Come Meat Your New CM Elite Event @ Espetus Churrascaria

Oh shit has it been really over a year when this happened? Man I have a shit ton of reviews backed and bookmarked. I want to believe this is one of the very first Abby led events and it was excellent. I also met her manager and another CM who came from Philly (Monica?). Met lots of folks and tons of vendors in the process. We all know Abby has been doing an awesome job and it’s been true since day one.

Bacon wrapped anything is just DIVINE! Mmmmmmm I’ve never eaten so much meat in my life! hahaha
* Fortino Winery– Sad that they didn’t have their famous almond champagne! But I liked their Marabella wine!
* Caipirinhas– mmmmmojitos!
* Meats from Espetus– keep ‘em coming! Small bites of meats and pastry puff goodness were all delicious!!!
* Bebecakes– mini red velvet cupcakes!
Welcome Abby S., the new SVCM, to the South Bay! It was great «meat”-ing you!!! I hope you can handle us this year! Thank you Abby, Unilocal,Espetus, Fortino, and The Photobooth for making the event super fun!
Hellos to: Grace L., Adam, Vicky T., Linda L., Terre P., Julie K., Bobby L., Dennis O., Anya R., Gill C., Badri N., Hannah C., Chuck N., Cindy C., Dave K., and all the Unilocalers!
YEE #2 and counting for 2011: D

What a fun first Unilocal Elite event of the New Year! This was my first time at Espetus, and I was especially excited about this event after hearing all the great things about this place. The food did not disappoint! Besides the tons of meat that was served, I also really enjoyed the cupcakes (courtesy of bebecakes cupcakery), particularly the red velvet ones. The photo booth was also tons of fun with the hat props.
Thanks to Unilocal and Abby for a great event!
–L.

This was my first Unilocal elite event and I was so wowed by it :) everything was incredible from the moment we were greeted upon arrival to the food/​drinks/​to the new friends we made!
Espetus staff was extremely accommodating to Unilocal and beyond friendly. as soon as the food started to get low, it was immediately replenished. The winery sampled really great wines!
The photobooth was also amazing. the props were hilarious
Thank you Unilocal for putting on this event and I am looking forward to many more :)

What a great first elite event for the new CM of Silicon Valley, Abby! Kudos to Abby, Jessica, Tiffany, and Monica for a digalicious and meaty* event in good olé’ San Mateo!
I’m a girl who totally loves her meat, and was so excited to check out Espetus Churrascaria. My +1, a friend since I’ve known since 1^st grade, and a newbie to Unilocal events, and what a great first introduction.
Highlights:
— Fortino wines: Wonderful selection, and super friendly staffers.
— Caipirinhas: Got the memo and wore green to match one of the featured drinks for the evening. So matchymatchersons! Ha! That bartender was so awesome and worked hard, especially with the neverending line.
— Bebecakes: Friendly ladies serving up these bite size cuppies. My favs were the Miss Scarlet (red velvet with cream cheese frosting) and the What’s Up Doc (carrot cake with cinnamon cream cheese frosting).
— Food: Tender MEAT! Oh Mylanta! I’m such a carnivore, the breads (tiny warm brioche) were divine, and what I thought was fried cheese was actually plantains! Digaliciousness!
— Location and service. Such a wonderful restaurant and the servers were efficient when it came to passing around the food and clearing the plates and glasses.
Great to see my SBCers and a few from SF and East Bay, too! Y’all know who you are. Always good times with you lovelies!
Thanks again for such an awesome Meaty event, Abby! Can’t wait to see what else you have in store for us Unilocalers. I know STL misses you, but the SV and the Bay Area welcomes you with open arms! Though, I do miss the Ted Drewes and Pasta House. Anywho, keep em coming, girlie!
Cheers!

NOM NOM NOM MEAT! NOM NOM NOM FRIED BITES! NOM NOM NOM CUPCAKES!
SNAP SNAP SNAP Photobooth!
I wish I could have eaten from the buffet that was sitting there so pretty…
Fontino Winery is one of my favorite winerys ever, so I was super excited to see them here!
Fantastic event!

