Elite Event: Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse

«Is it just me or are there less Asians here?» Well hello there Jersey elites!
This event was more Deep Eddy Vodka featuring the-terrace-that-Davio’s-shares-with-the-hotel. That night was one of the warmer nights of the week, so it was a pity that the screen was up. But that view was definitely something.
The cocktails were also definitely something. I don’t know if it was the alcohol that tasted like fruit juice but the servers were chipper and sassy and everything a server should be.(The pin-​up dresses helped.)
As for the food, it was scarce — even scarcer than regular Unilocal events. Perhaps everyone was expecting steak bites? Either way, we had to fight for some meatballs and crackers. But god damn if that wasn’t a good meatball.
Despite not being one of the ten lucky winners, I had a great time thanks to some new strangers turned friends. Always great to see some new faces as these things! So a big thanks to Ruggy, Deep Eddy’s Vodka, and partially Davio’s’s (I know this must be grammatically correct, but is it?) terrace for a great event!

Thanks for letting this Dallas elite in on a NYC event! I do agree the space was compact and it was very hot but the drinks were delicious to help cool us down! Then I got super excited to win the dinner. I couldn’t finish it all though and shared with some fellow Unilocalers who enjoyed it! My plus one enjoyed his meal and was still raving about the pumpkin dessert! Davio’s was awesome to host us and thank you Ruggy for an awesome event!

The drinks from Deep Eddy’s were the star of this event. Something yummy for everyone. The cocktail servers were friendly as were the servers from Davio’s serving small bites. I was positioned in the middle of the space, so it seemed like you had to be near the door to snag some good bites. I had a meatball, a small bite of the tomato caprese, and the crostini. All good, but wish there was a bit more bigger bites of food to absorb the alcohol. Ruggy, great job organizing the event! Nice to see other Unilocaler’s IRL.

I have to give kudos to Christopher M. for writing a spot-​on review and to everyone else who mentioned how hot it was in the space. I didn’t even have to write anything because you’ve said it all!
Congrats to those who won the Chef’s Dinner, it looked absolutely amazing!

With a view like that, how can I not give it five stars.
I don’t mean the view of Manhattan. Please… been there done that. I mean the view of that chefs menu after I won the free dinner. I could stare at that for days. You can too, just look at my pictures.
Alright, alright, enough being a sore winner.
Sometimes luck is just in your corner. I was running late to the event because someone got sick on the 4 train. How rude? Get sick somewhere else buddy. Besides, does anyone care about disease spreading around the subway system in New York City, these days? Due to the fact I was late, my sister also came a bit later and she was the one lucky enough to grab the ticket that was selected. She’s the real winner… to be my sibling of course.
Within five minutes she was ready to leave. Not the best start to her first Unilocal event. As some people mentioned, it was hot. Something I didn’t see some people mention was how bad the acoustics were. The heat we were able to manage. We stayed by the front of the room, where some air was traveling in and out. Eventually we cooled off. Some vodka helped as well. The drinks available were delicious, yet super sugary. After awhile I switched to just club and vodka.
The staff at the event were really working hard. Imagine, if you were in that mess and were lucky enough to be fed food and drink while you just stood around, what do you think it was like for those people? Kudos to them.
The small bites were tasty. The crab cakes were good if you got to eat them. Half the time I saw someone attempt to pick one up with a tooth pick, only to have it crumble and fall on the floor. Some people tried to catch it. One girl attempted to cup it with her hand, completely forgetting she had a drink in her hand. She quickly apologized for spilling her glass all over the floor, but didn’t seem to realize she left some people a little damp. The kobe meatballs were delicious. The marinara sauce was fantastic. Each time I saw an empty plate of meatballs, I saw a huge amount of left over sauce. I wish I had a huge piece of Italian bread to dip into it. The egg rolls were good, but seemed a bit out of place for a steakhouse.
As I mentioned, I was lucky enough to get into the chef’s table dinner.
After two hours of drinking vodka, I was then drinking bottomless glasses of wine. This was going to be a long night. The first dish, the baby beets, I didn’t care for. Everything else though was amazing. The star was the second course, grilled octopus. Some of the best I ever had. The linguini and clams were stupendous. And what steakhouse would be complete without some filet mignon. Superb! My gut is gonna be paying for this for awhile. To top everything off we had pumpkin panna cotta, with a graham cracker.
I left, happy, full and slightly disoriented. My sister insisted I take a cab back with her and back to Brooklyn we went.
Thank you to the staff at Davios. I had an amazing experience and I will be sure to return. Thank you to the staff at Deep Eddy. You guys works hard to ensure our thirsts were quenched. And a big thanks to Ruggy. May the San Francisco Giants continue their role of winning in even numbered years.

