2014 Elite Event Kickoff at Oak Haven Table & Bar

My B.
I thought i posted my review.
Welp heres a late one.
This was my first elite event and i wasnt really sure what to expect. The food was delicious (six different finger foods from crab cakes to flat breads) the drinks were awesome (two different rum based drinks super tasty) and it was put together really well (the wait staff and bartenders were great and the Unilocal people were great as well).
Oak haven is a great place that i would’ve never known about if it wasnt for this event.
I plan on heading back to Oak Haven for dinner real soon.

So I’m a little (lot) late writing this review… My Bad! This was my third Unilocal Elite event and my third time being absolutely amazed that these events are real. I just show up to get fed free food and free drinks at an outstanding establishment.
Oak Haven did a phenomenal job with this event. The appetizers were awesome and the drinks were mixed perfectly. The whole staff was professional and courteous and a pleasure to interact with. I had never been here before but I would definitely return the next time I’m in the area.
As always it was greet to meet fellow Unilocalers who always make me feel welcome to the community. Plus to top off the night with a free bottle of Rum, it couldn’t have gotten any better. Thanks for a great night; I’m looking forward to the next one!

Wow, what a way to kick off my first Elite Unilocal event! I’m sorry it has taken me so long to enjoy one of these awesome events but it’s not often then come to the New Haven area, so thank you Emily C. for that!
We have been to Oak Haven a handful of times, New Years Eve being the most recent and everything is always run so well and professional. Albert is a truly great host, Emily was really great and so friendly and a big thank you to Tanduay for their sponsorship!
We no sooner arrived and a cocktail was in our hands — I have to say, the Death in the Afternoon was far superior to the Emperor — but I have a sweet spot for Ginger beverages anyway! Gosh, the passed apps were super tasty as always. I thought the Crab Cakes were a little on the salty side, but good nonetheless. The Arancini, Crab Cakes, Pork Belly Dumplings, Endive Spears and Crostini were so great — the Flatbread wasn’t my favorite but I know others raved! The servers all went out of their way to make sure you were never left waiting for a drink or small bite, the apps were spaced out perfectly and everyone was able to have a taste.
It was great to put real faces with my friends, there were a few I think I recognized but did not get to speak with. I am looking forward to more events and hope to get to meet each and every one of you!
I did hear multiple people make comments about being «afraid» around here, or didn’t want to «get shot». I hope having more events down here will change peoples minds. There are bad «areas» in all cities; however, New Haven (especially downtown) is SUCH a fabulous city and has so much to offer (primarily in the food and arts) — I just hope you all give it more of a chance.
I’m all for more New Haven events! See you all at the UYE tonight at Ordinary. Cheers!
*totally failure on snapping pictures last night*

My first Unilocal event! Yes after being «Elite» for my third year I finally make it to an event — having one in New Haven was definitely key! I brought a friend and we both really enjoyed Oak Haven. The cocktails were key — we each had one of each, the Emperor and Death in the Afternoon. She preferred the former, I preferred the latter, but we both agreed they were both tasty! And, uh, loaded. Those two tipsy soccer mom types hugging the wall? That was us. Hey mamas gotta cut loose too! But I digress… the «bites» were pretty tasty, but I didn’t get to try all of them. The crabcakes were probably my favorite, followed by the flatbread. Service was very friendly and approachable. My only complaint really would be the parking situation. We had to circle the neighborhood several times before a spot opened up a couple of blocks away. But, having sampled the fare I think it’s safe to say it was worth the effort. I’ll be suggesting this place to the «mommy club» for a group night out soon!
ps — thanks to those name tags for reminding me I need to update my profile!

I was pretty excited that my first Unilocal elite event as an official member was right in my neighborhood! Yay for new haven events!
Overall this was a great event and I had a really good time. I met lots of very friendly new people and saw some familiar faces from my times as attending as a +1.
Most of the other events I’ve been to have had small samples of booze but Oak Haven was giving out full sized cocktails. Sure they might have taken a bit to get them but the place was packed and the drinks were free so I can’t fault them to much for that. Plus they were strong and delicious and I left there with a solid buzz which was pretty great.
The food samples I tried were pretty good, the pork belly dumplings and the crab cakes were probably my favorite. The staff was deff pacing the food and at first I was hungry and ancy but I left there full and satisfied. The waitstaff was all very friendly and helpful, the space might have been small and a bit packed but it was also cozy and intimate.
I can’t wait to attend more Unilocal elite events. Thanks Emily and Oak Haven for providing an awesome time!

I was taken as a plus one by Freesia S. to this event, and it was great! We got some fun freebies, and got to taste all the foods that were being brought around despite how many people were in the place. Oak Haven was nice enough to close the whole restaurant for us, but it was still quite crowded.
The wait staff did their best to make sure everyone got their drinks/​some food, and I think they did as good of a job as they could given the client/​staff ratio in the room. Met some nice new people as well. Overall a great event!

