Elite Event @ Waterfront Seafood Grill

Just realized that I never wrote a review for this great Elite Event!
My +1 and I had a BLAST at this event. We got there early enough to partake in all the different appetizers and sip our deliciously STRONG drinks.
I’m still too shy to go up to most of the other Unilocalers (plus, most of them still don’t know who I am!), but I still had a fun time wandering around, people watching, eating, and chatting with my friend.
Thanks to Katie for all her hard work — this was a super fun event!

For my 100^th review, I think it is most appropriate to review my first Elite Event. I got my elite status several months ago late last year, but either location or my schedule of previous events did not work out for me to attend. Got to say that I wish I could have gone to a few of the recent events. Working across from Waterfront and this being after hours made this event ideal.
Got to the event just a little after 7. Did not have a parking issue as I have monthly parking a few blocks from here. Otherwise the area seemed pretty sleepy. Waiting in a short line, I was in line with a couple Unilocal Elitists (?). Is that the right title I should call myself? I think it was Inna B. +1 that was behind me in the line, but I guess it was too shy to introduce myself there. Nice to see an Elitist in person to put to the review. Seriously, is that the right title? It sounds stuffy. Oh how about Elite Unilocalers? Unilocal-​Es?
Anyways getting back on track, it was lovely to meet Katie S. who has put on a great event here. And I finally broke my record for the number of cocktails I have ever had at one time which is now at 2. Yep, I got sloshed. I had the mango sunrise and gin & tonic. Both drinks were very good. The wait in line though was a bit confusing. There were Monsters of Unilocal not in line, in the line.
Met some cool new Unilocal Rock Stars at this event like Alvin and Christine. I am the shy guy so these events don’t come natural to me, kind of like blind dates with all that unfamiliarity. As for the food, the items that I had were great. The crostinis were good and the mushroom tartines were tasty. Though it was a bit of a treasure hunt to see where the appetizers were.
Overall it was an awesome event and it is a pleasure being a part of the Unilocal community.

So I’ve been waiting for something special for a milestone review. This event seems perfect for that occasion!
First, I’d like to apologize to all the people who did not get a lot of food. I may have eaten more than my fair share. And thanks go out to Ryan B. for encouraging me to stand by the table where they kept putting the food. The food I did eat was pretty delicious. The mozzarella and cherry tomato skewer was my favorite and I could have eaten them all night long. For not liking salmon that much the little pancake thing was pretty yummy. The mushroom tart (maybe quiche?) was decent, but not my favorite.
Second, the bartenders were pretty fabulous. They were pouring drinks strong and doing their best to keep the line moving quickly. They were friendly and happy to help with any questions — like where is your bathroom? How do you get to the actual front of the door? (I found a wayward tourist who found our party instead of the restaurant).
And most importantly, it was another great night from Katie filled with friends, both new and old, and laughter. It was great to see so many familiar faces and new faces all at the same time. Overall, it was a great time!

Hot diggity dog, you all were smokin’ last night! All you Unilocalers who showed up at the Waterfront last night deserve a giant HOT STUFF compliment.
I sipped on a deliciously mixed Mango Sunrise, snacked on salmon pancakes and other appetizing creations, caught the sunset on the water and met and caught up with some witty, charming and delightfully entertaining folks. How cool is that?!
Thank you Katie for planning such a great time. You are hands down the hostess with the mostest. Also, thanks to the staff at the Waterfront. We Unilocalers know how to eat and drink. So thank you for keeping up with the ravenous crowd and keeping a smile on at all times.
Can’t wait for the next event!

Thanks for another awesome event Katie! Great food, great atmosphere, great service and so many great people around. Thanks for your hard work putting this together.
I’ve eaten at Waterfront before and had many of the appetizers, but the seared tuna and the lobster crostinis were amazing. Now I have to go back and get more.

