Newbie Elite Event

Had a good time getting to chat with a few other Elites and Newbies! Who doesn’t enjoy good conversation, food, and drinks!
What a great venue too — Kind of the hole in the wall vibe Dionisio’s is but very cool. I like that they are all in house! Love the po-​boys and beans from Calliope’s… dare I say they were as good or even better than when I was in NOLA?
I will deff be attending more of these Elite Events! Getting to shake the hands of fellow reviewers is fun :)

After being ‘lite for a couple of years, I decided to jump onto the boat and attend an event for the first time. New city, new people, and an awesome community manager.
Though I agree there could have been more done to help us get out of our friend silos and meet other Unilocalers, I really enjoyed the event and made at least ONE new bud. Free booze and eats always makes an event that much more enjoyable, and Dionisio’s had some very creative and delicious concoctions. I also know where to get catfish sammies now :).
So yeah, icebreakers would have been fun, though the raffle was certainly a nice touch :)

The food and drinks were great! Who can complain about free po boys and beer.
I think it’s awesome that Farrah is making these Newbie events for people to meet each other. Having a raffle with giveaways is always fun, too. If you’re invited, GO! Don’t miss the opportunity!
BUT for a event made for mingling, turn the music down please. Maybe I’m soft spoken, but at the end of the day I don’t like raising my voice to converse and say «what?» every other sentence.
Also, to get people to mingle more, maybe an activity or game could be initiated. Nothing too childish or forced. just something to stir up conversation. I’m not the most social person, so it can be intimidating for me to just go up to a stranger and start talking. Something to get people to meet would help.
Keep it up with the Newbie Elite events and Elite events, Farrah! The places are always a good pick.

Yes, I know — 3 stars doesn’t seem right with all the other 4’s and 5’s, but I want to provide honest feedback because I love Unilocal!
What I loved:
* Calliope’s po-​boys were delish! I helped myself to THREE!
* Meeting new Unilocalers was fun!
* Free beer — thanks, Unilocal!
* I loved the wine samples from Dionisio, only wish there were more. I guess I could have stopped being a cheapo last night and just paid for a glass, but free beer won the day.
* My first time in Eado!
What I didn’t love as much:
* Dionisio’s music was really loud and the base was awkward. I couldn’t hear myself think in there. We went outside because we really weren’t enjoying the vibe with the thump thump of the music.
* I just didn’t feel that the indoor set-​up was very conducive to meeting new folks. People were standing or seated in pairs, mostly with the people they came with.

I attended Dionisio with my co-​worker last night for the Unilocal Elite Event. I was happy to tag along with her since I am a lover of all things wine. When we arrived to the place the atmosphere was different from any winery I have ever been too. I didn’t feel as though I had to be extra fancy to go inside but also felt that if I wanted to be extra fancy I would fit in just the same.
The owner Jimmy was so very kind to all of us there. There was even a bottle of wine that was offered as a raffle prize. We were able to taste test different wines that were already open. We choose to stick to the fruit wines. I have never had a wine before that didn’t taste like wine. I tasted more of the fruit than I did the wine and I love fruit. Jimmy also told us that his wine is not the type to give you the headaches (since he doesn’t use chemicals) and let me say that he was right. His wife Clarice was serving the drinks and she was so kind to us. She had great conversation and had no problem helping us decide what drinks to try that would fit our taste. She also has a great sense of humor.
This place is very close to my job and I can definitely see me and my co-​worker heading right on over after work to enjoy wine with Danny and his crew. They have drink specials throughout the week and they make all of the wine there. The music was appropriate and the atmosphere was perfect. I will definitely be going back.

I am always happy about an outing with great people where wine is involved. It was great meeting Farrah A. our community manager and chatting with her about what she does. very cool!
I enjoy being given a free beer upon entry, and blue moon is great and smooth. The poboys from Calliope’s were ok, I couldn’t seem to get my hands on a fresh one, but that just means I will have to make another trip!
Clarice and Jimmy are a cute pair of Dionisio and their wines are just as unique as the two of them, one makes the wine the other one serves it! I enjoyed the little samples of fruit wines but think I will stick to the basics.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, my Unilocal buddy Free L. gave me the gift she won which was last years elite item. a red Unilocal wrist watch. freaking awesome!
I love Unilocal and being an elite member tops the cake. It makes me feel special!