What a great way to kick off the 2014 Elite year with the first event being right in my East Rock hood of New Haven! A big thanks to Emily C and Oak Haven for throwing yet another successful and fun-​filled event. Come on, Unilocalers, we must give our CM props for throwing a rocking event and being her usual enthusiastic and perky self even though she was sick as a dog. I’m pretty sure I caught a glimpse her Superwoman cape hanging out of her dress. Or maybe wearing super hero costumes under her normal clothes is just her thing. Either way, I’m not one to judge and all I know is that whatever that girl lays her hands on turns to straight FIRE!
Oak Haven really did a fantastic job hosting the party and while the interior space is pretty tight, they managed to crank out a steady flow of fancy food and cocktails to keep all the party goers well satisfied. Even though the narrow design of the place forced groups to break off into little wolf packs, everywhere I turned there was an abundance of social interaction throughout the entire event. The service was excellent and they went above and beyond to make sure everyone had a fresh drink in hand. It was nice seeing both owners of Oak Haven in the trenches busting their ass right next to their staff, whether it be making and serving drinks behind the bar or running back to the kitchen to run food. Clearly these guys take great pride in their business and I respect them for opening up a great gastropub concept in the oft forgotten about going-​out scene that is State St.
The printed custom menus for the event (a very nice touch!) detailed their two free Tanduay Asian Rum drinks and listed the bites from the kitchen they were serving. The Emperor had apple infused rum, dry curacao, Dolin dry vermouth, house made grenadine, and orange bitters. It was a little too orange citrus flavor forward for me, but overall a very tasty and boozy beverage. I preferred the other gratis drink, aptly named Death in the Afternoon for you Hemmingway lovers out there. That drink had rum, ginger liqueur, house made cherry rosemary syrup and lime juice. This super refreshing beverage would have been fantastic on a hot summer’s day, but I enjoyed every last sip of it on this frigid winter’s eve. The second one I ordered was equally as well made as the first.
I wasn’t as ga-​ga over the bites as the other Unilocalers. Everything tasted a bit overdone and not as delicious as I hoped, but that’s just the food snob in me talking and I should be damn grateful for their generosity to feed me free food on a Monday. The mini crab cakes were probably my favorite and no complaints there. Light breading and filled with a ton of crab meat goodness. The endive spears were fresh and crisp and a great intro to the savory bites that followed. But the wrapper for pork belly dumplings I had were dried out and hard to chew. And the assorted flatbread and crostini was also way over sauced and the bread tasted stale or over cooked. The breadcrumb breading on the aracini was not as fine as I’d prefer and overall I found those fried rice balls to be pretty dry. But I’m nitpicking over here and I’m very thankful for all the free goodies provided by our gracious hosts.
It was great to see my favorite Unilocal buddies and catch up for a bit. And I hope to see more of you guys again tonight at the UYE at Ordinary. 2014 will be the year of Unilocal New Haven… I can feel it in my frozen toes!!!

Cozy Elite event kicking the new year off right. Complete with picture name tags and Elite rank.
Loved the Death in the Afternoon cocktail with the housemade maraschino cherry. Just the right amount of tart and sweet, it reminded me how awesome rum can be.
It was very cool to have the restaurant to ourselves and be able to order off the menu. Our table enjoyed the mussels and meatball as well as the many passed apps. Loved the endive cups. I could see the eggplant arancini being a good vegetarian entrée option, with its meatlike texture.
Another great part of the evening was getting to see old friends and make some new ones. Thanks Oak Haven, Tanduay, and Emily.

I’m so glad I finally got to attend a New Haven event! I always seem to have a conflict when they are held so it was great to experience a night out in my own backyard.
Oak Haven rocks! All the food was absolutely amazing! I could have eaten about 15 of the arancinis. And the pork belly dumplings were perfect! The drinks were strong yet so delicious you can just suck ‘em down (which I did) :-) They weren’t joking when they named it ‘death in the afternoon’! All the servers were so friendly and extremely attentive. They definitely went the extra mile to serve everyone and made sure everyone got a sample of everything. My friend and I ordered the pretzel nugs and cheese plate off the regular menu as well and both were equally as delicious as the free bites.
Thanks for a great kickoff to what I’m sure will be a great Unilocal year!

Unfortunately, any Unilocal event is a haul for me… Plus, I’m an old lady and get up at 5 am… so I can’t win either way. I came by 7:45 and was out by 8:44…in bed by ten. BOOM!
With that said, nice night out. Since I came around 7:45, I only sampled some of the food. I had the crostini, crab cakes, dumplings and flatbread. Dumplings were my fave, followed by a perfectly seasoned crostini, crab cake and then flatbread… I don’t even know what was on it… I just know that Mama was Starvin! and it tasted good…
If I lived closer, I could see this as a nice happy hour spot.
The drink. Death in the Afternoon was citrusy and hit the spot.
The only downside for me was that it was a big cramped and hard to get to talk to everyone, move around, get to the bar. Damn you big purse and people who scored seats at the bar!!!
Guess next time I have to leave a bit earlier from East Bumble to make it to an event!
Thanks Emily and friends… hope to see you all at the next one.

