Detroit Elite 2012 Kick Off at Claddagh Irish Pub!

Great event!!! Great prizes, great food, really great drinks, great company… wow! The bar eeven gave us amazing gift bags complete with 15 dollar gift cards and scarfs…
Unilocal and Annette rocks!!!
Thought it was cool that Claddahg Irish Pub opens early the entire week of St. Pats!

I thoroughly enjoyed this event, it gave me an opportunity to try a lot of things I never would at Claddagh & I can’t wait to go back an eat there again. The service at the event, the goodie bags, the great people, the favors, the entertainment… everything was great. My only complaint is that where we were sitting (in the bar area) we couldn’t really hear when the raffle prizes were being given out so having a louder speaker or different location of the mic would have been perfect. Thanks Unilocal for another awesome evening!

Claddagh really put out for this event! I fully expected warming trays one-​quarter full and us Unilocalers standing around making small talk, with one or two waitresses to take our drink orders. What we got was our own section, enough tables and chairs for all (with some overflow into the bar area), live music, our own staff (including a very present manager) and plated food. Oh, and unlimited drinks from a pretty decent limited menu! Plus some excellent door prizes and gift bags too? Above and beyond, Claddagh, above and beyond!
Ken and my favorites were the Bass Ale Stuffed Mushrooms and Spinach Artichoke Dip on crostini. I enjoyed all of the desserts (yep, I brought my sweet tooth — she liked the cookie drink too… a LOT). The Irish coffee was the perfect end.
I was pleased to see people I knew (hi Wally, Robyn and Nycole), meet people I’m Unilocal friends with (hey Kris and Jeffrey), and meet newer Elites (howdy Nathasja and hubby Erin). And, as always, Annette was the supreme hostess.
What a wonderful way to start off 2012 Elite!

Came here for a Unilocal event, I wasn’t new to Claddagh Irish Pub, been here and to the Lansing location many times before the Unilocal event.
First off the service and hospitality of the Claddagh for the Unilocal event was second to none. Out side of that my opinion hasn’t changed much on this. There menu is hit or miss, I really like the Sheppard’s pie and some other fare, some items are still a bit bland in my opinion like the meatloaf.
The drinks and beer selection are very good here, as well as the décor. To sum it up I come here quite a bit but stick to food i know I’ll like.

The Unilocal event on 1÷19÷12 was the first time I had ever stepped foot in Claddagh. I was very impressed with the staff, food and atmosphere of the place. It was all hands on deck for this event and everyone did a fine job making sure all the patrons were well taken care of. There is a good size bar with plenty of beers to sample while watching the flat screens (would be good for watching sports). The food I sampled was surprisingly not Irish themed but was very yummy. Prior to going there I would not expect to order anything other than the traditional Irish fare. Now I know they have plenty of choices that I would definitely go back for.

What an amazing experience! This was my first ever ‘Yelp Elite Event’, and I came as a +1 (Thanks Brenda!). I wasn’t sure about this at first, but I’m sure glad I came. I’ve just started getting into Unilocal over the last month.
What an awesome observation of the Unilocal community working with local business.
Even without having been to an elite event before, I can safely say this was an all out success. The pace of the night was perfect. Welcomed on arrival, the check in area flowed well. Courtesy coat check was a nice touch! The area was laid out nicely, with the fire crackling away in the corner.
The table greeted me with an array of information. I expected to be able to order one of these items, and one drink. We all know we got much more than that. The tasting menu progressed, and I enjoyed discussing and trading notes with my fellow Unilocaler’s. I’ll save food reviews for when I visit Claddagh in the near future independently, but boy was it all yum yum. I hear their fish and ships are to die for.
I couldn’t believe how great the wait staff, and Claddagh team was. We had several servers checking on us, but one in particular went above and beyond. He was down from another location to help for the night. He knew his drinks in, out, and sideways. As well as the menu. He was able to describe the beers with great detail, and based on what I enjoyed made recommendations.
Really enjoyed the Irish music from the two man band, and the raffle got me excited for a win. I didn’t win at the raffle, but I certainly won at this event. Heck i thought the swag on the table like the Unilocal stick and bottle opener were cool. Then I opened that gift bag I got on the way out. I almost jumped out of my socks in a fit of joy. There was epicness in that bag, that’s all I’ll say.
Annette, thank you!