Thanks Katie for having me out, Lovely view of the pier plus I got a parking spot right up front on «no fee hours»; always a plus and No tickets needed for Diet Coke.
Nice seeing you again Gabe and the people I said Hello too and the Lady that I had a convo about Crazy straws; It can only top off my black straw.
The Pikelets with lox and horse radish sauce was decent though it did look like they made it with Microwavable Mini pancakes.
and Again always nice to see you Katie and your a saint dealing with me.

I really enjoyed myself at the Elite Event @ Waterfront Seafood Grill~
I love Seattle in the summer time, and the Elite Event at the Waterfront was a great way to spend one of the nights. I mingled, met fun people, said hellos, drank, and ate… it was wonderful Wednesday.
I tried the gin drink, and I was impressed by the taste. The second ticket went to the wine– which was a generous pour but unmemorable. The bite sized food I sampled was flavorful. I tasted the caprese skewers, lobster toast, and lox on pancake. The Waterfront Seafood Grill staff was pleasant, helpful, and calm.
My only critique reflection was that the Waterfront Grill could have presented their food and menu in a better light. Maybe mini menu cards on the tables for reflection after trying their samples? Signage or promotional pieces? Also, they offered an assortment of bites, but I did not feel that it really showed what to expect at their main restaurant or that they set the bar that high.
Thank you for a lovely event Katie and Unilocal!and for the photos Ron and Valentina! So fun to muse over*

Overall: A little disappointing
Firstly, thank you Katie for organizing this event. It was good to finally meet you!
In three years of being member of the Unilocal Elite team, this was my first Unilocal event. I was hoping it would be spectacular. With the event being held at the Waterfront Seafood Grill, I had to jump at the chance.
I love food — to me, everything is about food! Maybe I attended this place, hoping them to serve amazing appetizers. I was hoping that the Waterfront Seafood Grill would put a show on, enough to make me come back for dinner. Sadly not, the appetizers were far from spectacular, I have a catering company and I could have made better appetizers with my eyes shut.
The best appetizer was the mushroom medley tartlets. The bad was everything else — the crab crostini was so heavily seasoned with sesame oil, I was begging for a nice jasmine tea to take away the oil accumulating in the back of my throat, the smoked salmon atop a blini had the most rubbery blini I’ve ever tasted and as for the caprese skewer — big deal!
The drinks were good and plentiful — the mango sunrise was pretty good even for a non-​regular drinker like me. We ended up leaving a little early, with two drink tokens still unusued because I needed to find me some fooooooooood!

I was insanely excited to find out we were having an event at Waterfront! It’s one of my favorites! I pretty much looked forward to it for the past month or so it was listed as an event!
Anywho, there was some confusion as to where the event actually was, but it’s all good… we found it and were greeted by the awesome Katie! We snagged the Mango Sunrises which were amazing! Who knew Absolut had a mango flavor??? Very tasty beverage! The lemonade we had later wasn’t quite as good, but nonetheless very tasty. Both bartenders (although not particularly fast) were really friendly and after the drink tickets were gone and I decided to have a farewell shot with Eugene they mixed up a great shot for a very reasonable price.
The food was good. I don’t think it’s a good representation of all the amazing fare the restaurant serves, but it was solid. I really, really enjoyed the Lobster Crostini but found the three of them I had to be inconsistent (one was reallllllly fishy). I think I’ll go against the majority and say I really liked the chive pancake w/​Lox… although I’m a strong believer nothing is bad if it has lox on/​in it =)
All in all it was a great event! Good cocktails and, of course, awesome people! Can’t wait for the next one!

This is my first Unilocal event and I had a blast! Thanks Katie for organizing this event. The bartenders here are super nice… even though they were very busy, they still took the time to let me sample the wines before I make my selection. Way cool bartenders =)
The appetizers were in general good… if you can get them. We got there a little bit before 7 so there were more trays available. I liked the mozzarella/​tomatoes caprese skewers. The mushrooms quiches and lobster quiches were also yummy. I really like the seared ahi tuna… wish they were bigger though. I haven’t been to other Unilocal events but I thought the restaurant did a good job to accommodate such a large group.
My favorite part of the night though was meeting all the Unilocalers. I really enjoyed mingling and chatting with people about their Unilocal experiences. Thanks everyone for a great night!