Newbs! So I have to admit I like that word, not going to lie retired computer gamer here so the word always gives me a chuckle, but needless to say I think now that I have attended this event I am no longer a complete Newbie, right?
I honestly never paid much attention to the social aspect of Unilocal, quite frankly didn’t even know what an «Elite» was until recently, and have to admit I have no complaints whatsoever the more I learn about it.
First and foremost many thanks must be given to Farrah, Calliope’s Po-​Boy, and Dionisio Winery for coming together and providing a great event. Secondly who doesn’t enjoy name tags (if you wont wear one, well I’ll leave out my words for you).
Upon arrival and obtaining a sticker of one’s awesome name, for those with a beer palate you were given a choice of Crispin Cider, Fox Barrel Pear Cider, or a Blue Moon. Raise my hand for Blue Moon snuggled in its own Unilocal Koozie (I’m still adjusting to this whole koozie thing, dear goodness I hope I am spelling that correctly, they weren’t a known thing for me back home). Farrah also made sure to let us know if we were not a fan of adult beverages we were more than welcome to go into Calliope’s and choose a different form of beverage. And, lets not forget the wine crafted by Jimmy and the tastings given by the beautiful Clarice of Dionisio.
Dionisio Winery was a great location coupled with Calliope’s next door. I had been to Calliope’s before loved my meal and knew I would be back not only for their food but when my eyes fixated on the word «winery» on my exiting, it had sealed the deal. So I was pretty ecstatic to see that Calliope’s catered with shrimp, catfish, and ham po-boy’s and that it was all going down in aforementioned winery. On a note to the winery I will be back! Clarice after giving her my preference in tastes on wine nailed it with the Black Cherry Pinot Noir. Sample, glass, bottle, SOLD!
The event was great and I had a blast getting to know some of the Unilocalers that were also floating around in the category of «Newbie», and also getting to chat with the lovely woman that makes all those special events happen, Farrah, again many thanks for the great eats, warm wine buzzing welcome!

After being Unilocal Elite since 2009, I finally decided to attend my first Elite Event! How have I managed to stay away from Elite events for so many years when there have so many great opportunities to meet fellow Unilocalers?! I don’t know. I genuinely do not know.
I was pretty sad I couldn’t stay the whole time and meet all the lovely newbies but I had made plans previously. Dionisio is a hidden little gem and I wouldn’t have found it if it weren’t Farrah’s awesome efforts putting this event together. I even missed this place 3 times before I got it right! (This could be due to my poor navigation skills but is debatable). I had delicious strawberry white merlot — tasted amazing and sweet! Calliope’s was very good. Catfish po’boy so good that I came back for 3. No shame. Unilocal Elite events. I’ll be coming back for more!

I would love to give this event 5 stars but I can not. Why you may ask? Really simple… no, it was not because of bad service. No, it was not because of bad food. No, it was not because of poor company/​crowd. Simply, because I do not drink (I know I am from New Orleans… I get it, I really do!), and one of the cool features of this function was to try so many seemingly tasty adult beverages, which I could not partake in, then it is a 4 star experience because I am hating! LOL
When it is all said and done, the host, Miss Lisa, and the couple from the Winery, were awesome squared! They showed much love and attention to our small group and kept food and drinks, even water for people like me, coming often. I obviously can not critique the quality of booze that was served, but by the smiles and chatter of the people drinking, I am assuming that it was awesome! I can critique the food though… poboys!!! I finally found a place in the Houston Metropolitan area that could quench my desire for a poboy without me driving 6 hours to fulfill that need. The gumbo was decent, so you will be please with that also.
This event was thoughtful and very well put together. Miss Farrah and Miss Lisa were beyond nice and attentive to all the questions that were asked… maybe it was me asking many questions?!? Based on this event, I am definitely looking forward to attending an elite event with everyone.