This was the first time I’ve been to a Unilocal elite event this high up in the Manhattan Skyline. The view alone was worth the trip.
I was actually expecting a bigger room, possibly with an outdoor area but I never felt overly stuffy. As one other eliter’s noted getting food at first was a taxing experience but as more people left it actually was pretty easy to sample everything.
I only drank the raspberry vodka mix from Deep Eddy and it was tasty. The servers were very friendly and on top of their game. As for the food, I really liked the meatballs the most. The egg rolls were good and the tomato basil bites while tiny were quite delectable.
My only minor complaint was the food choice. I was expecting to sample some type of beef, being a steak house. But the appetizers were probably reason enough to try Davio’s out in the future.

This was my first Elite event and it was pretty cool. Hi5 to Ruggy, Deep Eddy’s Vodka and Davio’s for putting this together.
The exclusive entrance to the event was super cool. When I arrived the Davio’s hostess directed my +1 and I to another employee. He then escorted us to a back private elevator then sent us up to the 27^th floor.
The cocktails provided by Deep Eddy’s was totally what needed after a long day at work. I’m giving this event three stars because I honestly think Davio’s could have done a lot more to really «sell» their restaurant.
Being on the deck was lovely, we were able to enjoy the views. However, it was really really realllllly HOT!!!
Now on to the food… There was a small selection of basic appetizers. The meatballs and egg rolls were delicious. But I thought there would have more a lot more options especially for an Italian Steakhouse.
Upon leaving my +1 and I checked their menu outside to maybe find something that would have us go back.
Would I come back? As of right now I’m not sure!

Thanks to Ruggy, Deep Eddy’s Vodka and Davio’s for putting this event together.
The cocktails provided by Deep Eddy Vodka and Davio’s bartenders were delicious. There was a raspberry lemonade and a grapefruit variety and both drinks were awesome and plentiful.
The food presented included meat balls, crab cakes, shrimp and pastrami egg rolls, and mascarpone-​truffle crackers. Of those, I only tried the mascarpone-​truffle crackers, which were great.
The space on the rooftop had amazing views. Like other reviewers have said, I wish there was more temperature control and it would have been a perfect night to have an open rooftop! I also wish a chef, owner, or a manager would have introduced themselves and told us a bit about Davio’s, because even after this event, I didn’t feel I got a good idea of the downstairs restaurant’s offerings.
Sadly, I did not win the private dinner, but I did meet some new Elites and I got to mingle with some old friends. Thank you again to everyone involved in planning such a nice event.

Hehe Ruggy making magic again.
Despite a serious lack in protein at a Steakhouse, so far this is my favorite event. I don’t typically care for vodka but when it’s this smooth and plentiful, I’m not complaining. What really made my night was the company of strangers turned friends… and the bathroom. There’s just something about having a view when you’re handling your business. But seriously, great company these guys; I’ve never seen a couple more excited about brunch and Welsh Corgis, aaaaaaaaaaand I think I made friends I can get burgers in NJ with: D
Side Note: I just discovered a Bachata cover for Careless Whisper

Super big thanks to Ruggy for another great Elite Unilocal NYC– Manhattan event!
Aside from gorgeous views of Midtown Manhattan from the swanky 27^th floor terrace, Davios in partnership with the group served some pretty awesome samplers. Staff was friendly and always warm!
Only downside was that it was SOOOOOO HOT and stuffy inside! :(
My +1 and I will be back for scallops.