I don’t eat seafood so my presence there seemed kind of pointless but I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to chat Unilocalers up, eat free food, and most of all drink free booze.
For this event my guest was my lovely mother. She enjoyed herself and said Unilocalers were very nice people.
Not eating seafood limited my options but I was able to eat the mozzarella and cherry tomato sticks and the mushroom tartes things. I thought both were substantial. Thankfully my mom and I arrived earlier than I had expected so we were able to stuff our faces and get alcohol before the masses showed up. Once it got packed the platters began to come out sporadically then not at all. When that platter was set down Unilocalers dove in. It was quite impressive, funny, although alarming, being a witness to the feeding frenzy.
The space was nice. A bit plain as there were only a few tables scattered about. With all those bodies it got hot quickly.
I had a great time eating, drinking, and chatting with various Unilocalers.
Thanks to Katie for another great event!

I had a blast with you crazy Unilocalers! Katie S knows how to put on a rocking event. The appetizers were lovely and I am glad I was able to arrive a bit early, and try one of everything before the masses arrived. There were so many new Unilocalers, and I am glad I got to meet a handful of you. Once again I apologize if I didn’t meet you or say hi, I have a tendency to feel a bit overwhelmed in big crowds.
A highlight of the night was watching platters of food come out and the SWARM of Unilocalers on that food. From full platter to empty in two seconds. For reals. Another highlight was being in the bathroom and hearing what sounded like an animal or someone having sex. It was hilarious.
Katie did great per usual… but I do have one critique of the Waterfront staff. which is their inconsistency of collecting tickets. I used my two tickets in an hour which was fine, I wasn’t planning on getting smashed. So another Unilocaler and I went to go get another drink, both of us out of tickets. She walked away without being asked for a ticket or having to pay, and I ended up paying $ 8 for a glass of wine. Really? Was I not showing enough cleavage?
Thanks again Katie. You are the Unilocal goddess.

Another thumbs up to Miss Katie for putting on such a fabulous event.
TWO thumbs up for the super heavy pours by the bartenders.
Thumbs down for the lack of food.
THREE thumbs up for my 3^rd glass of wine after my 2^nd one shattered :(
BAJILLION thumbs up for the company, a gorgeous Seattle Elite and their +1s.
How many thumbs is that now? I’m not born with that many thumbs so can I borrow yours?

BAM! Free food and booze? Yeah, I’m there. I’m so there… I got there early and snagged a spot right in front — so no valet shit storms for me! Woo! Talk about some bitchin’ planning!
Being a beer guy at heart/​gut, it’s not often that I drink cocktails so having the ability to snag three drinks (Uh, I mean two… because there is no way that I got two free drinks and still managed to give a ticket away to someone. Yeah, that definitely did not happen at ALL.) and giving some new things (gin) a try made the night worthwhile. I almost ordered a beer until I saw how the bartender was pouring it with practically three feet of foam on top of that delicious hoppy nectar.
Appetizers? What appetizers? I swear it was fantastic getting there a bit early to actually give all the tasty appetizers a chance. Lord knows, once things got kickin’ — there ain’t no way Daddy was getting some morsels. Out of the corner of my eye I would see a platter fall to the table, drool a bit, start yapping with some crazy people for ONE SECOND and whammy — no more food on the platter. Guess it was a good excuse to make some tasty ravioli afterwards and score more points with the lady friend. (With whom I hope had a good time as well, and if you’re reading this babe — write a review! PS — You looked great tonight.)
So big ups to Katie, the Waterfront staff and bartenders, and Unilocalers for being such awesomely hungry mofo’s.

