UYE: Kick Back Sunday @ Verde

AY DIOS MIO!!! How did I not give this super awesome five-​star UYE a review yet??? Must have been too much booze! Well, better late than never, right? And I bet I’m going to be the last one to review! :P
OH YEAH!
+ Getting together with a bunch of awesome Yeeps
+ Delicious food
+ BOOZE!
+ Brian’s and Lori’s combined powers of awesomeness!
+ Nametags!!!
+ Sombreros!
+ BOOZE!!!
OH NO!
— Ummm… Nope!
OH MY?!
* I’m still trying to figure out how I haven’t done a review for this yet…
Since this is so late I’ll just keep it short.
Super huge thanks to Brian M. and Lori I. for throwing such an awesome event! You know that when two super yeeps like those two combine their powers they can summon Captain Planet… Errr… You know what I mean! The event was lively, and full of familiar faces, and a bunch of yeeps that I had never met before!
I’ve been wanting to try Verde for a while, and this was such a perfect opportunity to try it! Not to mention the free flowing tequila, cerveza, and even some spiked horchata (courtesy of Ryan M)!! I also loved that there were nametags! Every event should come with nametags!
Sombreros off and a MUY GRANDE MUCHOS GRACIAS to Brian and Lori for hosting such an awesome UYE! If you haven’t had the chance to experience a UYE hosted by either of these two, you’ll definitely want to the next chance you get! You won’t be disappointed!

Any UYE that involves taking shots of tequila at 10am is worthy of 5 stars.
What else do I say…
This event was amazing because it was
— Well planned. We even had name tags!
— Had booze
— Had bad for you tex-​mex
— Had booze
— Had great people
Thanks Brian and Lori for making this event so awesome!

When Brian M. AND Lori I. throw a UYE together, of course you’re going to get a boatload of Unilocalers to attend. WEEE LOOOOOOOVE YOOOOOU!!! Nothing says be my Unilocal friend like the man who loves booze and the woman who loves balls… hahahaha.
ANYWHO, it was such a great event and really, really well attended. We ended up taking up the entire left half of the restaurant! I almost felt bad for the other people that came in that day… almost, but I had too much fun to really worry about that, lol. We took a group photo at one point and there had to be at least 25 ppl in it, and then more people showed up after that! Of course all the Unilocalers were friendly and talkative, so there was a lot of shouting across the tables and laughing and a million conversations going on at once.
In true Unilocaler fashion, everyone ordered whatever they wanted and we all just took bites and nibbles of everyone else’s food. So even though the Breakfast Burrito I halved with Michael C. (w/​our chosen options being spinach tortilla, chorizo, Corn Medley & Special Red salsas) was amazing, I also got to try bits and bites of other peoples great food. Lori I. got the same Breakfast Burrito, but she got it in a bowl, i.e. no tortilla! Tried some nachos and the Mexican Loco Moco and a few other things. ALL GOOD. Especially the ones with the smoked brisket! Brian M. and Lori I. had a great hook up and got the restaurant to offer us brisket on a Sunday, even though they normally only do it on Tuesdays.
Everything was so well planned, too! Name tags, ice breakers, drinks, decorations… drinks! In reality, I didn’t drink anything because I had a hangover from the night before, but I did try a small bit of Ryan M.‘s Parrot Bay rum spiked horchata. LOVE horchata, and I couldn’t believe his was homemade! SO while I was drinking my water the whole time, there were beers, tequila, sake bombs, some soju, the spiked horchata and all kinds of things getting passed around!
Even though the event was from 10am-​1pm, which seems like a long time for a UYE, most people stayed for the majority of that time (some of us didn’t leave until after that). That’s how amazing an event it was! Thanks again to Brian M. & Lori I. for hosting an AMAZING UYE! Now, all you have to do is… DO IT AGAIN! XD

Another amazing UYE by the World’s greatest Unilocalers.
The BYOB made the event even more interesting as almost anything your heart desires was available.
The food was very good and the Venue worked well for moving around and visiting with other Unilocalers.
Too much fun…

