Elite Event: First Look For Foodies – The Return

What an amazing event! Thanks to Matt for yet again hosting a most epic Unilocal Elite extravaganza!
This was a kickoff to the Taste of KC, with some of the best restaurants in town showing off their prized dishes. The cuisine was quite diverse: steakhouses, Mexican, fish, Italian, European bistro, TWO sushi restaurants, and BBQ amongst the litany of restaurants on the list.
Thankfully, this event had a limited guest list — I liked how the setting had high top and low tables to eat and mingle at. The limited number of guests allowed made it so that we could leisurely eat, drink, and mingle without having to rush for the food. The location was at the beautiful Gallery — complete with swanky lounge seating!
And OMG the food! How could you not love stuffing your face with fresh sushi, lobster mac and cheese, crab cakes and chocolate souffles, and then washing it down with tons of tasty wines! Let’s just say I went home happy, and with a big belly ache afterwards from all the gluttony, but it was most definitely worth it!
My favorites would have to have been:
1. Capitol Grille — chocolate soufflé and lobster mac and cheese were epic
2. Maker’s Mark — they actually had a really tasty chicken and dumplings dish
3. Drunkenfish — even though I think Nara overall makes better sushi and their service is waaaay better, Drunkenfish really delivered tonight, and had really great rolls! They also addressed their bad rep for service and seemed earnest about improving their service at their locations.
4. YaYa’s Bistro: they also had a potpie-​like dish, and a seafood soup, which were great! I just heard that their restaurant will be closed for awhile and moving locations, so it was lucky to get the chance to try them.
5. Marv’s donuts: can we say, maple bacon and chocolate mint donuts!
6. Bristol: crab cakes!
The best wine of the night had to be the Estancia from my home state of California. Paso Robles and Mendocino Cty truly make the best wines in the USA!
Again, best event of the past year! Thanks again to our fearless leader, Matt, for his hard work!!! You rock!

Even more amazing than last year’s Restaurant Week event, I really enjoyed Unilocal’s First Look for Foodies. I love getting a first look at the restaurants that participate in the Restaurant Week promotion!
The event space at the Gallery was amazing, providing plenty of space to mingle with other Elites and sit to enjoy the tasty food. All the food and premium wines were very good, but my ultimate pick was the lobster mac and cheese from the Capitol Grille. So creamy and rich with a nice textural element from the panko topping. I also enjoyed the tacos from Taco Revolution and the sushi from Nara. Overall all the restaurants really represented, and it got me planning my Restaurant Week dinners for sure! This event was a great way to kick off another fun year as a Unilocal Elite.

A lovely, lovely evening to kick off Restaurant Week. The Gallery is a truly beautiful space, and one that I’ll look forward to visiting again. The food was uniformly awesome… Capital Grille, as usual, hit it out of the park with the lobster mac-​n-​cheese & the decadent chocolate gâteau, but we also really liked the crab cakes from Bristol. And the paella. And the donuts. Well, everything, actually. It’s going to be an awesome week for gourmands in KC!
Thanks Matt for putting together another top-​notch event, you da man.

This event was my favorite event to date and last year’s First Look For Foodies was hard to top!
The event space was simply lovely and there was room to roam which made it very pleasant and it actually seemed more conducive to mingling. Holy &*^%, there was some great food there! Crab cakes from the Bristol, US Foods steak and the flourless chocolate cake from The Capitol Grille were some standouts for me. On top of all of that, I had a fabulous glass of wine, too!
I also got to meet some Unilocalers I had never met before and really enjoyed talking with them. A huge thank you to Matt, The Gallery and all of the restaurants and vendors who helped to make the evening a huge success!

Another great event from Unilocal and Matt E.
I definitely preferred this year’s event over last year’s.
Plenty of veggie or at least pescatarian friendly choices, e.g., the yummy, decadent lobster mac and cheese from Capitol Grille, sushi from Nara and Drunken Fish, crab cakes from Bristol, plain Mac and Cheese from Westside Local, donuts and chocolate cake.
The wine choices were quite good, although the pours were pretty petite.
The venue was gorgeous and I got to talk to several fellow Unilocal Elites.
Great gift bags.
My only suggestions would be to add more veggie fare and it seemed a lot of people missed having a beer option.
So glad I could attend this!

