Hillcrest Taste N’ Tinis

I probably enjoyed this event a lot because we got here minutes before it started. For ten bucks it was a great deal (when it’s $ 25 at the event). It ran from 5:00 to 9:00 and fortunately, the weather cleared on this particular evening.
We started off by getting our mini martini glasses at the check-​in/​will call booth located at the Rite-​Aid parking lot. We were waiting for some friends to meet up, so we ended up finding shelter at City Deli on 6^th & University. They brought out their two buffet trays of beef brisket and chili fries with a sample of whatever beer they had from their list.
We trekked over to Porkyland where they had a table outside of their restaurant where they served carnitas tacos. That was tasty, but too spicy for my palate. We then walked over to Wine Encounter a few spaces down and got some sangria then over to the frozen yogurt place to get some snack as we made our way to Eden, Gossip Grill, Bamboo Lounge, Cohabitat, Baja Betty’s, Wine Steals and Buonnisimo.
I heard that the line at some spots were way too long, but we lucked out and didn’t encounter that much, except at Buonnisimo. The wine, martinis and food samples were all good. It was just a night of fun and lots of laughter amongst our friends.
The highlight of the night were the free ‘staches that they were giving out at Gossip Grill. That was fun and us girls were rockin’ it the rest of the night.
I would definitely go back next year. It brought me into stores I never would have walked into and I ended up going back to Cohabitat a few days later to buy my boyfriend something he saw in there for Christmas.

My Girlfriend and I had the BEST time. The lines were brutal at first, but once the drinks started to hit, it was fun, fun, fun! I would TOTALLY do it again.

I really, truly had a blast last night at Taste N Tinis in Hillcrest. I was lucky enough to score on a couple $ 10 tickets from Reader Steals, and then I won an additional 2 tickets at Tuesday’s Unilocal Elite event at URBN. After selling those that I had purchased and one I hadn’t, I ended up making money before I even attended the event. We were able to hit up around 17 venues and by quick count, it appears there were a total of 22 that we missed. Highlights of the night included Huapangos’ chicken flautas with jalapeño white sauce, Banana Leaf’s eclectic food sampling and Passion tinis, and Mo’s Sweet Tea Vodka/​Lemonade and pulled pork sliders. I was pleasantly surprised when there were multiple venues offering both food and drink (this was not noted on the map). My only complaint was the long lines at certain places which limited the amount of stops we could make during the 4 hour period. I didn’t mind the lines so much, especially because those cute ladies at all the boutiques mixing drinks were volunteers (read: NO PAY) and were doing the best they can. Plus, I was with good friends, so we just had a little more time to chat and hang out. I would however recommend that they extend the time frame which may require starting earlier/​going later and possibly changing the event to the weekend. All in all, I was stoked to attend for free, but I believe it would have still been well worth the FULL advance price of $ 20. I can’t wait for next year!

Poorly planned and poorly executed.
Long lines at only one place at one end of Hillcrest to validate tickets? Who had this smart idea?
Long lines at restaurants that were unprepared and ran out of food and drinks early in the evening? Who needs to pay for this?
The idea is great for the Hillcrest biz community.
Won’t go again until we hear that it’s better organized.

What gives you the opportunity to check out local boutiques, sip teeny martinis, and sample a variety of cuisines across sixteen city blocks, all within a four hour evening? If you said «Hillcrest Taste N’ Tinis», then you would be correct. Face value tickets were sold for $ 25.00, and I was able to order online tickets for $ 10.00, which was a fantastic value. This is where I picked up the tickets in person: [
. Shout-​outs to Cat A and Kelly O for posting the ticket discounts on Unilocal Events.
At 5 o’clock, the crowds are gathering at the Rite Aid parking lot on 5^th and Robinson. We quickly grabbed our maps, yellow 21+ ID wristbands, and martini glasses. Our friendly check-​in guide also mentioned that this area was available for complimentary gift wrapping.
We’re excited first-​timers and anxious to keep a youthful pace in front of the other packs, but we’ve got realistic expectations about tonight’s busy event. With glasses and stomachs empty, we pounded the pavement, visiting as many places as possible, getting our cards marked off, sipping cocktails, as well as sampling sweet flavors and savory bites. All of the participating merchants were warm and inviting to the wandering crowds.
If I’m reading the map correctly, it should be 25 restaurants and 15 shops serving martinis, but the map only showed 14 drink samples. Aha! One restaurant served food and offered eggnog. It’s not a martini, but no big whoop. So there were a few eateries offering drink samples in addition to their food. A nice hidden bonus. There’s so much area to cover between 3^rd Ave. and Normal Ave. that we missed about ¹⁄₃ of the shops and skipped others because some lines were Disneyland long. Again, not a big deal because of the variety and I was just happy to check out as much as possible. Kudos to you if you were able to check off every spot on the map.
Would I go again? Absolutely, for the discounted $ 10.00 price, because I certainly got my fill that evening. My feet kinda ache from all that walking and standing in lines. Maybe I’ll visit a foot massage place somewhere on Convoy St. to smooth out the kinks. I definitely have to wear more comfortable shoes next time.