Inside Norcal Elite Event @ El Mercado Urbano

Thanks Abby S., again. Again because it wasn’t long before this Inside Norcal YEE, 1 of her 1^st as SF CM, that I was lucky enough to go to 1 of her last South Bay YEE’s. With her move to SF, I can definitely report that she’s bringing all her YEE magic along with her to the City.
I wasn’t sure what to expect & was pleasantly surprised by a small, intimate YEE in a really cool urban (like in the name of the venue) space. I actually got in a little early & grabbed a seat at the bar in La Urbana. They have a staggering variety of Mezcals that has got to be the most impressive selection I’ve ever seen.
Of course the YEE had an impressive selection of drinks too. Mezcal margaritas (courtesy of Montelobos Mezcal), Tequila tasters (courtesy of Mañana Tequila) & craft brews (courtesy of SF’s own 21^st Amendment) flowed freely. Bonus points for the 21^st Amendment rep showing up. Being a beer guy, I sincerely enjoyed getting to talk shop with him for a while.
Throw in some delicious light bites & it was a fantastic night in the City. Like I started off with, thanks again Abby S. The SF Unilocal community is lucky to have you at the helm. Also, thanks La Urbana for opening up your «Garaje» for this YEE. That is 1 of the coolest decorated garages anywhere, perfect for parties.

I took my dad to his second elite event. We arrived and it was already pretty full. I was a little stressed out because it seemed like all the seats were taken, and no one seemed like they might give up their seats for my dad, who is pushing 70. Then a couple of really nice women rearranged so we could sit. I was super happy about that.
I didn’t get to taste much food because it didn’t seem to make it to the back of the room.
It was nice to talk to fellow elites, but it was extremely loud and hard to hear them.

Fantastic event! I had no idea there was a space like this (hah, what am I kidding, it’s SF) and am eager to host an event there one day.
I knew from the description that it would be mostly drinks — a courteous bartender made margaritas and poured beers all night — so I made sure to brings my dolla bills.
There was an AMAZING tequila tasting on the side which blew my mind. Who knew that I didn’t need salt and limes with all of my tequila shots? The few bites I managed to try were delicious — shrimp ceviche with chips, toast with chicken liver mousse, egg and chorizo in an egg shell, and an inventive horchata dessert — and really spoke to the variety of offerings at La Urbana.
Abby, thank you for the warm and friendly event! It was the perfect size to mingle with other Unilocalers, and I’m already heading out to a Taco Tuesday event here!

Great event, great food. I especially loved the tequila :)
If only there was more food…

My second Unilocal event in SF! Thanks to Abby for planning this event!
It was good to try to watermelon beer; it would be delicious on a hot summer day (so in a few months?) I am not a fan of tequila, so didn’t try the plentiful samples they had. Had a few bites of the shrimp ceviche and carnitas, but missed dessert. The carnitas were delicious, but possibly a tad too much salt for me. Good bites and great atmosphere. Service was good and friendly too.
They can open/​close the garage doors depending on the weather, so I’d definitely come back on a hot day to enjoy that. I’ll have to come back for dinner sometime. It looks like a cool date spot.

Okay okay, I know the event page said «light bites only» but it did also say carnitas. And feature pictures of scrumptious carnitas tacos. So I was thinking we’d get at least mini carnitas tacos?
Unfortunately not. When they say light bites, they mean literally a bite of each dish. There was a bite of carnitas on top of what tasted like a stale ladyfinger. And they had little flavor besides grease and salt. Okay.
There was a deep fried… cheese? Ah, this was pretty good, but more something I’d expect from TGI Fridays than an authentic Mexican food place. Yeah, I think that’s what the chef/​owner called it in their speech. It felt awkward that they addressed us. It reminded me that they see us as basically cheap advertising. They emphasized how important it was for us to write reviews for them and come back to try their menu and bring friends. You know, like how pharmaceutical companies send doctors on weeklong all-​expenses-​paid tropical vacation junkets and ply them with free swag plastered with the names of their new drugs? Yeah, except, for us poor elites, we don’t even get one full meal. Makes me feel a bit cheap.
I left before dessert. They had us waiting too long between different dishes. They could’ve at least loaded us up on something very inexpensive like chips + salsa. This event didn’t inspire me to return at all. Anyway, if I were a CM, I’d make sure that any restaurant wanting to host elite events was committed to making sure everyone goes home as full as they want to be.