We were here for a Unilocal event. We had a nice time and the hosts and the servers couldn’t have been more accommodating. Now I can’t say that Irish cuisine is high on my list. In fact, I think there is a rule of grammar dictating that the words «Irish» and «Cuisine» should not be used in the same sentence. But all kidding aside, the things they served were presented very artfully and they were nice and tasty. The Irish band, a singing guitarist and a mandolin player, although a bit louder than necessary did a good job of entertaining and everyone had a good time. The drinks were good too. I just had some bottled beers, but others had interesting mixed drinks and commented that they were very good.
I was not inspired by the menu and as I mentioned, this is not a fine dining establishment. But this looks to be a great place to go with friends to eat a little bit, drink some more and enjoy talking and listening to live music.

This was my first elite event. AND IT WAS FUN!
The flow of the event was well-​paced and perfectly coordinated. I very much enjoyed that it was a sit-​down event as it gave me a chance to meet fellow Unilocalers and pick their brains on great restaurants around town that I haven’t been to yet.
The drink choices were well-​chosen. I tried the winter sangria and cider on draft. The sangria was delightful as it wasn’t too sweet and was topped with fresh oranges. The cider was served on ice, which diluted the flavor a little bit, but was nonetheless refreshing. The service was excellent as well as the food (which will be reviewed separately for the restaurant).
I was in disbelief when I opened the gift bag– the scarf, coupon and gift certificate for the restaurant was much more than I had ever expected! Great crowd, great music, great food, great drinks. It definitely keeps you motivated to write useful reviews so that you can keep going to these events!
Thanks Annette!

Visited the Claddagh for the 2012 Elite gathering (but never before that), and I was very impressed! The GM was social without being annoying, their waitstaff was EXCELLENT and the spread/​variety of food for our event was presented in a very creative manner. My favorites were the meatballs and bread pudding.
Other than sitting across from the two most annoying and obnoxious females in all of the Detroit-​Metro area, my friend and I absolutely enjoyed ourselves! They had nice parting gifts (one of which was a fifteen dollar gift card) and drinks were awesome.
I will return!
:)

Annette really put this together right! The food was delicious, the drinks were even more delicious, and the gift bags to go were the cherry on top! I absolutely adored the Irish music that was played (very nice touch!) and the Claddagh Irish Pub was right at the top of their service game. They were bringing me things before I even knew I wanted them! My only criticism is that the pot pie was on the sub-​par side of things (a bit bland and watery-​But it might’ve been that it wasn’t served in a crust?). But I can’t expect everyone to cook as great as my mom I guess! When I’m in the Livonia area again I will for certain make it a point to stop here again. What a way to break in the new year!

The event itself was great fun! I really liked the atmosphere of the Claddagh, it has that Irish pub feeling but is open enough to have large groups and long tables of people. The drinks were plenty as was the food. My only qualm is that the food provided wasn’t really Irish themed, aside from a Shephard’s Pie sampling. I had dreams of the light fluffy Fish n Chips I had in Ireland all day and was a bit let down. I will definitely be back to feed that craving!
The staff was super friendly, the service very good and the prizes were very generous for the raffle. D Tshirt Co, The Twisted Shamrock & The Claddagh all pitched in great prizes. Another fantastic perk of the night were the little goodie bags with Claddagh scarves & gift cards. Very generous!
The music was great & the long open tables really aided to a social «meet your fellow Unilocalers» atmosphere. I had a really great time chatting it up with other Unilocalers! Thanks Annette for a great night & to Claddagh for living up to the reputation of stellar Irish hospitality! It made me miss Ireland. People there are some of the most friendly I’ve ever experienced in a foreign country. Cheers to great times & great company!

It may have been frigid outside but it was nice to see the crackling fire and warm faces inside. This was a fun event, I really enjoyed seeing some of my Unilocal buddies and getting to know some new people. My +1 left saying what a nice group of people the Unilocalers are. We were lucky to be sitting at a table with Sam G, that girl is a hoot!
The drinks were fab! I enjoyed the Magner’s Irish Ciders and everyone really seemed to swoon over the Irish Cookie Dough Martini’s, made with Pinnacle Cookie Dough Vodka (how can you go wrong there???).
While the food was good, I was hoping for something with more of an Irish flair. Had I been blindly given the sampling that we were served, I would have never guessed that we were at an Irish Pub. My favs were the stuffed mushrooms and the spinach artichoke crostini. The meatballs and the fresh mozzarella with tomatoes were good, but felt more Italian than Irish to me. For dessert, the Profiteroles and Bread Pudding were delish!
The service was amazing and I felt that this restaurant was very generous to us. Thank you to Claddagh Irish Pub and Annette J for putting this together!!!