I really loved my first Elite event and I’m so glad to have met so many of you and put real life faces to the names on my computer screen.
What a beautiful event space. Nice views outside. Spacious, sit down tables and standing cocktail tables galore. I’m very grateful for all the wonderful food and feel really lucky to have been chosen to come to these events. See everyone soon!
Well done, Matt.

This was an amazing event! I loved everything about it. The venue was gorgeous. If I only it were nicer out so we could’ve enjoyed the balcony. I wish I would’ve listened and come hungry. I was almost full before I made it to half the restaurants! All of the restaurants were super generous with their portions. My favorites were Drunken Fish, Capital Grille and Bristol’s. This event was really a great first look to Restaurant Week. The coupons we received will definitely make it even more enjoyable! Thanks for everything Matt!!!

The space was great, I really liked the open feel. We’ve had events at pretty much every type of place: cozy and dark, light and cozy, lots of nooks to hide in, wide open… This one fell into that wide open category and was a great compliment to the type of event — or at least what I hoped to get out of it.
My 5 objectives:
Get in AND keep my schedule from blowing up so I could show up
Meet Unilocalers I see online but have never met
Try some food
Talk to restaurants about their menus
Drink wine
Check, check, check, check, and check.
With the passing of every Elite Event, I go home and begin to see the posts and reviews of the other Elite Unilocalers who went and I always (always) say to my self «dammit! _​_​_​_​_​_​_​was there? I should have said hi». I only did slightly better this time.
Great job Matt!

What a way to kick of 2014 Elite events! A great way to see restaurants that I’d hadn’t considered before (price tends to be an issue) and to see new and old faces!
I have to say that out of all the restaurants featured I loved loved loved Capital Grill. Lobster Mac and Cheese and Flourless Chocolate Espresso Cake. Delicious! anc completely screwed up my clean eating. But completely worth it. If I could have I would have dragged my chair over to their table and just chowed down the whole night.
Other memorable foods/​restaurants: Bristol’s crab cakes, Drunken Fish’s and Nara’s Sushi rolls, Tacos from Taco Place. The chicken and dumplings from Maker’s Mark was delirious too… but would have been nicer to have had them pop open the bottles of Maker’s Mark on their table. Honestly I would have gone back for seconds if I wasn’t full.
Not to mention the wine selections — it was wonderful to be able to sample different wines.
It was a great event and the space was gorgeous too! And the parking at this event was pretty awesome too (namely tho whole don’t need to pay for it since Unilocal Elite).
Great event Matt! Can’t wait to see what the next event will be like!

Unilocal’s First Look for Foodies «Restaurant Week» is quickly becoming my favorite Unilocal tradition. Thank you, Matt and participating restaurants, for making this event a smashing success. Here is my recap of the «stars» of the night:
* Free Parking near the venue
* The Gallery is a beautiful event space, chairs were comfortable, there was plenty of space, and the servers clearing tables were efficient.
* The food was delicious. While I LOVE me some Westside Local, their mac and cheese does not measure up to that of Capital Grille. I felt a little bad for them for having booths next to each other while serving a similar dish. Capital Grille’s lobster mac was amazing, as usual. I also loved the crab cake by Bristol.
* My Unilocaler friends rock, I love hanging out with you guys, and it’s fun to meet new Unilocalers, too.
* Schhhwaag Bag.
* The music made me want to dance. If I would have had more wine, I’m certain I would have started a dance party, which leads me to the negative of the night…
Things I didn’t love:
* I love the idea of a wine pairing, however, didn’t love the «tasting size» pour. Fill er’ up, sir…, I’m Jen «Generous Pour» D. Didn’t get the name from drinking one ounce sips of wine.
Great event. I look forward to next year!

