressing which I can admire. Who likes wet soggy salad?!
Each course that came out was paired with a wine to compliment them. I am a wine person so this was probably a little bit too exciting for me. My favorite dish was the eggplant involtini because… I have never had eggplant! It turned out to be so good and I kind of wish Tim F. gave me the whole thing (we had to share each course with the person in front of us)! One thing Tim and I agreed on was we weren’t fish people so Celine & Jamie got to have their own. They pretty much finished the whole thing so I can only assume it tasted like everything else from here– delicious.
I really enjoyed the intimate atmosphere this restaurant gave off. The owners genuinely care about their customers such as reservations or any special requests you may have before dining in. The chocolate crème brûlée will have anyone wanting to come back. Sometimes they are a hit or a mess depending where you might try them but here, they really understood the taste and texture to make an overall great dessert.
I can see myself coming back to dine here with the boyfriend in the future. I am open to hearing of good Italian places that aren’t corporate. Of course, always a big thank you to Blue for great tasty event. It was great to meet new friends and omg, I sat with Jamie for at least an hour before realizing it was her because her pink hair is gone :(lol!
Looking forward to what’s up next with the Unilocal family!

Is it even possible for Unilocal to throw an event that is bad?
This was yet another amazing event set up by Blue that blew me away. Like others, I’m always a little hesitant going to events but as always everyone was incredibly welcoming and friendly. We started the evening with some well planned seating arrangements and I was able to meet Glenn, Paul, Angie and Julie. Sometimes when you’re meeting new people you run into lulls of awkward silence but not so for our little table! While the wine flowed and delicious food came out, we talked and got to know about each other a bit. One of my favorite topics of the night was how we each came to Unilocal.
The food that we were able to sample was amazing. Although I have my go to Italian place, I’m seriously thinking of having a date night with my boyfriend here. We started out with a Caesar salad with house made dressing and croutons, along with some outstanding focaccia. I had to restrain myself from filling up on this delicious bread topped with sliced tomato and caramelized onions. I don’t know what they did to their eggplant involtini, but it was amazing and I’m only a so-​so fan of eggplant. There was also ragu bolognese and Mahi topped with crab cake. Both were nice and well flavored. My favorite of the night though was the chocolate crème brûlée. I’m almost embarrassed by how much of it I ate considering we shared it at the table. If you like chocolate and you like crème brûlée, you need to try this dessert. Immediately leaving the restaurant I texted my best friend telling her she had to visit so I could take her here for the crème brûlée.
The restaurant itself is on the small intimate side with a great atmosphere for a romantic date. The staff took great care of us and their selection of wine pairings were well thought out. I’m so happy that I was able to meet my table mates and enjoy a wonderful meal with them and everyone else.

What a great night!
Sometime events can be overwhelming for people, even myself. It’s so difficult to just strike up conversations with strangers. Yes, most Unilocalers like to eat, but I’m not leading with, «hi, I’m Andy. I like pizza, what’s your favorite food?» What I’m trying to say is that if you’re at an event and you don’t know people it can be kind of a bust and believe me I’ve been there.
So with our event at Piccolo, I was happy to see that Blue had mixed us old heads with young blood. It’s so difficult to talk to everyone, that I was kind of relieved that for this event I didn’t have to! I had a table of three lovely ladies (Blue, maybe three handsome men next time? Help me out). I really enjoyed Jennifer, Dorothea and Elizabeth. We clicked instantly and chatted the night away while binging on amazing pasta– and getting seconds when we could.
The stand outs to me where the mahi mahi and the chocolate crème brûlée. I did love the Bolognese sauce though. A little sweetness to it and a tad salty– amazing. I could have eaten a dozen pieces of the focaccia bread and probably did actually because it was that good.
The place was charming, the staff was amazing and Blue was his wonderful self as usual. Couldn’t ask for a better night, well I could, but that would be just greedy of me. I absolutely loved this event and hopefully can get in to next year’s!
Thanks as always Blue for making this happen.