My first SV event! I was quite thrilled to see an event in San Mateo since Lovie is now a hop, skip, and a step away. Being my first event in SV, I wasn’t too sure if I was going to run into anyone I know. Boy, was I wrong!
Before I knew it, I was surrounded by familiar faces and good conversation… the epitome of what Unilocal Elite is all about (despite what some people think is about the free bites and imbibes). It was a pleasure meeting new people too — hearing how much fun people had during Holiday Hangover week. I was also pleasantly surprised to run into an old friend from college!
The bites and imbibes were scrumptious. I noshed on fried, cheesy, crabby goodness with a smile on my face while Lovie filled up with Caipirinhas (which he loved) and Fortino wine (I’m the eater, he’s the drinker, can’t you tell?) The best part for me were the Bebecakes… very cute. Both the vanilla and red velvet were spot on delicious so much so that I’ll be making it a point to visit them in Palo Alto next time I’m in the area. The only thing Lovie and I missed out on? THE MEAT!!! Call it churrascaria misfortune, but we got skunked out of the juicy meat every time we got to the table. I’ll have to use to vulture strategy next time (you know, hang out next to the table until the next plate of food comes).
Yay for the partybooth taking kodak memories of the event. I love photobooth pics! And the little three piece jazz band in the corner set the most perfect mood for the event.
Mucho thanks to the awesome Unilocal crew… Monica, Jessica, Tiffany, and especially Abby for putting together a great event. Welcome to the fam bam Abby!

Thanks Abby and the rest of our beautiful Unilocal CMs, you ladies did quite a number here.
The tasty cupcakes…
Fortino Winery (perfect red wines for the meats in Espestus)…
the capirinha provider, the photobooth and Espestus (I love the bacon wrapped chicken!)…
Everything was just wonderful. We had a great time.
It’s pretty rare that we would have the right amount of Unilocalers and usually the food and drinks would stop but this event was very consistent. No more chasing after waiters for food and drinks: D
To sum it in a word (or 3 words). Bacon Wrapped Chicken!
We’ll be back Espestus!

Awesome first event by Abby!
The food was wonderful! The set up was perfect to chat with friends and to mingle.

Abby sure was one cool cat.
What was the first thing I did when I walked in? Grabbed a drink! The caipirinhas were super good! I downed that thing like no other so I could have my hands free to get to the meat! Being a meat lover, this was the perfect event! They kept bringing out garlic chicken, bacon wrapped chicken, sausages, and cheese bread. And on top of that, fried falafel type meats, fried bananas, and the occasional red meat. If only they had more of the red meat! But I still filled up nonetheless, my favorite being the garlic chicken (the bacon wrapped was a close second).
Big ups to Abby for introducing herself to us and others, and looking forward to more events with her!

Santa Cruz made it to San Mateo…
ABBY WELCOME! You have inherited a huge family of crazies!
First event of 2011 was not too shabby:
There was no wait for the photobooth
They were still in happy hour and accommodate well when we first got there
Plenty of food (the ratio of food to food vultures was in favor of food)
Live music was enjoyable
It was good to see folks. some peeps I had not seen in a while!
The food:
The stars for me were their fried polenta, cheese puff like pastry and the fried plantains.
Bebe’s cuppies were super cute and tasty!

Thanks Abby, Jessica, Unilocal,and Espetus for another great Elite event!
Jessica did a great job checking us in by giving us name tags while a line formed outside Espetus. I liked how we can just walk in once the event started, too.
I noticed there was a cocktail booth, a wine booth, and a cupcake booth. I went straight to the cupcakes, and I got to try the chocolate mini cupcake. It was really tasty and very moist!
It was really nice meeting Abby, our new CM, too. Abby did a great job organizing her first Silicon Valley event!
While we were all mingling at the triangular tables, the Espetus servers started to bring out some fried foods (fried fish, fried beef, and fried chicken). I got to try the fried chicken which was good. It tasted like the outside layer was made with potatoes.
Later on, I noticed a line was forming in the private dining room, so we got in line to get some food. I noticed there wasn’t that much food provided at the buffet table. There was bacon wrapped chicken, pork, and sausage. A few minutes after getting our food, another platter of red meats came out! I was a bit disappointed that all the food wasn’t provided at the same time. When me and my friends got back in line to try the red meat, the red meats was all gone by the time we got to the middle of the line.
I really enjoyed the photo booth. The lady was really nice, and she did a great job getting elites to take pics while they were in the food line. It was super fast to take the pics, and there was never a line. I guess not a lot of elites took advantage of it.
Overall, I had a great time at this Unilocal elite event! Thanks again!

