Yelpy Chinese New Year Elite Event @ E&O Trading Company

I was not going to go to this YEE since had a previous engagement in the East Bay right after, but haven’t seen many SVL Unilocalers for awhile. So, showed up with a non-​yelper as +1 and had a good time what with all the provided foods and beers flowing (and got to keep the Sapporo glass!).
Unfortunately, my choice in the vote-for-best-new-E&O-item did not win… that would be the Spicy Pork Satay (the winner was the Thai Curry Crab Cakes). Thanks E&O staff (love venues that split the dining and bar areas), and thank you CM Abby!

OMG so much fun! Great times hanging out with everyone and meeting new faces! (hi Debbie, Jennifer, Jenna, and I forgot the rest)
A well planned event with a small enough group, (not too small, but not too big, heyyy thats what she said.)
Great people, great foods, great drinks, great venue, and great sponsors!
Sorry for not dressing up, I just got in from Santa Cruz!

What a fun event! Many thanks to Abby and Jessica for making this happen. The event size, venue and details were all perfect.
E&O is a longtime favorite of mine and I’ve always had a great time there (except that one time I nearly concussed myself while on a date — if you tend to toss your head around carelessly while laughing, I do not recommend sitting next to the brick wall in the bar). The restaurant cheerfully served up abundant food and drink. Although I didn’t try the winning appetizer due to food allergies, I loved the opportunity to vote on a new menu item and it was great to see the Indonesian corn fritters and ginger portobello satay invited to the party (hello, delicious favorites!).
As always, it was great to see old Unilocal friends (that’s right, I just called you old!) and make some new ones. I really enjoyed learning about bagpipe bands, white rabbit candy and how long it takes a nose broken in a mosh pit to heal (as well as getting the lowdown on Shen Yung Performing Arts and their upcoming San Jose performances).
Thanks for showing us such a good time again and providing a way to keep celebrating a shiny new year, Unilocal

This was great! Everyone was so awesome and so friendly. Thanks for making my first Unilocal Elite event so awesome! :)
Glad the crab-​cakes made the cut; they were delicious! I can’t wait to come back in the near future and get more of those yummy E&O corn fritters.

Free alchohol… check
Free food… check
All the makings of your usual YEE (so spoiled I know!). BUT, what really set this apart from the YEEs I’ve been to in the past:
Über-​crowded lines at the bar… uncheck
7,000 sharks smelling the scent of blood… uncheck
There was PLENTY of food and alcohol to go around. Plenty of elbow room and no swooping in on plates! Magnificent! The volume was not too crazy so I could have some non yelling convos. SWEET!
This was my first time meeeting Abby and hoooray! Now I can ask for the secrets of STL whenever the wifey and I head out there. It was also nice seeing Jessica too. My hat is off to both of you for planning a great event.
Also MUCH LOVE to E&O who provided us with EXCELLENT food and service. The bartenders also rocked it. The wifey and I will be coming back for more. Corn fritters FTW!!!

I think it’s been quite awhile since I’ve actually been to a YEE. I had a great time at this one.
I’ve always walked past the E & O in downtown SJ, but never been inside. The décor was nice and the service and professionalism by the staff wasn’t too shabby either.
The food was great, and surprisingly they didn’t run out of food. The drinks: I didn’t get to try out the cosmo but the Sapparo wasn’t too bad. The free Sapparo pint glasses = Win!
Thanks Abby and crew for putting in all the hard work to give us a swell time.

I had a fantabulous time at this YEE! Desmond C., Matt J., and I came about an hour late but there was still enough booze and food to go around! =D
We got to sample some crab cakes, corn fritters, chicken satay, and pork along with Sapparro and blood orange cosmos!
Thank you, Abby and Jessica! I also loved your branded fortune cookies and napkins! They were too cute! =D

Totally awesome event!!! Everything was perfect.
The organization, the venue, the ambiance and decoration — all done just right — really added to the already festive nature of the event’s backdrop. Great execution.
Food and alcohol was plentiful — the bartenders were always smiling and professional and no one really had to wait for a drink.
As has been stated before, there was just so much food — my favorites were the corn fritters and the portabella mushroom — both awesome! The crabcakes were clearly the most popular but unfortunately, I can’t eat shellfish :(Ah well, more corn fritters then!!!
Others have commented rightly that this was quite the intimate event (just like the one at Sino) in that it didn’t have a huge amount of people jostling for the same space, food and drink. You really got to enjoy conversations with friends, old and new.
Lots of festive red around — always nice to see everybody have a plain old good time.
Great job Abby and the always delightful Jessica — you guys totally have this party planning thing down pat. Kudos to the staff at E&O — all the wait staff, bartenders and kitchen staff for throwing a great party together and allowing everyone to get into the spirit and enjoy.
~ 5 stars overall for an awesome way to spend a Saturday afternoon with some of your dear friends.
# 229