What an awesome event! As Blue says, it is definitely sweet to be Elite!
Arrived at the Piccolo restaurant I realized how close it was to work and made me sad not knowing it was here all along! Love Unilocal because you can find all these hidden treasures! Once inside, everything was set up so beautiful. I was seated with Gold member Michelle whom I have previously met and is such a pleasure to talk to! I also had the pleasure of meeting fellow Elites Vanessa, Frances, and Krizia! It was so nice talking to them, what a great group of ladies! Thank you Blue for putting in so much time to place everyone at their tables!
Now food! Always great food at Elite events. So happy to be seated at a lovely family owned restaurant. This added so much background and personality to the place. Everything was delicious! My favorites were the caesar salad with homemade croutons, the ragu a la bolognese, and the chocolate crème brûlée.
I also loved and really enjoyed how Alison stopped and described every dish and wine pairing before sending the dishes out. This added much anticipation to each dish knowing the background and the reasoning behind each dish and choice of wine.
A big thank you for Arayu, Alison, and Alison’s brother for closing the restaurant for us and being extremely kind and generous in their service!
Thanks Blue for being an awesome CM, so glad I was able to talk and get to know you and other Elite members more intimately at this event. I look forward to more events like this!
P. S. Thanks for the Unilocal swag!

Blue, YOU DID IT AGAIN!
This event is definitely one of my favorites! I know I say a lot of the events are my favorite but it’s hard to pick one if they’re all so awesome!!!
There are so many highlights to this event I don’t even know where to start but here goes…
1. Food
A-​M-​A-​Z-​I-​N-​G. I freaking love Italian food because it’s delicious and full of carbs. Who doesn’t love them?! But I would have to admit, I am a vegetable hater. REAL hater and I especially stay away from eggplant…
But holy cow, Piccolo restaurant blessed me and converted me to a believer! I started asking for more eggplant like… Who am I anymore??? I’m a hardcore carnivore and here I am asking for more eggplant. It was amazing. Yes, the eggplant was so good it deserved a whole paragraph dedicated to it haha
We also had Caesar salad, Focaccia bread, crab crusted mahi mahi and chocolate crème brûlée. All so divine! Love the authenticity of the menu.
But I have to declare my love for chocolate crème brûlée. I never really thought it would work but damn! It was so… So… Rich and chocolatey. Definitely my favorite of the night. Hats off!
Plus we had really fine wines to pair with the meal. Chianti, pinot Grigio and I forgot the rest since I started to get buzzed lol.
2. Ambiance and restaurant
Seriously it was an intimate event. I loved it because it made the interactions more personal! Very homey and comfortable. Atmosphere of class and authenticity
3. People
The owners and staff are so wonderful. They really put thought into making a great menu together and even pairing the right wine to complement the dish. Lovely touch! Inventive. They were all polite and made sure we were WELL TAKEN CARE OF.
The great bonus? Building new friendships. Maybe Blue does match making part time or something but he placed me in a table where everyone was into fashion and boy we got along so well.
Among the fashionista table were Vanessa G, Frances A, Navene and Michelle C! It was so nice knowing everyone just a little bit more and I got a bonus of having a filipina on my side! Frances! Haha
I met Sylvia as well! Finally! Lol
Through these elite events, I explore more cuisines that I never thought of even considering trying myself. All either through Unilocal reviews, or straight from the mouth of Unilocalers :)
And as if the night could not be any more perfect, Unilocal swag freebies were handed out like bandanas, ChapStick (which is a must have by the way), and a drink pouch!
Blue, my gratitude knows no boundaries. Thank you for making me part of best community.
As always, I say
It’s sweet to be Unilocal elite!

This was another truly amazing event! Boy is it sweet to be Elite!
The night started off with very well thought out table assignments by Blue. I was seated with Jennifer F, Dorothea P, and Andrew V. Great company! We were all super excited by the focaccia, wine and Caesar salad. The croutons on the salad were to die for! And oh man, that focaccia bread– wow! The rose paired with this part of the meal was very delicious. Probably my favorite wine of the night. Fantastic start to an awesome evening.
Our first course was the eggplant involtini. I’d never had a dish like this before– super tasty! This dish was paired with a very nice chianti. After the eggplant, we were served the papardelli ragu with Bolognese sauce, MMMMMmmm! So good. the noodles were perfectly cooked and the sauce was savory and amazing. This dish was paired with a very nice cabernet. The final entrée was the Crab crusted Mahi Mahi. We were told that this dish is so popular that they often sell out! I can see why. I’m not a huge fish or crab person, but I really enjoyed this dish. I especially liked the «crab crust.» The pinot grigio served with this dish was my second favorite wine of the night.
The best part of the whole event was the dessert. This is always my favorite part of any meal, but GOOD LORD, that was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. Chocolate Crème Brulee blew my mind. It was truly decadent and divine. I can honestly say that is the best chocolate dish I have EVER had in my life. Jeez it was so good. I absolutely need more. Chef Andres needs to come live at my house and make it for me everyday.
I really can’t say enough great things about this event! Piccolo is wonderful, their staff is wonderful, Unilocal is wonderful, and so is Blue!!!

