3rd Annual Holiday Cookie Exchange and Mixer at Bastone!

Forgot to write a review. Oh my goodness.
Anyways, the 3^rd Annual Holiday Cookie Exchange and Mixer was frankly quite great but two things thwarted my experience. My huge-​o-​mongous eye from an infection (I still went because I needed a distraction instead of focusing on the pain egad!) and the fact that naughty santa wasn’t there. JK. I mean yes, it would have been great to have naughty santa but there were a lot of other things that were done superb last year that were done great this year.
I was not able to get to the appetizer table a lot but usually there was little food but everything tasted good. There were 6 options of beers to get and we each got a ticket on the way in. My friend actually ended up with her ticket, my ticket and one of my other elite friend’s ticket and ended up having a great time ;) But I enjoyed my diet pepsi thoroughly. LOL
The server that we had was excellent. He had a great memory and was very friendly.
I think the one thing I wish there was more of was space. While we were given ample space in some ways, being divided between the upstairs and downstairs it felt a lot smaller than it actually was.
The cookies were so delicious and great. I had to ration it out and make it last a week which was a great decision.
Oh, the best part? I got a parking space right in front of Bastone. LOL!
Kudos to Annette and the Unilocal staff!
*candy canes… teeheehee (inside joke, if you know teeheehee with me ;))

How could I not review the Cookie Exchange?! I have enjoyed it the 2 times I’ve attended. This year Bastone hosted Unilocal and I enjoyed the opportunity to visit for the first time. The staff was cordial and made the event pleasant. It was a small space, but Bastone has an upstairs where all of our cookies were displayed. I loved trying new cookies that fellow Unilocalers made. Many people opted for baking from scratch with my favorite being a lemon ginger truffle that was moist and tasty. I didn’t have time to go scratch, so I went with tried and true Nestle Tollhouse.
Complimentary food and a beverage rounded out the event followed by a giveaway. Toiletries and monies were raised for Vista Maria, which I loved. Overall great cookie exchange. Next year I’ll take to getting my Annette on and baking some treats from scratch.

I was pretty excited when I saw this invitation in my email. Bastone? Yes, please.
I knew it was going to be a great event. Annette had me at «beer».
We got there a little early partially due to the disclaimer that it was a strolling event and seating was limited. At the last event, I wasn’t prepared to stand in my work shoes and my feet were numb. I learned another lesson. Limited seating means basically no seating. lol No big deal. I need to make sure I wear very comfortable shoes!
The appetizers were very good! I am going to fail at their description because all but one was on the menu. They served a very cheesy spinach dip, soft pretzels with cheese dip, battered shrimp, and a white pizza of some sort. I’m not really sure what was on the pizza. I pretty much inhaled it. Hey… I was on my 2^nd beer and it was a huge glass. I love soft pretzels so much and they did not disappoint.
I am a fan of Bastone’s beer. I don’t typically order white ales brewed with oranges, but their Witface is pretty damn good. I tried their Dubbel Vision, which came in a tremendous glass that almost needed 2 hands to drink. It was definitely an effort to use one hand. It seemed to be a popular choice with the others too.
The gentleman who was serving all of us handled the crowd really well. He was pretty attentive to everyone.
It was my 1^st cookie exchange and we were a total failure. We didn’t bring any cookies and we didn’t take any cookies. We just weren’t into the cookie thing that night. They looked delicious though!
Thanks again to Annette for a great event!

What a super fun event, filled with wonderful company, delicious cookies and at a great venue! I had so much fun meeting other Elite members… and seeing old friends, too! Thank you, Annette, for pulling off such a fab fête! :)

It was my first Unilocal Holiday Mixer Cookie Exchange and it was fantastic… really chill and laid back, hosted by a great venue that took really good care of us. Bravo to everyone that baked too… nicely done. Thanks once again Annette for a throwing us a great party. Chelsea is always a nice addition to any event too!

Yet another great Unilocal event courtesy of Annette. The venue was great. Our server was very prompt, friendly, and willing to offer information in the beers. The beer has improved from the last time I sampled it. Their IPA is decent, but the Dubbel was excellent. The food was upscale bar food, with no sign of off the shelf Restaurant Depot or GFS products. The coconut shrimp were delicious.
The best parts of the night were from the Unilocal community. The cookies that were brought for the exchange were abundant, creative, and tasty. Best of all was the interesting conversation about the D with Nellie T and her +1 Seth.

Great event! Loved the gang of festive folks in attendance. I’ve been to Bastone several times and like always they did not disappoint. The fella taking care of us was so nice and attentive, I wish I knew his name so I could give him a shout out. Darn! The food provided was fantastic I had a very happy belly after this event. I mean who doesn’t love a bunch of great appetizers, fantastic beers and a buffet of cookies made by fellow Unilocalers!
Great job Annette, you kicked butt in 2013. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for 2014!
Merry Christmas!

My favorite Unilocal party of the year. Lots of very creative & yummy cookies hosted at a great venue. Happy Holidays everyone!

As always it is wonderful to get together for a Unilocal event. The cookies were all fantastic and by the way I saved a few for Santa! The service and appetizers were fantastic. I indulged in some wonderful brews and of them all the double vision was my favorite. Thank you again to Unilocal,Bastone, and especially to Annette for a great evening. Merry Christmas to all!!!

This was my first cookie exchange event, and I really enjoyed it!
I’d never visited Bastone before. The space was beautiful. The area where the Unilocal event was held felt a little tight, though. I loved that we got a free drink and that additional drinks were only $ 3. And the cookies! Lots and lots of cookies. I’m so happy that so many Unilocalers made wonderful sweets for this event.
The food that was served was really good. I snagged some spinach & artichoke dip (served with delicious pita bread), a slice of their pizza and a piece of the soft pretzel. Everything was fresh and tasty.
Service was pleasant, company was great and my husband winning the boozy swag pack was the icing on the cookie. I’ll look forward to this event next year!
Big props to Annette for alllll the hard work she’s done to organize Unilocal events this year. I cannot wait to see what 2014 brings us :)