So wait, you’re telling me for that the 2014 Elite Event Kickoff, I can just wander over with my legs…? And drink fancy cocktails and eat fancy hors d’œuvre and hang out with my Unilocal Family and then wander home ON MY LEGS?!
What a world we live in.
A big thanks to Oak Haven for having us. I admit the space was a bit cramped, and it didn’t help that a bunch of jerks sat at the bar with their backs to everybody and didn’t socialize like a bunch of antisocial weirdos with personality disorders…
… I kid, I kid. I get it. I’ve been there. Once you get a good spot at the bar and the bartender starts feedin’ you drinks, it’s easy to just keep at it until the local law enforcement is notified of your… ah… transgressions.
At first I was a little concerned about their booze/​tasty treat throughput, but I think they came through rather admirably. It can’t be easy making fancy cocktails for everybody, especially when they’re wandering about, socializing, harassing new Unilocal Elite Virgins.
Still, I got to try everything, and let me tell you, if it was the choice between saving one of your lives and eating another one of those crab cakes. I mean… I guess I’d save your life, but I’d think twice about it. And that’s a pretty goddamned good crab cake.
I also enjoyed the endives and the dumplings. But those crab cakes… damn.
The drinks were lovely and probably strong because by the time I left I was starting to have all sorts of terrible ideas in my head, which is a sign I’m having a pretty good time. And it was great to see everybody and catch up with all my Unilocal Homies, new and old alike.
Emily did a great job with this one and the folks at Oak haven were gracious, generous, and most importantly, wearing sexy gray cardigans which were only slightly less sexy than my own sexy gray cardigan. So back the fuck up, gentlemen, cause we don’t want to get into a good ol’ fashioned cardigan brawl, now do we.
Here’s to a great 2014.

Wow — what a way to start off 2014!!!
The doldrums surrounding this winter’s «polar vortex» have almost gotten the best of me but as I entered into Oak Haven Table and Bar, felt like I was walking into the embrace of a warm sweater or a pair of well worn (and warm) slippers. Low lighting, dark wood and a gas fireplace greeted each person who walked through their doors.
Although a recently they have not been open for very long — their vision is very clear.
Describing their restaurant as a place for patrons to come to for good food (farm to table), distinctive cocktails (think fresh juice and prohibition style cocktails) and drafts, and good service at reasonable prices, it is something that I believe they have accomplished
They have created a warm and inviting environment reminds me of a place where I could enter and «everyone» would know my name.
Between the Unilocalers and Staff, it was a bit tight but we made due as complimentary cocktails composed of Tanduay Asian Rum and small bites were expertly passed by the staff, which gets a huge shout out for their efficiency at maneuvering among the throngs of attendees while always having smiles on their faces.
The food provided was a small sampling of their menu but it also provided a look at how diverse their options are. Vegetarians and meat eaters a like will definitely find something to nosh on. Honestly I loved everything but the standouts for me were the crab cake with ramoulaude sauce– which actually had more crab than cake, the flat bread — composed of apple, Cheddar cheese, caramelized onions and spinach, and last but certainly not least the crostini — with marinated sliced steak w/​rye whiskey shallot marmalade.
And get this — they bake their own bread! If they were selling it that night I would definitely have purchased some to bring home.
And what would a Unilocal event be with out some of my favorite people (and their +1). Great to see more of the New Haven peeps at this event as well as those Central CT Unilocalers that made the trek down. As always Nova, Emily, Josh, Julia, Madeline, Eric and Mark — you all kept me laughing and as always I learned new things about each and every one of you!
Thank you to the owners of Oak Haven for allowing us to «take over» your restaurant. You were the perfect hosts providing us with libations and food to warm our bodies and our souls.
Also a huge shout out to our CM Emily — if this is what 2014 has to offer — I’m In!

A great night out with new and familiar friends alike! It was great to attend the first Elite event of the year and I was especially excited to see it in New Haven! Oak Haven was very generous and had some great bites! The crab cakes were especially delicious as was the arancini. The Tanduay Rum cocktails were tasty and I even ordered some regular menu items including the Boat to Table special– Fra Diavolo with mussels, and clams which was good and spicy and the cheese of the week.
It was good to talk with some new Elites in person who I’ve been socializing with on Unilocal and to try to setup some future gatherings. Big thank you to Emily and crew for setting this event up! It was a lot of fun and I look forward to more 2014 events!