For me this was a 2 part event as the main event was the cocktail /​happy hour that was on the roof terrace. The space is catered towards party’s for Davio’s and opens up during warm weather. It’s a nice space for a groups or parties with scenic midtown skyline. I also was lucky enough to be Hansel B.‘s +1 as he won the chef’s table dinner. Thanks again!
Cocktail Hour:
Highlights to me were the kobe meatballs and it was definitely the marinara sauce that really made it a great dish. I wanted to sop up the sauce with bread as there was so much great sauce left on the platter as they took it away when it was empty. Other standouts were the pastrami spring rolls. Flavorful and crispy along with the sauce. The Deep Eddy vodka was also a highlight as the southbound greyhound cocktail was my favorite with grapefruit, lime, and vodka. Wonderful service and hosting by the staff at davio and deep eddy as well. The space was a bit tight with the amount of folks there and get a bit hot with the unseasonably warm weather but i could imagine it being a nice party spot with the windows open on the terrace.
There was also plenty of passed around cocktail hour bites and cocktails. Plenty still towards the end of the event which also was great.
Chef’s Table Dinner:
As the 10 winners made it to the main restaurant area we were seated at a long chef’s table in front of the kitchen. It was great seeing all the staff and chef’s working on our meals and the meals of the establishment. We were wonderfully taken care of as each course was explained and Davio house red and white wines were offered as well as Deep Eddy cocktails. 5 courses were presented to us and the standouts to me that really represented the restaurant were the Roasted beets and goat cheese course. Beets were pickled great and it matched well with the almond crusted goat cheese. The grilled spanish octopus, wonderfully seasoned and charred. Super tender and matched well with the grilled artichokes. The filet mignon was tender and cooked perfectly and matched well with the charred cauliflower. Topping it off was the pumpkin panna cotta. Topped with a great nut crumble and a pumpkin flavor. Nice way to top off the meal. Wonderful house wine was also served. The red (cabernet savignon) that i had was flowing all night.
Great staff and service and Chef Chad Brown and his staff did a great job of preparing our meal. It’s definitely a great steakhouse spot for midtown and suits the area well. Will try to make it back for other parts of the menu. Met some new Unilocalers and caught up with some old which is always nice to see them.
Thanks again to Ruggy, Davio’s, Unilocal,and Deep Eddy event hosts for setting up yet another great event.

Major thanks to Ruggy for coordinating and welcoming me and my plus one into this event! The space was enjoyable, and the event itself a fun success.
However, the success was only due to the excellence of the Deep Eddy crew, who served up a great product with just the right amount of flare and salesmanship.
Unfortunately, I didn’t leave the event with any idea of what Davio’s has to offer beyond a very nice hostess, nice looking dining room (which also has a romantic feel), attractive staff, business-​appropriate year-​round rooftop, and a nice balsamic reduction.
Reason being, this was truly the first restaurant event I’ve ever been to where menu items weren’t strongly highlighted. The American Style Kobe Beef Meatballs were quite nice. Though a fellow Unilocaler perfectly summed up this and all other passed appetizers perfectly, by saying, «Doesn’t get more American than this!»
But we were at an event meant to showcase a Northern Italian steakhouse… and were given standard catering passed apps we could get anywhere, easily make at home, or find in the freezer case at Costco (this refers to the egg rolls; I still can’t figure out why they were present in this setting).
Their menu has plenty of options which could have been presented on tasting spoons, let alone steak options which could have been sliced into small samplings with toothpicks. This would have given us a taste of Northern Italy, shown us what Davio’s has to offer to the NYC steakhouse scene, and really hyped us up to make it desirable to come back and dine with friends, dates, and family, or at least encourage folks to try this steakhouse over other options throughout the city.
But, after leaving this event, I could not rightfully recommend to anyone that Davio’s does steak, seafood, pasta/​risotto, or much besides hospitality well, regardless of how amazing they may be. I’m rather disappointed to feel that a 2-​star rating for the event is appropriate, as I truly appreciate all of the hard work put into creating and launching the event, and I was really hoping to be wowed by small bites which would seduce me into trying Davio’s as a paying customer.
Perhaps I will do so, if curiosity ever gets the better of me. Sadly, at this point, the event worked more to turn me off than to entice me to give them my business, let alone encourage others to do the same.