I was teeter tottering between a 4/​5, but chose 5 because of the friendly atmosphere and the attentive staff at E&O. The reason for my slight indecision is because I was hoping for some authentic Chinese food, but instead was happily surprised with a sort of culture fusion.
The blood orange cosmo was really creative and cool, but a little sweet for my taste, so I switched to the amazing sapporo on tap (thanks for the cool glasses!).
I felt really important to be able to pick the next appetizer. It’s nice to know the restaurant actually does care about what its customers think :)
I’d never been to E&O before, and after this event I’d totally come back.
thanks Abby and E&O for hosting this event

It’s been awhile since I’ve been to an Elite Event & this one did not disappoint. Lots of new faces, including our new CM Abby! Plenty of yummy food and drinks to go around… those crab cakes & portabello skewers were so good, can’t wait to hit up E&O for a Happy Hour in the future! The bartenders kept the Sapporo & that strong blood orange Cosmo drink flowing.
Thanks Abby, Jessica, & the fantastic staff at E&O for a great event!

Great venue. Abby and Jessica great job!
Met some new faces and was very happy to see some old ones too:) I like this venue. There’s enough space to move around and yet it retains that cozy vibe.
Awesome choices of food! Crab cakes and Portabello Mushroom was heaven! I’ve only had the Sapporo on tap but E&O kept it coming or I should say Scott Z kept it coming to me. Thanks Scoot Z. You kept me well hydrated!
Btw– I had a sip of the Blood Orange Cosmo Drink from VB and I meant to get one for myself but never got to it. It was nice meeting you VB!
Awesome cute name for an event and again welcome to the Bay Area Abby!

E&O had the right idea of inviting a bunch of foodies to come to their humble restaurant and help pick the next menu item. They served three items that were all delicious which made it hard to decide with only one taste — — so I went back for seconds and thirds. *wink* The crab cakes really did stand out with moist consistency, chocked full of crab and piping hot (temp wise). It was also fun trying some of the signature dishes that make this restaurant unique. The corn fritters were very different than anything I’ve had before in the local restaurants, with a sauce that complimented the corn nicely without overpowering it.
Overall, the food was fabulous, the company outstanding, the hostesses gracious (thanks Abby and Jessica), the drinks flowed and the service was top-​notch. It was fun, fun, fun!
Thank you E&O for breaking the San Jose bad service streak that I was having and showing those other SJ restaurants what good dining is all about! See you again soon!

It’s been a while since I’ve been to a YEE — and I’m so happy that I was able to attend this one!
Thanks so much to Abby and Jessica for a fun and tasty event! I was a E&O Trading Company virgin before this event — and now I know what tasty treats will be looking forward to ordering when I return.
It was wonderful to see some of my SBC family as well as meet and get to know some new faces.
Well done, Miss Abby and Miss Jessica!

As a Unilocal Elite fanatic, I drove all the way down from Marin to enjoy the SV event and to see old friends. The theme was Chinese New Year so I rocked the red with pride! There were a total of 6 dishes to sample (I voted for the crab cakes) and the blood orange cosmo’s kicked ass! Didn’t get a chance to bring home a Sapporo glass though.
This was probably the most intimate elite affair I’ve been to and the venue could definitely support at least 3x as many people. It would have been pretty awesome to pack the place! The food was tasty and the company was great too. Can’t wait for the next shindig with the new ambassadors!

This was a cool Chinese New year elite event. I liked how most of the people wore red for the event. A quite spacious restaurant with nice Asian decorations.
We got to try different appetizers and vote on which one we wanted on the new list on the menu: curry crab cakes, tomato naan, corn fritters, kebabs: chicken, beef, mushroom, and pork. We liked the crab cakes and tomato naan the best.
There were two free drinks: Sapporo and Solerno cosmo. The cosmo was fruity and good.

Jessica and Abby outdid themselves again! Fantastic event, fun with the voting and overly-​pleasant servers and bar tenders.
I met some great new transplants: I must have a magnet on me! Carina and her husband, living in the Bay by way of Arizona, as well as a server from St. Louis.
The old SBC was there en force: Mikey, Sarah, Eugene, Ed, Matt, Scott and Mercy… and everyone else I’m completely forgetting at the moment.
I was at E&O for a surprise birthday party the night before and I really enjoyed getting the opportunity to admire the incredible decorations in the day light and sample their fusion-​leaden menu.
I’m looking forward to the next Elite event!

What an awesome event! Thanks to Abby and the Unilocal staff for pulling together another fantastic Elite get together! I was fortunate to be able to make it to this intimate event as it was conveniently held on a Saturday afternoon and was the perfect excuse for a break on my busy Saturday. I was relieved that there was a huge parking lot adjacent to the restaurant as I hate circling for parking and then digging for coins for the meters.
Having been to downtown San Jose dozens of times, I’ve never actually noticed E & O (typically just head straight to Gordon Biersch) and was surprised at how huge the restaurant is! The décor reminded me of a chic New York City loft. The bartenders were great and kept the cosmos flowing (watch out though, after a few of these you’ll be knocked off your feet!) and were also serving Sapporo on tap (such a luxury after bottled!). I also loved the two flatscreens in the bar area as it was convenient to catch the latest college basketball scores.
We nibbled nonstop on their yummy appetizers — my favorites included the ridiculously addictive corn fritters and the tomato onion naan. The service here was amazing, they kept the food and drinks coming and the kind waitstaff were quick to take your latest empty. I thought it was an extra special touch to have Unilocalers vote for the new addition to E & O’s menu. Out of the three dishes, the thai curry crab cakes won (no comment as a vegetarian ;) Big thanks to E & O for hosting!
I’m excited to come back to E&O for Happy Hour (M-​F 3−7pm) in the future and look forward to trying out their dinner service too! Can’t wait for the next YEE as Abby is doing a fantastic job as our new CM!