I was psyched to get to meet the new Silicon Valley CM, Abby, and attend this meaty event.
Espetus is a huge space. The bar area and restaurant area are separated by a massive divide. Plenty of room to do all the Unilocaly things we all keep coming back for.
Walked in and got checked in by Jessica. Said what up to the homies Monica and Tiffany. And was off and running in true Unilocal Elite style!
The first thing I noticed was a bar set up to make Caipirinhas with a tall fellow behind it dressed in true gaucho attire. If you haven’t tried a caipirinha yet do it. They are delish. I don’t know the exact amounts of each substance, but I know they contain a Brazilian rum, sugar,
and lime. Reminds me of a mojito sans mint sort of.
Then I got to meet Abby. We chatted briefly and I could tell that she was working hard to make sure everything was in order and going according to plan. A very sweet person, I look forward to seeing her at more events in the future now that she has been transplanted to
the bay area.
There was plenty to drink between the Caipirnhas and the Fortino wines they had. I sampled all of those. A few times over.
I tried both the red velvet and chocolate Bebe cupcakes. Awesome and totally bite-​sized (at least for me).
I had a couple goes at the lamb, sausage, beef, fried crab croquettes, and other quality noshings. Really good :)
Saw some old faces, met some new friends. All in all a fabulous event Abby. Thanks a bunch for putting this together and welcome :)

Thanks to Dave K., I was able to get in on this event as his +1.
And what an event it was! Free flowing Caipirinhas, wine, and food. The only slight negative was that the lines were long, but, in general, Unilocalers were speedy and courteous with not taking everything, so everyone got something to eat.
Welcome Abby to SV! You know you picked the best county to live in out of them all, SM! :D
I totally *heart* the waitstaff too, they went above and beyond to make sure every one was happy and full.

Thanks to Unilocal and Abby for putting on an awesome first event of 2011, especially since Abby is new!
I arrived here a little late and had some issues with parking, but all was well when I walked in and was warmly greeted by Jessica who immediatetly informed us of the food and drinks situation at Espetus and checked us in right away.
The Unilocal crew was working hard all night long and even made sure that everyone was able to try out the yummy Brazilian rum drinks and keeping the line down by offering it at the bar as well. This was an awesome move by the Unilocal team to diffuse the crowds that were slowly taking over one side of Espetus.
The cupcakes were awesome, the vendors were courteous and extremely friendly and I had a great conversation with Bebecakes owner (s) about their inspiration for one of the best red velvets I’ve had in a long time. I highly recommend this place if you plan on getting red velvet because theirs is so velvetly smooth, creamy, moist and everything blends together so well!
The food was top notch as it kept coming even though the event ran for the full two hours. The servers were great and the clean up was quick. Thanks Unilocal and Espetus for hosting a fantastic YEE event!

I don’t know what’s going on at Unilocal and with Unilocalers lately, but I’m very happy with the change.
This event was busy, and there were lines, but… Unilocalers weren’t pushy like at past events. Everyone seemed to wait their turn patiently, and people weren’t hoarding food, (like I’ve also seen at past events.)
I didn’t actually get to meet the new CM, but bravo to her, Jessica, Monica, and Tiffany! You ladies are doing an amazing job.
The organization of the past 2 events has been head and shoulders above most of the other events I’ve attended.
Even though there were lines, the bartenders were fast and efficient. They kept the drinks flowing, and they were pretty tasty. For some reason the drinks made at the bar were a lot better than the ones made at the table in the center of the room.
Hope everyone tipped the bartenders:)
I waited in line for food, which was pretty anticlimactic.
We had been told earlier that food would be passed around, but I never saw anything passed. By the time we decided to get in line, most of the meat items i read about people trying were gone.
Unfortunately, the bulk of what was left was fried. Since I’m choosy about my calories, i just took bites of most of the items and tossed them. They were greasy, and just not worth calories.
Although, the cupcakes were AMAZING! Totally worth it! The chocolate cream cheese one was heavenly, and the owner was a sweetie.
We will definitely be stopping in her shop in the near future.
Good job Unilocal,the events are so much better this year! Whatever you’re doing, keep it up and keep letting me in:)