This was one of the best Unilocal events I’ve ever been to! It was small and intimate, had TONS of alcohol, great food, and amazing people! I definitely enjoyed the tequila tasting, mezcal margarita, and you can never go wrong with 21A’s brews. Also, I liked all of the food that was brought to us – ceviche, empanada, carintas, and the passion fruit marshmallow dessert! I’m glad Abby is taking over the SF community and stepping the level of the events up!

I really enjoyed myself at this event. Thanks to La Urbano, Mañana Tequila, Montelobos Mezcal, 21^st Amendment, and Abby S. The margarita was good with the mezcal. I also enjoyed the shrimp ceviche. The bartender was great. You could say we were sufficiently inebriated!

I always have a good time at Unilocal Elite Events, and this was no different. Great getting to know other locals who clearly enjoy the same good times as I do :]!
La Urbana hooked us up with a great Mezcal Margarita, totally delicious bites of ceviche, empa-​dillas (I’m coining that right now, cause it was like a quesadilla but totes fried), and can we just talk about their carnitas? So bomb!
Also shout out to 21^st Ammendment for bringing the brew, loveeee Hell or High Watermelon!

Fun event. Still feeling the mezcal.

Nothing kicks off a Unilocal event like a tequila tasting. Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo (thanks Mañana Tequila). The good times kept rolling with watermelon beer from 21^st Amendment and mezcal margaritas from Montelobos Mezcal.
Thanks to our generous host El Garage Urbano for providing delicious bites:
shrimp ceviche, empanadas, carnitas, and finally passion fruit marshmallows for dessert. The new garage venue is an add-​on to the restaurant and should provide a nice, cozy setting for some future good times to be had.
Meeting all you awesome 1337s and +1s definitely made it fun for me.
HUGE thanks to Abby & Co for putting on yet another first-​rate elite event!

Thank you Abby for an amazing event. The drinks kept flowing from tequila tastings, hell or high watermelon beer from 21^st Amendment, and Mezcal margaritas. Plus the bites from El Garage Urbano seemed to be slightly different spread from the first elite event but nonetheless they were pretty tasty. The service was great, making sure that everyone got a bite of each item as well as drinks in hand. The bites include the shrimp ceviche (easily my favorite item of the night), fried quesadilla with a great chipotle sauce, carnitas on toast, and passion fruit marshmallows for dessert. Definitely thinking I need to try out the other items La Urbana has to offer the next time i’m in this area. Thanks again Abby and the Unilocal team for a great Monday night.

What a great event!
Abby was such a great welcoming host, and had such a great positive energy! It was so nice to meet other Unilocalers and their +1’s, and reconnect with Unilocal friends from previous events. The mezcal margaritas were so delicious and smooth, and the bites provided gave a good insight to what the restaurant had to offer.
Overall, me and my +1 had a great night. Thank you Unilocal and El Mercado Urbano for hosting!

Everything was right on at this Unilocal event. The venue was very chill especially when the garage door opened a wee bit too high. The servers kept the finger foods flowing to calm the crowds. My favorite dish of all was the shrimp cocktail.
The watermelon beer from first amendment was definitely a great idea for the summer time brews. Then a tequila tasting on Monday, what a way to start the week.
The top tequila shot was the anejo from Mañana. That little golden cup warmed my belly from a smooth and oaky sip. I’ll make sure to stock some asap.
Gracias Abby, Jon, and everyone else for creating a relaxed Monday evening.

San Francisco Elites, we’re in for quite a treat. This event was just a tasting of what’s in store (as most YEEs are, fittingly).
The first thing that welcomed us was Abby’s smiling face as she enthusiastically explained the event setup and chatted about her upcoming move up to beautiful SF. Logistics-​wise, our new CM Abby kept the event to a small and manageable capacity, while adding her personal flair of preemptively handwritten name tags for those who RSVPed – a small touch, and muchly appreciated.
The food offerings were splendid. Spoons of ceviche and shrimp crackers went around (though the acidity of the ceviche negated the guac), along with chicken liver mousse bites on toasted baguettes (delish) and a chorizo egg creation that contrasted flavors and textures wonderfully. The dessert tasting was a horchata chocolate mousse that was subtly sweetly scrumptious.
Of course, no YEE is complete without freely flowing libations. A tequila table was set up to the left of the bar, while the bar was doling out mezcal margaritas utilizing a very smoky tequila and 21^st Amendment’s Hell or High watermelon wheat beer.
Not surprisingly, the best part of this event was the people. Hats off the Jorge, the master of capturing memories. My +1 was a keeper, and I truly, truly enjoyed getting to know Jason, Ryan, and An – looking forward to our future foodings!
I can’t believe half of 2014 is already over, but, tbh, it can only get better :)