Tequila, sombreros, spiked horchata… all things you wouldn’t normally find at Verde but that’s what was on the menu at Lori I. and Brian M.‘s UYE!
I arrived a little after 10:30 (AM) and I arrived to find over half the restaurant filled with Unilocalers — our host and hostess made me feel right at home — hugs, nametags and an ice-​breaker game and offers of adult beverages right away!
Thanks to Lori, Brian, Sandra and Grant for letting me try all that Verde had to offer — sampling plates is the way to go — I would have otherwise never discovered how great the Breakfast Burrito bowl and Mexican Loco Moco are TOGETHER!
I had a great time thanks to all of the awesome company — great seeing old friends and meeting new ones! Awesome first UYE guys — Hana hou!

I’m so glad I sucked it up from being lazy and shy and went to this UYE! Great company and delicious food and booze! Who can forget about the booze at 10AM?!
Thank you Brian and Lori for setting this up. It was nice to FINALLY put a real face to my Unilocal friends. I had a blast meeting everyone and reconnecting with those I’ve met in the past. The turn out was great.
Also, many thanks for Verde Kaimuki for allowing us to to hang out! The staff was so nice and accommodating.
Thank you Brian M. for liquoring all of us up! The homemade spiked horchata from Ryan was also a hit! I must make that next time! (who knew horchata was so easy to make?!) Thanks Lori for the sinful chocolate mochi!
So much fun! Thank you thank you thank you for putting this together: D

It has been a while since I’ve been able to attend any type of Unilocal event. Not by choice but because of my kids. It’s their entire fault. I blame them. Then I see that Brain M. and Lori I. are co-​hosting a UYE (Unofficial Unilocal Event). I definitely could not pass this one up. Time to use my secret weapon… grandma!
The one thing I love about Unilocal events, whether it is unofficial or not, is that I get to meet someone new and/​or meet a Unilocal friend who I have not yet met in person. This UYE was no different. I met some cool new people and had an awesome time with familiar people.
The actual party was «amazing»! Lori had cool games such as, find your menu match. Everyone had a sticker on their back with an item from the Verde menu. You would get beads if you found your match. The other game was wearing a sombrero hat if you said the words BIG or Burrito. Maka K caught me saying the word BIG within the first 5 minutes of the game (I’m so bad at those games) but I was able to give it to Brian M. by asking him what the famous items on the menu are so he would say the word BURRITO. Since this party was BYOB, there was a ton of alcohol. I wanted to drink more but I had to pick up my kids (the buzz killers) shortly after.
Verde also turned out to be a great place to have an UYE. The Staff was super nice, very accommodating to our needs, and made great food. Since my wife was working, I’ll definitely need to bring her back here one day.
Thank You to:
Brian and Lori — For planning this. (When is the next one?)
Everyone Else — For attending and kicking it with me. The crowd size
truly turned this into a party.
Verde — For their great service, patience, and great food.

Unilocal Honolulu is the best community in the entire WORLD! The WORLD do you hear me?! And if we had Unilocal on other planets (coming in 2115), Unilocal Honolulu would still be on top! Why? Because we have the friendliest, sweetest and thoughtful Unilocalers!!!
Yes, I admit I might be slightly biased but honestly if you’d walked into Brian M & Lori I’s UYE yesterday, you would have thought you’d walked right into an actual Elite event! I think the best way to describe the party was that it felt like Cinco De Unilocalo on July the 7^th!!! There were sombreros, name tags, sake bomb shots, spiked horchata, amazing chocolate mochi (baked by Lori I) and everyone was greeted with a smile at the door.
We packed half the restaurant with our Sunday revelry and you could tell that the other patrons who’d stopped in to grab a bite were extremely curious as to what was going on. Burritos even tasted better when eaten on our side of the restaurant! Everyone was so very huggable and not just because of the alcohol. Great seeing everyone at this stellar UYE and thank you Brian M & Lori I for helping to make Unilocal in Honolulu so spectacular! Eat, Pray, Love, Unilocal