Great event as always!
Loved the space and would definitely consider having a work event here.
I only tried the meatballs, but they were amazing. The other apps being passed around looked really yummy and were presented nicely.
I tried both cocktails… LOVE Deep Eddy’s…so glad they’re finally in NYC. Being a TX girl, I’ve really missed it in NYC!
My friend and I were bummed we didn’t win the drawing for the private dinner, but that’s OK, we’ll just have to eat there another time.
Can’t wait to come back and check out the restaurant.
Cute space, CHECK. Yummy food, CHECK. Great drinks, CHECK!

This event would have been so much cooler (literally) if the restaurant had decided to open up the roof! Despite being a bit cramped, I still had a pretty good time. Tried both the Southbound Greyhound and the Texas Raz from Deep Eddy Vodka (which I’ve never heard of before and I drink a lot of vodka). Both drinks were okay.. .. The raspberry flavored one was a bit tart and the grapefruit was a bit bitter. I think it was just the mixers’ fault and a heavy pour on the mix can make for a sour experience. But I preferred the greyhound for the most part since that’s an actual drink. Apparently, Deep Eddy comes from Austin, Texas and is distilled using Texas Corn! ha. That has me so freaking intrigued! The ladies working the event were phenomenal and never let me go empty handed the entire night. Also, their polka-​dot dresses were adorable and almost inquired if they came from modcloth.
Was only a little disappointed with the array of appetizers. With it being a steak house I was hoping to try a teeny tiny morsel of their most prized items on their menu, even if I didn’t win the spectacular dinner raffle. The meatballs, egg rolls stuffed with either shrimp or pastrami and cheese, mini crab cakes, asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, and some kind of truffle cheese brioche were still pretty tasty, even though I think I leaped over someone for one or two items. Met some new Unilocalers even, when I’ve thought I met you all! I would like to thank Steph P. for inviting me as her guest. Wink. You are a swell date. Also, I would like to thank the random Unilocalers for finding m&ms in the backroom and sharing the love. And of course Ruggy for another great event!

This was my first Manhattan Elite event and it was a success for mingling and meeting other Elites (and hopefully future Elites)!
I enjoyed both of the cocktails that Deep Eddy mixed up, though the tart Southbound Greyhound was my favorite.
Obtaining bites proved to be a test of tactical skill. Though I loved observing the view from the middle of the terrace, the servers were picked clean by the time they reached us. We were able to move closer to the entrances to try the meatballs, egg rolls, mascarpone truffle crackers and mozarella-​tomato-​basil bites.
A big thank you to Ruggy, Deep Eddy’s Vodka and Davio’s for setting up this event and providing the opportunity to chat with fellow Unilocalers.