Great event! Appetizers, drinks, and company were all amazing. Unilocalers were confronted with wave after wave of delicious appetizers and craft cocktails.
Despite the free food, curiosity got the better of me and I strayed from Unilocal’s appetizer list to order the mini burgers. It was totally worth it! They were larger than your average slider, cooked to perfection, and smothered in bourbon braised onions. I couldn’t ask for a more heavenly snack.
I will definitely be back to explore more of the menu.

First, I get word that I am a 2014 Elite (woohoo)…then, I find out there is an Elite event in my city a few days later. Then, I got a last minute invite (thanks, Emily!) to the event after initially being wait-​listed. (It is even better that ironically a UYE is scheduled for tomorrow night!) Way to jump right into Unilocal Elite-​ness!
Anyway, I brought a friend along tonight and we both had a great time. The people we chatted with were so friendly and welcoming and the food, drink and atmosphere at Oak Haven made for a great night all around.
I enjoyed the free cocktails and the two featured drinks were strong, but very tasty. The complimentary passed around apps were also yummy and it was obvious they were made with quality ingredients. My only regret is not ordering additional items off the full menu. I liked that they offer small, medium and large sized plates.
Would definitely come again with friends or on a date… perfect cozy atmosphere for that!

This is was a great event, with very good food, drinks, friends and with its own menu. The drinks were fabulous, tasty, smooth and left you wanting another. The two drink specials were called the ‘The Emperor’ & ‘Death in the Afternoon’. The Tanduay Asian Rum is very refreshing and finishes smooth; the drink pairings were great! The drinks kept coming and were easily consumed; everyone was loving these drinks; very big hit!
The food options were plenty and also kept coming; at every turn, there was another bartender serving more food… The mini crab cakes were delicious as there was allot crab and little filling; its the way it should be. The pork belly dumplings had a little spice and loved the thin wrapper. The endive spears to start off the evening were light and refreshing. The Arancini is very good and not what you would expect, this could be a meal in itself and with some red sauce.
My favorite of the night was the Flat Bread dishes, I believe that there was at least two and all were delicious, there was a steak but what i remember the most was the onions, they were sauteed beautifully!
It was truly great to see all of the Unilocalers at this year’s opening event, with newbies, Hilary and Kay; it was awesome to see Julia, Eric, Nova, Josh, Dave, Nick and Anne.
Huge Thank you to Emily C. for hosting another awesome event! Big shout out to the two owners and their staff, their bartenders are awesome!

My first Elite event ever, and oh what a night.
I’m still dreaming of all the tasty bar bites.
Citrusy and tangy cocktails with rum,
There’s only one word to say, and that word is «Yum!»
I had an absolute blast tonight. Very well organized event with great food and drink. If anyone finds a piece of my brain somewhere, I apologize, but the crab cakes and dumplings absolutely blew my mind.
I usually don’t drink hard alcohol, but the Tanduay rum cocktails were mixed to perfection. They were actually a little too perfect…
However, the best part of tonight was the people. I was so impressed by the high energy, welcoming demeanor, and positive attitude of every fellow Unilocaler that I met. I had no idea what to expect at my first event, and I am so excited to start my journey as a member of this community.
Tonight I did not want to start «wavin» good bye to Oak Haven.

Great kickoff event! I had so much fun at the first elite event of the year — and it was practically in my backyard in New Haven, which made it even better. Oak Haven was the perfect host, and they really delivered in terms of food and drink. The two Tanduay Rum cocktails were fantastic — juicy, strong, and made with fresh juices and housemade bitters. The food was delicious, and I liked everything I tried, especially the endive salad bites and crab cakes. It was a great vibe all-​around, at a really cool bar that I would like to spend some more time in.
I did a lot less mingling than usual at this event, but I was totally spoiled with a seat at the bar. I had enthusiastic bartenders handing me cocktails, and I was able to turn around and grab every appetizer that came around — can you blame me for not getting up? I still got to see a lot of wonderful Unilocal friends, and it was fun to catch up.
Thanks, Oak Haven, for being excellent hosts, and thank you, Emily C., for organizing such a great kickoff to 2014!

Wow, did I get hammered tonight.
That Tanduay Asian Rum is sneaky strong– reminds me of those sweetly potent Tequila Sunrises I used to drink at the freshman mixers. The «Death in the Afternoon» is aptly named, lemme just say that.
We had a very enjoyable evening at the Oak Haven. Lots of great company, great conversation, nice food samples, and stellar service from the Oak Haven servers who hustled all night long.
We sampled the mini crab cakes, pork belly dumplings, crostini, flatbreads with steak and carmelized onions, and rice balls with eggplant (?). Everything we tried was terrific –especially the crab cakes, dumplings, and flatbreads.
We were very impressed with our server who couldn’t have been nicer and more polite.
THanks Emily and John for organizing a great way to kickoff 2014!