In true Unilocal style, if you plan an event, they WILL come!
Many, many thanks goes to Brian M. and Lori I. for planning such a fun and enjoyable UYE! Although I wasn’t able to stay for the entire event (sadly I had to work), I enjoyed the great company, good food, and tons of laughs!
This was my first ever visit to Verde Kaimuki, and when I arrived I found that Brian and Lori had smartly reserved tables and booths on one side of the restaurant for our large group. Our hosts were very organized as they had name tags, planned a socializing game, as well as sharing/​providing «beverages» and cups. Sadly I wish I could have accepted Ryan M.‘s offer of a «drink» but I had to be at work at noon.
Burrito, burrito, and burrito. Everything on the menu looked so good, but I am thankful I took Lori I.‘s recommendation and ordered the breakfast burrito. Incidentally «burrito» was also the word that was part of another game. If one uttered this word, they were the recipient of a Mexican sombrero to be worn until the next soul said that «forbidden word.»
In the end, Maka K. and I decided to split the breakfast burrito, and shared a Mexican Loco Moco with Sandra K. I will just state that EVERYONE should heed Lori’s advice: The breakfast burrito was DELICIOUS! So good! The loco moco was delicious too… but I agreed with Maka as the breakfast burrito was our favorite! Thank you Lori I. for your recommendation and sharing your Chorizo nachos too!
Notable Moments:
–The terrific service from the staff at Verde Kaimuki: Maka and I truly appreciated the patience from the staff at the counter when we were ordering. Very polite, friendly, and helpful.
–When in doubt on what to order, ask advice from Lori I. (You’ll thank me later.)
–Santi’s entrance (ahhhhhhhhhhhh!!!)
–Good to see Ryan M. and Jayson N.: it’s been far too long.
–Pics with Santi T. and +1 Joe: I promise I’ll get it right at the next event!
–Watching Kyle H. and Lori I. helping Sandra K. «finish» her loco moco…
–«Talking story» with Kyle H.
–Great to see Emi H!!!
–Brian M. and Lori I. sharing food, pouring drinks, and making sure everyone mingled with one another. Thanks for doing a great job at introductions, especially for those meeting other Unilocalers for the very first time.
Bottom Line: A well planned and executed event. THANK YOU Brian and Lori for planning such a terrific UYE!

Unilocalers Lori I. & Brian M. are 2 of the coolest Unilocalers you can meet! They co-​hosted a UYE at Verde Kaimuki for brunch (& booze) on a Sunday mid-​morning for Unilocalers & non-​Yelpers.
Lasting more than 3 hours (it could have gone even longer), we all had a BLAST! It was a perfect venue for a UYE, & it was super fun!
The 2 co-​hosts are great UYE planners, taking care of all the details to ensure that everything went smoothly, & that everyone was enjoying themselves. I was impressed at their organizational skills:
— Name tags. Each Unilocaler had a name tag, which was a great help, considering that there were about 30 Unilocalers in attendance. It was great to meet new Unilocal friends & remember their names at the same time.
— Introduction to other Unilocalers. As soon as you came, they made sure to introduce you to the other Unilocalers so that you’re not left alone to fend for yourself. Great hospitality hosts!
— Ice breaker game. We each had a stick ‘um on our backs w/​the name of a menu item, and we did not know what it was. We had to find our matching partner & when we did, we each got a colorful beaded necklace. Nice way to talk to everyone!
— Decorations. Mexican-​themed decorations & cut outs were placed on the tables, & wide-​brimmed sombrero hats were rotated among us to be in the spirit of the event & the restaurant’s Mexican cuisine.
— Drinks. The co-​hosts had a cooler of an assortment of beers & boozes that was shared w/​everyone, even if other Unilocalers brought their own or didn’t bring their own. Brian covered all grounds by ensuring that all cups & glasses were flowing. (On a side note, loved Ryan M.‘s homemade horchata w/​rum!)
— Appetizers. They ordered different types of delicious nachos for everyone to share before each of us ordered on our own. So thoughtful!