My first YEE here in the Bay Area! I’m an Eliter from Mesa, AZ, but San Jose is my hometown. Born and raised in the 408. =)
I’ve always heard of E & O Trading, yet have never been. Hubby has and said I would probably like it. However, he’s been to the E & O in San Francisco thanks to some friends who come here for a yearly conference.
The three dishes to choose from that we were to vote on were good, with the tomato naan being my least favorite. It just reminded me of bread with tomato sauce on it. Sorry, guys — it didn’t get my vote! I liked the chicken satays the best and voted for them. I thought the crab cakes were just ok and clearly I was in the minority. Oh well. Story of my life.
I enjoyed my Cosmo. I was so happy to finally meet fellow Unilocalers and put names to faces… and see some faces in person!
Thank you Abby and her Unilocal staff as well as E & O — it was a great way to get my feet wet in the Unilocal Elite scene.
I can’t wait to meet the rest of you all at future events.

Had a great time at my first Unilocal event at E&O Trading Company! It was planned perfectly, everything went smoothly, service from the E&O and Unilocal staff was superb, and the food was delicious!
Was so grateful for the parking lot right across the street, and didn’t have to struggle looking for street parking far away in the cold weather. This was my first time to E&O, and had heard great things about it, especially the corn fritters.
When checking in, there were cute little Unilocal buttons that each person took to vote later for the 3 appetizers that would be featured on their menu.
Areas were cutely decorated with white rabbit candies (year of the rabbit), fortune cookies, and many other Chinese new year goodies.
Sapporo beers (beer glass as a souvenir) and bloody orange cocktails were an added bonus! The appetizers came out immediately by the staff and it never stopped!!! The choices for the votes were crab cakes, tomato naan, and pork satays. Tried the pork satay and chicken satay first. The pork was perfectly cooked. However, when the crab cakes with curry came out, I could not stop eating them! The portabello mushroom satays in the ginger sauce were scrumptious as well! Ate a handful of those! The corn fritters were amazing as well! Fried to perfection! I was most looking forward to the tomato naan, but it was not what I had expected. It was kind of like a pizza, naan with tomato sauce on top with some cilantro.
Seriously, the food would not stop coming out, and other Unilocal Elite members told me this was a much smaller turnout compared to other events (most likely since the Sino event occurred earlier, and Unilocalers could only attend one of the two), and how it was much nicer to not have to wait in long lines for the food and drinks.
Voting began an hour into the event, and the crab cakes won by a landslide (which I voted for!). Can’t wait to see it on their menu as I’ll be back to eat more! There was also a raffle event for tickets to a Chinese version of a Cirque du Soleil show. Such a nice way to spend a Saturday afternoon, and my friend was extremely grateful to get out of work for a bit and enjoyed herself as well.
Kudos to Abby and the rest of the Unilocal staff for coordinating the event so well! Also, the E&O staff were as great as can be! Will definitely be back in the near future!

I love the theme of this Elite event Great Job Abby. I rolled to San Ho in my Weekend Whip to a little Biggie Smalls. I stashed my Whip at the 2^nd street garage. I street hiked over to E&O Trading and see the Lovely Jessica T checking in Elites and giving an overview of the event only the way Jessica can. Jessica was wearing a nice all black outfit.
1^st stop the Bar for some Adult Beverages –Sapporo and Solerno Cocktails were the official Elite event drinks. I went with Sapporo because its one of my favorite Asian beers and the Cool thing was you get to keep the Beer Glass. Bartenders were Cool.
There were tons of Unilocal swag spread all through E&O and Chinese New Year Gear. Very Cool. I picked up a Cool Karate Kid Drum.
Another Cool thing was we got to sample contenders for E&O new menu addition. The Contenders were Pork and Chicken Satay, Tomato Naan Bread and Crab cakes. Hands Down the Crab Cakes were my Favorites. We were able to cast votes with Unilocal buttons by placing them into a bowl behind your favorite item. Crab Cakes Won!
Then there was a drawing for a pair of tickets to Shen Yung Performing Arts. Yours Truly got to pick the winning number out of a To Go container. To the Couple that won Congrats.
It was nice meeting New Elites and hanging with the Usual Suspects.
Also a Shout out to our Lovely Silicon Valley CM Abby. Your Doing and Awesome Job !! Keep up the Good work.
One More shout out too Michelle Nicole photography the Elite event photographer nice meeting you girl.
Thanks Abby, Jessica and E&O Trading and Staff for a great Elite event
2011 Year Of The Rabbit, Total Global Bunny Domination …