Such a great night! This was my first elite event, so it was nice to finally put some real faces to some of the reviewers I’ve taken tips from!
Davio’s is a great venue– the restaurant itself is beautiful and elegant, and the rooftop is a wonderful place for an intimate event. It was hot with so many people, so if there would’ve been any way of opening up the windows it would’ve been perfect.
The bites being passed around were gone before the servers made it out more than 5 feet into the crowd– it was best to be positioned strategically in order to get some of the appetizers. They were in high demand because they were so delicious! The meatballs were super tender and flavorful. The spring rolls were really good and very different! They made a Reuben spring roll with pastrami and a Russian dipping sauce, and they made a shrimp/​shellfish roll that had a slightly spicy but creamy dipping sauce. Both delicious and unexpected from an Italian restaurant. The little truffled bruscettas were also delicious– the topping tasted like a marscapone-​mushroom-​truffle blend. Delicious.
The cocktails from Deep Eddy were great, too! I loved the muddled raspberry drink, especially– it was nice to get a taste of fresh fruit with your drink.
Overall, great event! Just wish we had won the dinner post-​event, I’m sure it was amazing!

Really great event. actually more like two events in one
1. rooftop event
2. chef’s tasting — raffle for 10 people to have dinner downstairs
Rooftop:
The space had a nice view and I can see it being great during the summer for a small crowd. Two things that didn’t work well — too many people for the space and it was hot!
The crew from Deep Eddy had some great vodka. The ladies serving were friendly and encouraging us to multiple servings :)
There were plenty of food coming around all night. Not sure if the food was meant to highlight the restaurant or a catering venue… none of it screamed Italy.
Chef’s tasting:
This is where this event sets itself apart. 10 of us got to stick around and have a full chefs tasting downstairs. It was 5 courses, sitting right in front of the kitchen while they prepared everything.
Menu: Beet/​goad cheese salad, Spanish octopus, linguini with clams, filet mignon and pumpkin panna cotta.
The Spanish octopus and filet mignon were the highlights for me. octopus was easy to cut, not rubbery at all. The steak was like butter, amazing!
Servers were very attentive, the fellow Unilocalers were extra happy (thanks to free flowing drinks upstairs and wine at the restaurant)… overall a great experience.
The chef’s tasting is what puts this event for me at 5 stars, now I have a good idea of what Davios is all about.

Best way to end a long day at work is with a few drinks and a beautiful rooftop view — both of which I was able to experience at this event.
When we walked into the restaurant, one of the employees directed us to the elevator and had to key us up to the last floor of the building, definitely VIP status. We were greeted by Ruggy and Guy (who works for Deep Eddy Vodka, the vodka used in our cocktails for the night). Another elite (sorry, I am so bad with remembering names after a few drinks) and I were the first to arrive with our plus ones — yay us. Guy gave us a brief background on Deep Eddy Vodka, then directed us to the lovely women serving our drinks. The drinks were refreshing. After the room filled up, a couple of servers came out with trays of small bites. Meatballs, spring rolls, prosciutto wrapped asparagus — my fave was the shrimp spring rolls.
This was my second elite event. I hope my next one brings great drinks, cool people and chill vibes like this one did.

Great turn out at Davio’s tonight! Just wish they would have opened up the rooftop since it was perfect weather out and SOOOOOO HOT and stuffy inside. Waste of a beautiful night! I had to leave right after the raffle because I was too hot :(
Yummy cocktails from Deep Eddy!
Some finger foods from Davio’s including spring rolls (shrimp and bacon), crab cakes (my favorite), meatballs (yum!), truffle crostini (great flavor, but too chewy versus crispy), and prosciutto with asparagus.
It was nice meeting some new faces/​elites and seeing some old folks as well.
Thanks to Ruggy and all those at Deep Eddy and Davio’s who helped put this one together! Just wish I could have had the full experience — congrats to those who won!

How else would you spend your Tuesday school night other than attend a swanky Unilocal NYC-​Manhattan elite event!
Davio’s Northern Italian steakhouse in Midtown east boasts a multilevel dining area and a 27^th floor terrace with the Beaux-​Arts architecture of Grand Central Terminal as your backdrop.
Those samplers just kept on coming like crab meat, spring rolls etc. Big thanks to Ruggy and his team for putting together a great party at Davio’s. It’s always nice to catch up with fellow Unilocalers and meeting with new ones while sipping those Deep Eddy’s vodka cocktails!