Such a fun event, I wish I would have spent as time meeting other Unilocalers as I did enjoying the food. But I got to know some of the people at my table.
Loved Capital Grill and making my reservation there today for Restaurant week. But bummed that the DELISH lobster mac n cheese isn’t on their Pre-​fix menu. I would have eaten plates of that if I didn’t have my diet conscious on my shoulder last night.
Oh and their flour less chocolate espresso cake, melt in my mouth goodness, I wanted more of that too. Capital Grill knocked it out of the park last night.
I also loved the Bristol’s crab cake, lots of real crab and not filler like at some places.
And the Chicken and Dumplings at Marker’s Mark, that flavor was incredible. I don’t order a lot of homestyle dishes like this when I go out. The rosemary and other flavors really made this dish stand out. It was yummy.
Man I could keep going on and I did last night. What a great event Matt with amazing food. It was a privilege to get to go!
The setting was fun too, liked the Gallery event space. Great setting down town, liked the variety of group round tables, tall tables and the couches. Nicely decorated and enjoyed the music too.
Way to go Matt!

A great way to start the 2014 Elite Events. This event had it all… great food, delicious wine, a beautiful space, amazing Unilocalers, and a bag of goodies to enjoy later.
I am very exited about Restaurant Week now, if the food that I sampled was any indication of what I can anticipate. My favorites were the Bristol’s crab cake, the Capital Grille’s lobster mac and chocolate torte, and the yummy steak and kale dish from US Foods. Wish I would have had more room… so I could have eaten more donuts, tacos, and other delish bites.
The wine selection was great… I was able to taste quite a few, which allowed me to deviate from my normal malbec selection.
The event space and the wonderful Unilocal attendees were great. I got to meet a few new people and catch-​up with some old friends.
To top it off, I left with a bag full of coupons and gift cards… so I can enjoy the Unilocal bounty later as well.
Thanks Matt… this was great!

I agree with Chris G., the free event parking in the lot behind the location was super convenient! The Gallery was really nice and I can see why special events are held there.
I had a great time helping my table companions load up the table with all kinds of goodies. I was on some kind of sushi kick and had quite a bit from Nara and Drunken Fish. I have to agree with the majority of reviewers — Capital Grille received the gold star from me. The flourless chocolate cake was superb and I’m not a huge chocolate fan. I also appreciated the variety of wines as well as soda.
My one gripe, is there didn’t seem to be enough veggie items for non-​meat eaters.
Otherwise, kudos to Matt and to KC Restaurant Week! It was a great kick off to start the week-​ish of gluttony at local restaurants.

My Very Third Unilocal Event…
Insane in the membrane. Insane in the brain!
This review I will adjust my format for Unilocal Event reviews and focus on Winners and Losers.
*Winners*:
Capital Grille… Everyone has said it… Lobster Mac&Cheese + Chocolate
IDK how Kristen can say she wanted another piece, because those pieces were already HUGE in relation to the naughtiness it packed per ounce! Yes those chocolate desserts were NAUGHTY!
Nara… Wakame sushi… I havent had this in a long time… Its simple to make, but the taste reminded me of home! We buy this stuff in large-​ish quantities at home and nom nom nom on it. And a little history… Wakame was grown in Japan starting the Nara period. Which is also the same period where the first written reference to «sushi» is discovered.
US Foods… The combination of flavors and quality of steak… Broke da mouth!
Bristols Crab Cakes… I love crab cakes… It was crabby, but so light and refreshing. Not weighed down by typical add-​ons. If crabby patties were real… I bet they taste like this!
The Unilocalers… The Gallery, The food, The friendly chefs and staff from each restaurant, The music, The Unilocal bags, The WINE!!! Spoiled.
Also, I noticed many people going around and meeting others and it felt more welcoming and friendlier than other events I attended.
*Losers*:
The chair I was sitting on… Im just sorry bout it! Luckily he/​she didnt break under all that Force. Force = Mass * Acceleration YOU DO THE MATH!
Matt E… Sorry bout it Matt… I didnt want to put you here, because ultimately youre a winner in the long run with your weight loss competition, as well as all the positive reviews youre getting about the event. That being said… Brah! You missed out… Big Time!!! But a big Mahaloz for putting that ono experience together! And I hope you end up the Biggest Loser! (pun intended)