— Special menu item/​discount. They arranged w/​the restaurant to offer smoked brisket in any of the menu items, which is normally offered only on Tuesdays. Also, a reduced price for the green chile sauce was negotiated for Unilocalers ($ 1.25 instead of $ 2.25). In the Unilocal event listing, Brian provided a Verde Kaimuki newsletter website that you could subscribe to; & when you received your newsletter, it gave you a free Mexican iced coffee at the restaurant. Great cost saving tips!
— Dessert. They even provided a homemade chocolate mochi cake dessert baked by Lori for everyone! Absolutely delicious, Lori!
— Bathroom run. Despite not having a restroom in the restaurant, the two co-​hosts rounded up those that needed to go, & walked to nearby Koa Pancake House (I believe) to use their restrooms. Now, that was really thinking of us!
I loved the Mexican food at Verde Kaimuki, which was the former BC Burrito. I had the Breakfast Burrito in the bowl w/​out the tortilla, which consisted of scrambled eggs, seasoned potatoes, jack-​cheddar cheese, pico de gallo (tomatoes, onions, cilantro) & smoked brisket; & w/​green chile sauce & signature red fresh salsa (w/​red chili & jalapenos) on the side. It was so tasty & flavorful, but when you’re having fun talking to other Unilocalers, it was difficult to eat it all; I took it home & devoured all of it.
Unilocalers ordered a little bit of everything — tacos, quesadillas, & burritos in various combinations, which were shared w/​anyone who wanted to try them.
Kudos to the restaurant staff, as they were so friendly & attentive, considering that we took ½ of the its dining area & were quite loud in our conversations & laughter.

As w/​all other Unilocal events, this UYE was no exception in bringing together Unilocalers for good fellowship & good food! I had an awesome & fun time in getting to know fellow Unilocalers even more & making new Unilocaler friends. For those who are non-​Yelpers reading this review, trust me — I never thought that Unilocalers were real people w/​such kind hearts who include you in the Unilocal community as though they are your family. Events like this UYE makes Unilocaling worthwhile by gaining new friends & experiencing places/​venues that you never knew existed before, while having fun at the same time. Join us at the next Unilocal event!


Muchas gracious to Lori & Brian for an excellent, well-​planned, & organized UYE! What a wonderful way to spend a Sunday!

«What’s a UYE?»
UYE: Unofficial Unilocal Event, open to all Unilocalers (Elite, non-​Elite, newbies, and their +1s) where you pay for your own meal (vs the CMYE or Official Unilocal parties which are FREE). EAT AND HAVE FUN.
«But it says BYOB, what if I don’t have anything to bring?»
For today’s event, BYOB: Brian’s Your Official Boozemaster!
Brian was ready for this one. He had cute little shot glasses and bomb cups (?) for Sake bombs, tequila shots, and I don’t even know what else was going around! He definitely was serving it up in style!
«Can I come and just get my food and leave? What if I don’t know anyone?»
Perfect! More reason to stay! Unilocalers really are just a bunch of regular people who love to eat and have fun. We don’t fit into any set of demographics. We are male, female, young, old, and everything in between. I didn’t know ANY of these people either before. Now they are all my extra sets of eyes and ears. They have found me some great deals, posted droolworthy pics, sent me videos that made me laugh, checked into places I would never find on my own, shown me secret places to go to in other cities, and just the other day saved me from pooping in my pants. You just never know when you’ll need your Unilocal family.
Thank you to Tarah and the amazing staff at Verde for the great food! I loved the Mexican Loco Moco and the Al Pastor nachos, both of which I stole from other people’s plates (thank you Sandra and Vivian!). I snuck in a few bites of the smoked brisket nachos from Karla and Russ M which were great too! I wanted to eat Michael C’s burrito (wait, did that sound right?) but didn’t act fast enough so instead I asked Ryan M — I wanna your horchata! Susan F — more videos please! Judy, Cathy, Gary (and sister and Kenta), Denise, Julia, Ed, Davey, Jo, Terry, Santi, Michelle, Joe, Grant, Maka, Nimai, Jayson, Bubs, Kimo, Jacob, Emi, Michael, Izzy — I’m sorry I didn’t get to steal some of your food-​I mean talk with you longer! And to Kyle H, my first Unilocal-​friend I met IRL, thanks for always motivating me. Eat. Workout. Eat. Workout.
Thank you and hugs to Brian M for bringing all these fabulous people together to kick back today at Verde. You are the HOSTESS WITH THE MOSTESS! Wonderful first UYE, it was great to see all my favorite yeeps today!