Shocker! Another amazing event. This time, just for our Gold and Rookie Elites!
Piccolo is a tiny restaurant on East Fort Lauderdale, off Commercial. Doors promptly opened at 7pm and we were allowed in one table at a time. Everything was set up nicely, including the usual Unilocal goodies.
The night flowed seamlessly during the very nice five-​course dinner. Piccolo pulled out all the stops even serving their very popular crab-​crusted mahi mahi. I love supporting this type of business: small, family-​owned, and with a lot of heart! Little things did not go unnoticed. My napkin was promptly refolded the second I stepped off to the bathroom, water and wine were refilled throughout the night, and they even had black napkins available so my black pants could remain lint free!
We had three Golden Elites and three Rookie Eliters on our table. We managed to talk, laugh, and take lots of «well-​lit» photos all night long. ;) It was great meeting all the newbies.
Thank you Blue and the owners at Piccolo for organizing this very special night. I love the smaller events the best and this was one of my favorites.
Until next time… SYOY!

È dolce per essere Elite!!!
My first New & (G)old Elite Dinner and I must say it was MAGNIFICO!
The beautiful and intimate Piccolo Ristorante, located in Ft. Lauderdale, was the perfect setting for this dinner that our CM Blue A. put together. I’m glad this was a sit down dinner and that we had assigned seating. I sat with Sylvia F. whom I met at my first Unilocal event and clicked with right away (love her), Greshka P., who I see all the time at the events but never conversated with but now she’s my new Puertorican sister down here and new Elite Danielle Y. who is my neighbor literally. The conversation flowed perfectly. We talked restaurants (of course), family, where we grew up, our occupations, we exchanged social media and talked about making future plans for events.
Blue as always welcomed everyone and introduced our host for the evening, Alison. She explained that Piccolo is a family owned restaurant, her husband is the Chef (Andres Arayu) and her brother was our server. It’s all in the family! The entire night she introduced every course and every wine. They did a phenomenal job, they made everyone feel like part of the family.
Primo Corso, Caesar Salad, Romaine wedge-​style with homemade croutons and dressing paired with a Rose. On the table there were homemade Focaccia Bread. So good, that I saw the other table eyeing them. Secondo Corso, Eggplant with marinara sauce. It was right out of the oven, hot and fresh. This dish was paired with a light Chianti. Terzo Corso, Pappardelle Bolognese, by far my favorite dish. The pasta was thin, the sauce was perfectly seasoned. I could of eaten the entire bowl. Paired with a Cabernet Sauvignon. Quarto Corso, Lump Crab Crusted Mahi paired with Pinot Grigio. Quinto corso, ultimo ma non meno importante, Dolci!!! Chocolate Crème Brulee, absolutely divine. Not overly sweet, the perfect amount of chocolate flavor… AMORE!
Chef Arayu thanked everyone for coming out and enjoying the food. Blue A. gave us some Unilocal swag!!! I’m wearing the headbands this weekend for our 10K run. ( Unilocal Represent!!!) It was nice to be able to chat with everyone and take a few pictures.
Big thanks to Unilocal BPB, Blue A. To Chef Andres and his lovely wife Alison for closing the restaurant, making us feel special for this unique, special event. The entire staff, service was super smooth.
This is the perfect restaurant for family dinners, romantic dinners, first dates, anniversaries, birthdays, company parties, small weddings, monthly food and wine pairings perhaps… I’m in!
****SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL, FAMILY OWNED RESTAURANTS****
FOLLOW: Piccolo on Instagram and Twitter