Top notch event!
Thank you Matt and all the fabulous restaurants that took time to allow us to enjoy their fabulous dishes. I can honestly say there wasn’t anything bad from any of the participants.
The stand out favorites for me were the paella, full of flavor! The crostini, I don’t remember what they said it was, but I really liked them. And the crab cake. You can’t go wrong with a crab cake that is mostly crab and little cake!
I liked the idea of the wine tasting, but being I was driving I only had one taste. I would have went back for a couple of more to make it an actual glass, but the food was too enjoyable to waste my time getting sips of wine. :)
The music selection was great. I told my plus 1 I was going to start dancing and she walked away. I took that as sign that I shouldn’t although she claimed later she didn’t hear me. I did a little toe tapping, shoulder bounces, and some mild chair dancing.
The swag bag was awesome and I love all of the coupons. The lip balm made me smile as I love the citrus smell! The Unilocal Life gloves will come in very handy as my NY resolution was to give up the thug life, fo shizzle.
As always it was great seeing a lot of familiar faces and meeting new people. Always the best part of the events!
The event space is amazing. We never felt crowded at all, it was easy to move around and mingle, and there wasn’t any congestion at any of the tables. The staff did a great job.
I am looking forward to a year of fun events!

My mere words can not express just how spoiled we were tonight.
I was excited when I saw this event pop up on the Elite page. Having gone to this event last year, I knew we were in for a treat. Just like always, Matt exceeded my expectations.
Did we seriously just get endless food from 12 of Kansas City’s best restaurants? Yes, yes we did. I was the fearless leader of the cool table who didn’t let a single crab cake go to waste.
I’m trying to pick my favorite dish of the night and it’s proving to be quite difficult. Everything was beyond excellent. But if I must, I suppose the Lobster Mac and Cheese (Capital Grille), the Espresso Chocolate Dessert (also Capital Grille…), and the Bacon Maple Doughnut from Marv’s really stood out.
3 hours later and my stomach is still full. I’m a happy Unilocaler!

Restaurant Week is a great event I look forward to every year. This Unilocal event solidified the legitimacy of local chefs and their handcrafted creations. There wasn’t much to dislike about this event. Cool space in P&L, good music, and company. Oh, the food was great too. A couple tables stood out the most to me — Westside Local’s Mac and Cheese (Rueben-​ized? Are you kidding me?) and Taco Republic’s tostado and homemade chips and salsa. The Elvis doughnut from Marvs takes the «cake» for the most creative and decadent treat.
Many thanks as always to Matt for organizing and to everyone associated with the event. This was a great way to become more familiar with local RW fare and look forward to Friday’s start.

It was great for Unilocalers to be part of the VIPs that were invited to this event! I was especially thrilled to stumble onto the (free and convenient) VIP parking immediately upon arrival. :) The Unilocal bags had some great swag to various restaurants around town that I’m looking forward to using. I enjoyed the wine bar portion; I would have enjoyed more than a couple swallows of wine, but that allowed me to taste different ones instead of just having one glass of one kind of wine. I even tried to tip, but the wine-​tender refused it!
Many, if not most, of the vendors had more than generous portions for you to try. There were plenty of tables and chairs to make sampling the goods more enjoyable. The servers were right on top of things clearing away the empty glasses and plates.

Amazing venue and amazing way to start the New Unilocal Year!!! Thank you soooo much! It was wonderful scrumptious and perfect!!!
Absolutely loved the food! Can’t wait to try all the restaurants for Restaurant Week! Hopefully will make it around. The wine was paired perfectly with the food as well. Great job Unilocal and Matt E!

I. can’t. move.
Seriously, Matt, I thought I was in for an evening of light «amuse bouche» size plates and a beer maybe. Certainly not cups full of pasta, unlimited wine tasting, and all-​you-​can-​eat doughnuts. So much food that Unilocaler Daughter let me finish her chocolate torte, and we the proud members of the Go Cup Table vowed to bring Tupperware next year.
It was all delicious, all fun, and I’m now faced with way too many choices for Restaurant Week. And tight pants, just like you.
Great job, and can’t wait for the next one!