Brian and Lori did an amazing job putting together this UYE event, and it sure helped that the Verde staff were so sweet and welcoming! Good food and BYOB also contribute to the greatness of this event. A chill Sunday well-​spent, thanks guys!
Also, Lori’s chocolate mochi was magical… I would have tackled that pan for more If I wasn’t so full from my Mexican loco moco!

Another fun UYE, this time a «Kick Back Sunday» @ Verde in Kaimuki… What better way to spend a leisurely late morning/​early afternoon than with a group of the nicest, coolest Unilocalers around! Everyone who came out had a great time and enjoyed some delicious Mexican food and drinks… I had a great time chatting and drinking with this group of awesome Unilocalers– each and every one of you, and even if I didn’t get the chance to introduce myself, it was just plain awesome seeing everyone with a smile! We had one section of the restaurant reserved for our group and had a great time! I’d like to thank my pal, Brian M. and his co-​host, Lori I. for putting this event together! You two were awesome! A lot of hard work went into it and their efforts paid off! We all had a super good time! Again, to my fellow Unilocalers, it was so nice hanging out with all of you, you folks are the best! See you all soon!

Epically awesome! What a perfect day to have a UYE and in Kaimuki too! Thanks to Unilocal Elites Brian M and Lori I, whom hosted this fantastic event on the first Sunday of July 2013. Many of who’s who in the Hawaii’s Unilocal Elite community were in attendance, including Emi H, the venerable Community Manager of Unilocal Honolulu. That was pretty awesome! There must’ve been a good solid 30 people who showed up. The event started at 10am, with a few people already there, but eventually blew up with majority of Unilocalers at about 11am. There were many friends and Unilocalers along to meet and greet. Host Lori created this social mixer game where we had to match whatever category food Verde had on the menu with its actual food counter part. That was fun, although my match found me, when I wasn’t really looking for it. Just happened to be like that anyhow. Easier that way anyway. Lol. All in all, it was a great time to spend on a lazy midmorning, that dragged onto mid afternoon. Great way to spend a Sunday, no doubt!
This UYE event was held @ the Verde Kaimuki, located on Waialae Avenue in Kaimuki town. Next door is Azteca Mexican restaurant and the new Honolulu Nugat Chocolate company. Verde Kaimuki used to be known as BC Burrito one time or another, but I think the new name is a great change for them. The menu is great, since you can get anything and everything. Everything is served and made to order whenever you feel like it. Breakfast, lunch, or dinner. BYOB here and there was plenty of liquor here. Mostly bought by Brian M, I think. I hadn’t planned on eating here, since I ate before I came, but as it turned out, a few Unilocalers who couldn’t finish their own plates had offered me what was left over and that was awesome. Thanks Bubs & Vivian H. for sharing! Always a pleasure to talk to Unilocal Elite Denise D, whom I discovered lived really close to me. I was floored. Lol.
It was definitely a festive atmosphere today and a great way to mingle with other Unilocal elites. Almost like meeting up with other marathoners at a race, this is basically like that with Unilocal.The second best thing I love to do is Unilocal events, whenever possible. Thanks also to Brian H for the shots at the end of the meal, when everything was winding down and I got a couple of shots of vodka before we all closed shop for the day. Maka K, Grant S., Jacob N., Sandra K., and I walked on over to the newly relocated Otto Cake around the corner on Koko Head Avenue (next to Sconee’s Bakery) for dessert. I knew that they relocated to Kaimuki, but I didn’t know exactly where before, but now I do! I didn’t get any cheese cake from Otto’s today, but I can easily come back, as I live in Kaimuki anyhow. I think I actually had the nachos twice @ Verdes Kaimuki. One with beef and the other with pork. That was a fabulous meal, even though I ate whatever was left. So good though. It was filling no doubt and I had fun mingling with everyone who attended.
The restaurant itself was large and small at the same time. It felt like it was a café, restaurant, and a lounge at the same time. There were the booths on the left side of the restaurant, as well as individual tables on the right side of the restaurant. We were at times loud, but all in all, it was festive. I’m pretty positive that when our Unilocal group was here, business gradually picked up for the restaurant as a whole, since I noticed people coming in and ordering that were not part of our Unilocal UYE. So that was great. I have been to Verde Kaimuki a few times, but for takeout only. I really like their big burritos for breakfast only, so I would need to come back soon for another helping. Definitely was an amazing time with fellow Unilocal enthusiasts and hope to be at the next one fairly soon, if not traveling or training for another marathon. Yup, I’m one of those crazy people. :)
Thanks also to super Elite Russell M for teachin me how to host a UYE. Maybe sometime down the road.
Support local!
A+