It sure is great to be an elite!!!
Last night, Blue threw the annual Gold and New Elite event, and I was lucky enough to be part of it (Yay) I always say he goes all out with each event he puts out, but I only say it because it is nothing but the truth. On this occasion he picked Piccolo and I couldn’t be happier! Give me bread, cheese, wine and pasta and I could survive through the zombie apocalypse, which is why I was so happy the venue was this amazing Italian restaurant.
We were strategically sat in groups that Blue knew were going to click instantly. My table was the «fashion table» and I must say that everyone there made this statement a reality! The only person I knew in my table was Michelle, and the rest of us had never met before. Michelle took on the task to break the ice, and the night started from there! Navene, Frances and Krizia were all equally lovely and I am very happy I got to know these ladies
The wine came and went and so did the laughs and the yummy food. Our first plate was a Caesar salad that was 100% homemade and very light and refreshing. Then, our table was graced with a basket of foccaccia which was mostly devoured by this little one lol. Our next appetizer was the eggplant involtini which was one of my favorite dishes of the night! The eggplant was lightly fried, and filled with mozzarella cheese, marinara sauce and baked to perfection.
We were then treated to a delectable Ragu a la Bolognese, which in my opinion was the best Bolognese I have ever had! I try this dish at almost all the Italian restaurants I go to, and I always try to recreate it at home, but I have never tasted one so full of flavors and an excellent balance. The crab crusted mahi-​mahi came next and while everyone was raving about it, I skipped on it because I am not a seafood lover (I know silly me!!!)
Now, as if all of that wasn’t enough, we were delighted with one of the best chocolate concoctions ever created… the chocolate crème brulee. As soon as I put the first spoonful in my mouth, I really can say I reached a state of nirvana and I did not want to come out of it. I am a big sucker for dessert and all kinds of sweets, but when a dessert is perfectly made on top of it, then I swear heavens and earth rejoice. I thought I was going to find a really sweet (almost impossible to eat) dessert, but to my surprise I did not. The consistency of the crème was very airy but at the same time it felt as if you were eating a brownie, so there was a phenomenal balance between the richness and sweetness of the chocolate; which was all topped with a perfectly brulee sugar.
I really have nothing to say but AMAZING things about this event and everyone at Piccolo. Thank you so much for being gracious enough to close your doors for us and for educating and feeding us not only with succulent food, but with love as well!
I am so happy to be part of these amazing community, and cheers to many more years and friendships to come!

Who knew that being Elite «Gold» had such privileges?
This was a small, intimate venue and was perfect for the Unilocal old timers like myself to meet some newbies and believe it or not other Golds which I hadn’t met officially before.
I love Unilocal for introducing me to places which I never would have found otherwise. Piccolo is a small Italian restaurant located in a nondescript strip mall in Lauderdale by the Sea. As is often the case some of the best food comes from small «secret» venues. The fact that it is family run makes it even more special as the attention to customer service is exemplary.
Oh the food! This dining experience was particularly awesome as each dish was perfectly paired with wine.
The night began with the Ceasar salad and Bruschetta which was paired with a Rose’. Both starters were awesome being completely home-​made including the croutons.
Next came the Italian Classics — Eggplant Involtini & Ragu Bolognese being paired with some nice reds — a chianti and cabernet. Both of these dishes were superb and I especially enjoyed the Bolongnese and the cabernet pairing.
The second course was a very nice Crab Crusted Mahi which went well with the Pinot. At this point I really felt it was an embarrassment of riches but «Wait, there’s more!»
The meal ended with an absolutely incredible Chocolate Crème Brulee. Not only am I not a sweets fan I am also not a chocolate fan. So to be blown away by this dish was a big surprise. It was a decadent and rich ending to the evening.
I certainly appreciated the great commentary with every dish and I can’t say enough about the service.
Thanks Piccolo and Blue for such an amazing time. It was great mingling with the new elites as well as catching up with fellow oldies…
I will definitely be back with the wife for some additional wine pairings.

So this event was my first Unilocal event but to be more specific, this was my first Unilocal Elite event and it surpassed all of my expectations!
Since I haven’t met any of the Unilocal Elite’s before, I was so glad to see that Blue assigned the seats. I sat with Sylvia F (who I actually added on Unilocal prior to the event), Greshka P (who I’ve been following on Unilocal), and Reixa C (who literally lives right down the street from me). We shared so many stories and so many great laughs. These three ladies really made me feel welcomed into the Unilocal family. So, thank you Blue for assigning me to a table with three lovely ladies.
Now onto two of my favorite things, food and wine.
We started with Caesar salad, topped with homemade croutons and homemade dressing. Everything about the salad was fresh. The Caesar salad was paired with Rose.
For the appetizer, we shared eggplant involtini, which was served right out of the oven. I’m personally not an eggplant person, but this eggplant was really delicious. The eggplant involtini was paired with Chainti Classico.
For the pasta dish, we shared ragu alla bolognese, which was my favorite dish of the evening. The pasta was really fresh and the meat was really flavorful. The ragu alla bolognese was paired with Cabernet.
For the main entrée, we shared jumbo lump crab crusted mahi mahi. I personally don’t eat fish or shell fish. But I decided to dig right into this dish and I throughly enjoyed it. I didn’t think the entrée was fishy at all (hence my reason for not eating fish or shell fish), but I did hear other Unilocalers mentioning that this entrée was fishy. The jumbo lump crab crushed mahi mahi was served with Pinot Grigio.
For the desert, we shared chocolate crème brûlée. I LOVE chocolate and I LOVE desert, so this desert was just perfect! It was really a perfect dish to end the evening.
At the end of the evening, Unilocal Elite’s welcomed me by tagging me with their name tags. It was embarrassing and fun at the same time!
All in all, this was an amazing Unilocal event and I’m so glad to be apart of the Unilocal family. My first Unilocal Elite event was a lot of fun and I can’t wait until the next event, which is actually Saturday at Delray Bash.