I was lucky enough to be invited to the Newbie Elite Event. I think originally it was going to be a NEWBIE only event, but Farrah ended up making it a NEW meets «OLD» kind of event. And I’ll be the first to say by no means are we «OLD» but maybe veteran elites.
It was a very intimate and smaller group, which allowed everyone to actually talk to one another. I got to get to know Kimberly, which has been one of my recent people I’ve been following so it was nice to put a real life personality to an online persona. And I was able to get to know Melissa better too. Now we have two melissas in the house!
But overall the event itself was a blast. The space was perfect. Art on the walls for interesting conversation, farrah was the bar tender. She has a mighty heavy pour =) Calliopes provided fried shrimp and PEELED crawfish, perfectly seasoned.
And the wine provided by Dionsio was sweet but still packed a punch. I had a great time getting to know the NEXT generation of Unilocalers!

Great Event for newbies to the Elite party scene! I love that Farrah set up an event for first time attendees to an event and that she invited a few old elites to greet them and mingle. We all had a great time! I had heard about Aerosol for a while now but didn’t know where it was or exactly what it was. I LOVED the graffiti gallery and the painted floor was so cool. I will definitely be back to Aerosol! Thank you to Calliope’s for some yummy fried shrimp. It made me so hungry that I went next door afterward and got dinner along with some other lovely Unilocalers.
I love that I was able to meet some Unilocalers that hadn’t been to an event before. Kimberly L, Melissa N, and Gene L were all in attendance and it was great to meet some new people and put a face with a name. I was glad that new people were still there even though I had to arrive about 1 hour late to the event.
The music was just the right volume for mingling. There were photogs galore, thank you Long and David!
I really enjoyed this smaller event where new elites met some of the «OG» Unilocalers. I can’t believe that I am actually included in the ‘old’ Unilocalers. I feel like it was just yesterday that Edgar greeted me at my first UYE. It’s only fitting that I greet people with the same smile that Edgar had for me!

This event was simply outstanding and maybe the best one of 2012. The catering from Calliope’s was fantastic, Aerosol as a venue was really chill (the owner even more so chill), and the wine tastings from Dionisio were fun and unique. (Side note: ask these business owners what makes them different. I did this for the Aerosol and Dionisio owners, and I loved the stories they told.)
I think what I liked most about this event was it had the most local flavor of anything that I’ve been to. It felt like I finally met Houston in this one evening. All the folks were small business owners, and the people at the event were just really down to earth and in a mood to get to know each other. Since the venue was a little smaller (ok, a lot smaller than Monday’s BLU event), it really encouraged everyone to get to know each other. I was bummed I couldn’t stay longer. A+, Farrah!

So. I attended my first Elite event here on Thursday the 29^th and I’m still a little overwhelmed by it all, so hopefully I can arrange my ramblings in some semblance of order. If not, don’t be alarmed… I do tend to babble on when excited.
This was the Elite Newbie Event for new Elites or Elites that hadn’t attended an event before; I fell into the latter category, having been an Elite since 2010 and never having attended an event. I know, I know… what the hell was wrong with me? And seriously after attending this super awesome happy fun time event I have been asking myself that question a LOT!
What a freaking blast and what a freaking cool place! I admit I didn’t check it out as closely as I wanted because of being a little overwhelmed but it’s an urban art/​graffiti art studio. I truly didn’t know much about graffiti art besides what I have seen on the freeway signs but there is definitely a lot more to it than that! There is really some amazing talented artists and I can’t wait to go back and check the place out for a better look!
There was super tasting yummy fried shrimp from Calliope’s Po Boys next door and holy cow that homemade shrimp sauce was delicious! Wow! Even hubby who hates seafood liked the shrimp and sauce…
There were complimentary drinks (hello Leinenkugel’s Summer Shandy beer, you were mighty yummy!) and water and soda for non-​drinkers/​designated drivers. And the DJ was a lot of fun… playing some old school mixes and some new stuff that kept the vibe fun and exciting!
And the people… oh it was awesome meeting people that I had talked to online and some new people that I hadn’t! And it was so exciting to meet Farrah… yes, THE Farrah, our lovely Unilocal ambassador. She is just as sweet and gorgeous in real life and what a super hostess! I am honored and excited to be a part of the Houston Elites… a fantastic group of people that give Houston and Unilocal a good name!
This was a fun event at a really cool location and I can’t wait for an opportunity to check it out again… if you get a chance to, most definitely do it! You will not be disappointed! This was most certainly «as good as it gets»!