This event was the perfect example of the Unilocal/​Local Business relationship working beautifully.
The servers and management of The Claddagh Irish Pub were so great. I didn’t feel at all that they were putting on a show just for Unilocalers. They were so willing to talk about the menu and different services they offer. I found that really refreshing. Having the chef come out and talk with us was a great touch, too.
As with every event, Annette outdid herself. It was so nice and cozy inside the Pub with the music and fire place… etc.
The tasting menu was great, as were the drinks… and I’m not just saying that because they were free. We did walk away with some terrific SWAG, and Mike, the GM, boxed up some desserts for us to take home.
All in all, a brilliant way to kick off the New Year, and New Elite!

fun, Fun, FUN! Yet another well planned and well executed event — thanks, Annette and thanks, Claddagh.
Hubby and I both enjoyed the food; I especially liked the stuffed mushroom caps. The winter sangria I ordered to drink was also yummy — although dangerously easy to down. Luckily, I was not the designated driver!
This is not our first time to Claddagh, nor will it be our last. Although the efficiency of the service can at times be spotty, it is always friendly and the food is always good. By the way, this particular event could not have been executed any better. I was impressed!
We also had the pleasure of meeting Amy G. and her husband — good company makes for a fun time! Then, to top things off, we left with a nifty swag bag than included t-​shirts and a gift card. I feel spoiled.

I already posted this under a review for Claddagh, but I wanted to make sure credit was properly given to the Unilocal crew for an amazing event!
We Detroit 2012 Elites all gathered to kick in the New Year on Thursday the 19^th. The Detroit Unilocal Crew pulled out all the stops to make an incredible event! Thanks to Annette and all who assisted her! The staff and management at Calida went above and beyond as well to make us all feel extremely welcome. Truly one of the best events I’ve been to! Kudo’s!!!
There were a variety of dishes, deserts, & drinks to sample. I’ve uploaded copies of the night’s menu. Everything was delicious!!! I will definitely be going back to Claddagh, probably next Monday to sample their BOGO fish and chips that I’ve been hearing so much about!

The elite party was fantastic last night. The setup, food, prizes, and people made for a fun and delightful evening. I was surprised about this function and how well it was organized. This was all due to Annette and the Unilocal crew that worked very hard to make sure the Elite 2012 had an enjoyable night.
The Claddagh severs were fast prompt and catered to everyones needs. The Irish music being performed was just perfect for the setting. Everything on the appetizer plate was very good. The ambiance and crowd made this place very inviting. All these will make me come back and do a proper review about this restaurant and pub. Thank you again to Unilocal and Claddagh Irish Pub for a wonderful evening.

The sit-​down style was a bit more formal than past events, but I liked it. A plate of savory dinner samplings… then a trio of desserts… then a beautifully froth-​topped Irish coffee… all while the free drinks kept coming? Amazing! What a great way to see a variety of what Claddagh has to offer. Plus a raffle for great prizes, free Unilocal swag (per usual), and fantastic gift bags with scarves, tshirts, and gift cards for a return visit to Claddagh’s. Awesome!
Annette is a gal who knows how to throw a party — 2012 is off to a great state for the elites!

I, too, wrote a review under Claddagh… so here it is, with more event specific details:
I went to a wonderful Unilocal Elite c/​o 2012 event at Claddagh — which was my very first visit to Claddagh and OH MY, there were good times, good food, good drinks and good people!
Many thanks go to Annette, who always organizes a hot shindig and the fine folks at Claddagh for such special treatment. The service was very fast, friendly, everyone was attentive, and they all worked together like a well-​oiled machine. The manager made his rounds several times to ensure we were all enjoying ourselves.
Livonia is a bit of a hike for me, but seeing the specials and the menu (and the swag bag gifts — Thanks again, Claddagh!) will make me gas up and hit the road to enjoy Claddagh all over again.