What a nice, intimate evening with all the Unilocalers. This event was truly unique because the new elites had the chance to get know the Gold elites, as well as see familiar faces. Sometimes it’s hard to branch out at other events and get to know new Unilocalers while mingling with our friends and with so much food, music, and fun things going on. It’s nice to slow the pace down and go back to the basics– good food & good company.
First the setting: Piccolo Ristorante– a charming, cozy restaurant located in Fort Lauderdale. I love the intimate setting. It would be a great place for a romantic date. The staff was very accommodating and explained every course with its specific wine pairing. Why can’t they have this in all restaurants? They picked the perfect wine for every dish and it was nice trying out some wines I’ve never tasted like Chianti Classico.
We started out with a Caesar salad paired with Rose– nice pairing of a light, sweet wine with the acidity of the dressing. The Eggplant Involtini paired with Chianti Classico was one of my favorites. All that baked cheese made the eggplant taste so yummy– I wanted more! I enjoyed the meat sauce of the Ragu alla Bolognese; it was paired with Cabernet. Two of our fellow Unilocalers didn’t like crab or fish so we had the pleasure of having the Crab Crusted Mahi Mahi to ourselves (paired with Pinot Grigio). Last and certainly not least was the Chocolate Crème Brulee. I am already obsessed with Crème Brulee in general, but the chocolate version blew my mind (and tastebuds). It wasn’t too rich or sweet, but still had a bold, pleasing taste. I would come back here just for the dessert.
Big thank you for the chef and all of Piccolo for giving us the pleasure to taste these wonderful courses. Shoutouts to my table’s Gold elites Tim F. and Jamie C., as well as a fellow newbie Crystal A. Thank you Blue for planning such an awesome dinner event– we are all lucky to have such an great CM!

How I love these small intimate dinners! I was so excited to go to this event having new Elite’s and Gold Elite’s. Piccolo is tucked away in a small strip center, easy parking, and make a reservation if you are planning on going. This is a family owned small restaurant with the owner who is the Chef and his awesome wife Allison who greets you, serves you, well she does everything.
Blue worked hard on the seating arrangements, placing gold’s with new elite’s. He took us to our tables which had our name tags on them and the fun evening began. From the moment we sat we already had a lovely basket of fresh baked focaccia on our table. Yes, I think I ate the whole basket, so good. Then we had a Caesar salad that was long pieces of Romaine lettuce, crisp and fresh, homemade croutons, fresh pieces of parmesan and homemade dressing which was very good. Paired with quite a lovely Dry Rose wine.
Appetizer — eggplant in a marinara sauce. Really enjoyed the eggplant as it was not breaded and had good flavor. Paired with a soft elegant Chianti wine.
First Main Course — Pappardelle Bolognese, one of my favorite dishes. This was a true test for me as I love a good Bolognese. It was very good. Pasta was cooked perfectly, great flavor and yes it was my favorite of the night. Paired with a good Cabernet Sauvignon wine.
Second Course — Lump Crab Crusted Mahi Mahi — I normally am not a fan of crusted fish but wow was this ever so tasty. The fish was so fresh, very nice cut and the crust had excellent flavor. It was delicious. Paired with a Pinot Grigio wine, well that is if you drank all of your Cabernet Sauvignon. Of course I did. Some even shared their wine with me, thank you Navene and Natasha.
Dessert — was a chocolate Crem Brulee, everyone really seemed to LOVE it. I am not a sweet fan so it just wasn’t for me.
Of course our amazing Blue walked to each table mingled with everyone, and he was a blast! He just always makes sure everyone is comfortable and having a great time. I love these events so much as we get to meet so many new people. Huge thank you Blue for setting this wonderful event up, it was wonderful!!!
A huge thank you to Piccolo for closing your restaurant down just for us. You treated us to your fine cuisine and gave us all such incredible service. You have a beautiful hidden gem that I look forward to visiting with more Unilocal friends.
OK now yes I had the BEST table. I sat with Navene, who I had met before and instantly liked. She is so much fun, love ya girl. Then the always beautiful fashionista Vanessa, who is awesome! Then I was very excited to have met Frances, such a delight and so sweet, and then Krizia who was so lovely as well. I can’t begin to say how much I enjoyed getting to know these beautiful ladies. So many different backgrounds, and so sweet and friendly. The conversation went flawlessly, well I do not do well with silence ha ha. We kept it going and it was perfect!!! Thank you ladies for a fun night, you ROCK!
Thank you again Blue, Piccolo, and always our beautiful Photographer Julie.
And thank to my girl’s Natasha & Brenda making our commute so much fun xoxoxoxo