Okay I don’t get why any of the reviews are less than 5 stars? I know Unilocalers are honest but Unilocal Eliters should just appreciate being able to come out, meet new people, have a great time and get free drinks and food. Can’t be picky ya’ll. :)
Maybe I’m too– see the positive in a great situation. I feel totally lucky to be part of the SV Elite Squad two years in a row now.
Thank you to Espetus Churrascaria of Santa Mateo
Bebecakes Cupcakes in Palo Alto, Yummy Brazilian Mojitos, Event Rental company, and Winery for a great time last night.
Welcome Abby S! Bay Area welcomes you with open arms and your first event of the year was a smash hit!
Thanks to Jessica T. and any other Unilocal staff that helped facilitate this event as well.
I love events where there are a bunch of different stations and things to do– my exclusive plus 1 Anthony and I hit up food first– a lot of great things to try out including steak, chicken, cheesy break, fried banana, fried corn bread thing, and other fried products. Definitely yummy so that we’ll come back and try to have dinner here for sure. Gotta love that Brazilian bbq.
After that tried mini cupcakes from Bebe in Palo Alto and so perfect that they were mini! Tried the Vanilla and the boyfriend had the chocolate.
Grabbed some red wine and the really sweet/​more lime flavored Mojito then went off to the
Never tried this photobooth before but it was really spacious booth– no lines, fun props, and was printed quickly.
Hello to my fellow veteran and new Unilocalers that I met and saw– Cece, Denis, Badri, Chuck, Shirley, Ling, Karen, Hannah, Bobby, Mikey, Allie, Chris, Jason, and anyone else that I may have chatted up with!
Here’s to a great year of events and good times!

I am so glad we finally have a CM! I had a blast at the first SV Unilocal event in 2011. I really dig the smaller and more intimate party. Just wish the venue is a bit bigger so we have more room to move around. Food was good. Can’t stop eating the cheese balls and fried plantain. Caipirinhas was amazing and so as the wine.

Welcome Abby! Thank you to her and other people who organized this event!
I’ve never had Brazilian food before and this was my chance to try some out. My friend (and Unilocaler) Jaime L. and I arrived around 6:15pm because I was picky about the parking. lol I was trying to park super close but the closest was like a block or so. =P
I went to the food line and from the pictures I took, you can see that a lot of the food was almost gone. I didn’t get a better picture of the food until later in the night where I took a couple. They did come to «refill» the food but I guess I missed those times when they did. There were no name tags of the food so I didn’t know what I was eating; however, they tasted pretty good (especially the meat). There were cupcakes and three different red wines from Fortino Winery.
There was a photo booth from PartyBooths at the event, too. I was surprised there was hardly a line for it but I think it was because the line for the food blocked the photo booth. lol
I didn’t take a whole lot of pictures like I usually do but I guess that’s fine. I’ll upload the original-​sized pictures to my Flickr… that is when they get uploaded since I don’t have cable anymore. DSL is slow to upload! X_​X
Welcome again Abby, our new Unilocal Silicon Valley Community Manager!!!

Classy, Swanky, Decadent and Just Plain Awesome are words that I would use to describe our New CM Abby S 1^st official Silicon Valley event. She came to us from St Louis where she was there CM. Their loss is definitely our gain.
Espetus Churrascaria is a High End Brazilian Steak House I was quite excited about this event. I had never been to a Brazilian Steak House and had always wanted to go to one. This is one thing I love about Elite events .
They expose you to things you might not see or do normally. Its really amazing what our fine team of Bay Area Cm’s can expose us to, in this case the lovely Abby S.
Espetus rolled out the red carpet for us Elites by sectioning off the restaurant and creating a special Unilocal Elite area and setting up a Buffet table of amazing platters of Meats– Beef, Lamb, Chicken and Pork and Breads and keeping it well stocked thru most of the night.
In the same area Party Booths Digital Photo Booth Rentals were setup and had a ton of props that you could use to take a series of 4 pictures.
We all know Elites love to take pictures. I had a ball with this I got to take photos with some of the SBC posse, the lovely ladies of Unilocal –Tiffany, Abby and Monica who are all extremely Photogenic.
Espetus also had a Mixologist mixing Caipirinha –Brazilian Rum with a Lime Mix.
Fortino Winery also had a table and was serving Wines for Tasting. I enjoyed the 2005 Sangiovese and the Maribella. The folks running the table were very nice.
Bebe Cakes had a nice assortment of Mini Cupcakes like Red Velvet, Vanilla Bean and Chocolate Chip.
I also enjoy the Trio Band they had in a Corner playing mood music very nice.
I think it was a very well planned event Abby is definitely starting off on the right foot and I cant wait to see what she has in store for us Elites.
Plus Abby’s Unilocal support staff the Lovely Ladies Of Unilocal Tiffany, Jessica and Monica holding down the Fort.
Thanks Unilocal,Abby, Tiffany, Jessica, Monica, Espetus, Party Booths, Fortino Winery, Bebe Cakes for a great time in a very classy place.
Always nice to see the SBC posse.
Year Of The Rabbit, Total Bunny Global Domination