Whoa Brian M & Lori I… You guys know how to host a UYE! I show up and Brian introduces me to everyone and starts handing over the booze! Haha, that boozy horchata was tasty even though I couldn’t drink most of it!
This was my first time to Verde so it was great being able to try it out in the comfort of fellow Unilocalers. I’m glad I did because my al pastor nachos was HUGE and needed lots of help eating it (Thanks Lori I and Ed L)!
Just as I was about to get going, a few people made a quick stop at Otto Cake’s new location. Alas as much as I love me a cheesecake, I was stuffed from my nachos!
It was great meeting a few more peeps IRL! Thanks Brian & Lori for putting this together!
PS– Lori made a mean chocolate mochi… Mmmmmmm

AND… it’s happy hour somewhere in the world right now! And Right now, it’s at VERDE
Breakfast, lunch and dinner menu available all day and the specials! Today was brisket of beef… The food was terrific. Good sized portions with good taste and good, neat preparations. Best sellers seemed to be the Breakfast Burrito (wrapped in a spinach toritilla), Breakfast quesadilla with your choice of meat (I had the chorizo) and Breakfast taco (I had the grilled beef). ALL OUTSTANDING Kudos to the Verde staff.
Aloha to Brian M and Lori I for planning such a great Sunday outing and UYE. The mixer game today was find your dish! Lori I pasted a sticker naming what plate you are and you had to find your match!!! Great way to meet those you have met! and to those you have not yet met! Good Job Lori I.
And thank you Ryan M for the great beverage
Yep! No public restrooms… But Brian M knew the way to one facility LOL. We all had a great time with food, fellowship and fun.
Of course! One could not end the day without a shot of tequila and a lime wedge to chase that tequila. Like I said, it was happy hour at Verde today!

I want to Thank my Host Partner Lori I. and the Staff of Verde for «Awesome» job they did in preparation for our UYE!
The turn out was mind blowing and it felt like a Elite Event with everyone bonding and the noise level pretty high… lol!
For myself and I know that Lori feels the same really appreciate and send out Unilocal Love for everyone that came out!
If you know me then you that this was no «Virgin Drink» UYE, but it did’t matter because the bond that Unilocalers have is greater than anything 100+ Proof drink Shot!
@Thank You Lori I. and Verde for being well prepared for our large gang!!!