I’m typically not a fan of Italian food. … when I think Italian, I think of heavy pastas and carb overload. But I was pleasantly surprised at the menu and how light the dishes were tonight. Not to forget the tasty wines that they were paired with. I think my favorite dishes for the night were the eggplant, homemade focaccia and the chocolate crème brûlée. Chef Andres made me a fan of Italian food. And Allison was super nice and gave amazing service. Thank you Piccolo for a wonderful evening.. I will definitely be back!
By far the best event I have been to!!! As always, thank you to Blue for being so awesome and putting together this event. It’s nice to go to these intimate events every once and a while and actually sit and get to know your fellow Unilocalers.
This one was to intermingle the Newbie Elites with the Veterans. Blue did a great job in assigning seats. … shout out to my ladies in the loud corner at the fashionista table… Michelle, Krizia, Navene, and Vanessa! It was so great getting to know each of you! I found a fellow Filipina with Krizia. … met a wine connoisseur in Michelle… I learned not to take advil before drinking thanks to Navene (lol)… and met a fellow beer geek with Vanessa. New-​ish to south Florida, it’s not always easy to meet people. Everyone I have ever met at an event has always been so nice and welcoming. I love being an Elite! See you all at the next one!

If you’re a «newbie» Elite or a Gold Elite then you may have been here… but chances are that you’re reading this to see what you missed ! Ahhh, the pleasures and perks of being a «GOLD ELITE»
I have to confess something here before I get started… there are many events that we get to experiences new places; and most of the time I enjoy them plenty and even though the restaurant may impress, sometimes we don’t manage to return for one reason or another (distance, not my vibe, not in the mood, too expensive, bad location, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera…
BUT…
After enjoying a great dinner (WITHOUT MARISOL) and being served in the perfect scenario (cute place, friendly and family run)… I can’t wait to return to bring Marisol here for dinner…
AND THAT’S THE HONEST TRUTH
FAMILY RUN: She welcomed us… she described the dishes… she gave us background story to help relate with her more… she was genuine and from the heart… Her hubby is the «short but to the point» chef that did his talking with the dishes being served and her brother was our server (and a great job he did).
THE JOINT: Simply put, it’s homey and comfortable…
AND THE FOOD:
* * * SALAD COURSE * * * Caesar Salad… romaine salad served wedge style with home-​made croutons and caesar dressing with shaved parmigiana reggiano
* * * APPETIZER COURSE * * * Eggplant Involtini… baked ricotta and mozzarella cheese mix with tomato marinara with sliced mozzarella and eggplant
* * * PASTA COURSE * * * Ragu Alla Bolognese… bolognese sauce mixed with pappardelle pasta
* * * ENTREE COURSE * * * Jumbo Lump Crab Crusted Mahi… long name but delicious taste… fresh mahi with sautéed spinach and white wine lemon butter sauce with a lump crab topping
BUT who really cares when you spend the whole meal thinking of the dessert course…
* * * DESSERT COURSE * * * Chocolate Crème Brûlée… I’m lucky to have gotten any because my new Unilocal pal Kim was very into the moment
GREAT JOB BLUE !
THANK YOU PICCOLO !
LAST THOUGHTS… the good news and the bad…
* * * Good news is that I can’t wait til next year as 6^th year Gold Elite
* * * Bad news is the Newbie Elites don’t get this dinner again until their 5^th year
CHEERS Y’ALL ! ! !