My +1 and I had a great time at this open garage shindig! I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t as drafty as I anticipated. We were welcomed by Jon S. ( Unilocal Intern) and made our way through the entrance. We stopped by to try the Mezcal tequila margarita first. It was really tasty without being overly strong. We also tried their small bites, such as chorizo in the egg shell, ceviche, and a few others.
I’m excited to welcome Abby S. as the new S.F. Unilocal CM and excited to see what she has in store for this city. Thanks for the great time!

Great way to kick off Abby’s induction as the new CYM. To be honest, based on my previous experiences at open garage parties in San Francisco, I was expecting a drafty, crowded pigeonhole. As Abby warned, I bundled up in anticipation of tequila, beer, and carnitas. To my (and my +1’s) surprise, the «garage» was surprisingly well-​temperature-​controlled, tidy, and ambient, if cozy. They had a TV and easily accessed bar.
Speaking of carnitas, this was some of the best food I’ve had at a Unilocal Elite Event in a while! Major props to the chef and staff at La Urbana. To my disappointment, no actual «carnitas» were had. However, the food that was had was wonderful, and I couldn’t get enough. Bless the server’s and the kitchen’s generosity! To wit:
— Shrimp ceviche — A bit too acidic.
— Toast with chicken liver mousse — A bit messy to be eaten while standing. Difficult to eat in one bite, but 2+ bites makes it fall apart. The squash blossom was a beautiful garnish. The mousse was creamy and a tight contrast to the jalapeño.
— «Egg and chorizo» in an eggshell — my favorite! So creative and delicious. I don’t even normally like super creamy things, but with the egg yolk and the chorizo bits and the jalapeño…
— Horchata — Left before I could try this, unfortunately.
As for the drinks, 21^st Amendment’s watermelon wheat beer is one of the best possible summer beers and perfect for the occasion. The mezcal margarita was a wonderful combination of tangy and smoky, and not at all too sour. I’ll bet that mezcal would go great in a bloody mary! We really enjoyed the representative from Mañana Tequila, who explained the process of making tequila (with visual aids!) while allowing us to sample various tequilas from various stages in the aging process, including silver, reposado, and aged. Learning while drinking, imagine that!
Overall, we had a great time, nice and cozy without being too cramped. Probably one of my favorite Unilocal Elite Events thus far in San Francisco. Keep it up, Abby!

It was a great opportunity to meet Abby S. for the first time and what better way to kick off the new SF CM relationship than with this Unilocal Elite Event!
My +1 and I really liked the Mezcal margaritas and the smoky essence of the tequila was nice… kind of dangerous to drink actually! We got there late because my +1 got out of work a bit late so we had some catching up to do. Got a taste of the chicken mousse and their take on the egg and chorizo (very cool presentation BTW), and chased them down with the shots of Mañana and Watermelon beer! Thank goodness I didn’t get a tequila hangover the next day!
Anyway, cool little garage and hangout area. Hopefully I can catch up on some World Cup the next time I’m in the area!

This was a fun garage party with Mezcal Margaritas, Tequila tastings from Mañana (blanco was my favorite) and 21^st Amendment’s Hell or High Watermelon on tap. Jon and Abby S. were awesome hosts bringing plenty of Unilocal swag and a check in offer of a free shot glass. The margaritas had a healthy amount of liquor. The ceviche was my favorite food tasting served in a soup spoon. The space is great for a group of 40 or so. Also a good place to spend happy hour or to grab a couple of drinks and have some small bites. There is a large tv in the back. By far, one of the classiest garages around! Thanks Unilocal for another fun night out!

The mezcal margaritas were awesome. The chicken mousse, the soft boiled egg with chorizo, and the horchada dessert bites were also ridiculously tasty, especially if you take them down with a shot of mezcal ;-)
It was also super awesome to meet Abby S!
Don’t forget to get your free Unilocal shot glass. Unilocal swag is the best!