My first Elite event– and I liked it.
Food was ok– the chive pancakes with the salmon were strange and not very good. But everything else was pretty good. I liked the Crab toast thingys. People werre swarming on the trays as they came out– myself included… But I have no shame– I was starving when I got there.
Drinks were mighty tasty. The Mango one was good, the Lemonade was good– and the ticket I found on the ground meant I got to get a G&T too– and it was also good. Nice and strong…
I thought it would be in the restaurant though– so it was a bit strange just being in the front room. I was a little disappointed with the venue. I’ve never eaten at the Waterfront Grill so was hoping to scope out the restaurant. No biggie.
But overall– good to see so many fellow Unilocalers and I had a good time at my first Elite event. I’m excited for the next one. I’m sure it will be great.
Thanks to Katie for all her efforts!

: constant chatter throughout the room, but then a drastic drop in volume because… :
HEY LOOK! A tray of food has almost landed onto the table!
: BLINKS :

WHOA! Where did it all go?
This was such an amazing scene to watch over and over again throughout the night as I was sipping on my cocktails (of course it got funnier the more I drank). The food was really good which explained the high Unilocaler demand! The mushroom tart was definitely a highlight of the few appetizers I tried.
I started the night off with the Mango Sunrise and it was absolutely delicious because you couldn’t taste the alcohol! As I continued drinking, the darker my facial complexion got. But of course I could care less since the vodka lemonade was so delicious it was worth sharing my Asian glow with everybody in the room. And the Gin and Tonic tasted like I just drank a forest!
Thank you so much Katie! And a big shout out to the WONDERFUL bartenders and wait staff at Waterfront!

I’ve made a discovery: Unilocal events are way more fun if you find the person in the crowd with the right connections. Tonight it was Mimi L, and her ability to schmooze a free drink was simply mind-​boggling. But hey, I never look a free gin & tonic in the… mouth?
Anyway, the sheer number of people at this event was fantastic, because it gave me an opportunity to make good on my goal of chatting with people who are on my friend list (especially if I hadn’t said hi in person before). I think I succeeded!
The food situation reminded me, if only a little, of that time at The Ballroom where pizza kept disappearing at a rapid pace. I got to try a decent variety of the apps (my favorite was a tie between the crab salad crostinis and the mushroom quiches), but mostly I just enjoyed watching a tray of food move across the room, followed by a swarm of Unilocalers. Let this be a lesson: Never doubt the voracious appetites of the Unilocal crowd!
Fun fun fun. Great job to Katie once again.
[Edit] After reading Katie’s note in Talk that the head chef was making all those apps by hand in the kitchen for us… I have to say I totally feel the love. That excuses the staggered presentation in my book. However, I can award no more stars… already maxed out!

First, thanks so much to Katie for putting these events on. An incredible amount of effort goes into them and her diligence is too evident. Also, the staff @ Waterfront scheduled for this played it right down the line, as professional and friendly as ever.
Now then, I ask of Waterfront kitchen management… really? This is not the Waterfront I know. What exactly was that on a few platters? Food? Please enlighten me, because there was zero resemblence from any of the, what, 20 times I have been privileged to dine here. Furthermore, placing this party in steerage compartment of the pier had me questioning whether you take Unilocalers seriously. I for one am dumbfounded how you apparently thought someone like me would not know the difference.
One thing that was pegged perfectly about Unilocal events: The drinks were triple pours. Is this the point though? Really?
A virtually unrecognizable gathering coming from the McKay name. Stunningly underwhelming.

Thanks Katie for letting the country geek Unilocalers mix with the city folk :-)
It took lots of strategy to get some of the seared ahi with Wasabi aoli but boy howdy!
The lobster and tomato were very sweet. and everyone who nabbed a caprese skewer paraded them around with glee :-)
So a 1+ on the circulation /​layout… but these were first rate noshes from an awesome seafood venue… the drinks were way strong and the crowd at the Old Spaghetti Factory afterward was fun.
I hope we get a chance to mingle with more folks this summer it was nice to put voices with posts!

The event itself and Unilocalers? Fantastic as always!
Most of the offerings, however, were… a bit sub-​par, in my opinion. At least if they were trying to impress us and convince us that we HAVE to eat there next time we’re looking for some fancy seafood joint.
The specialty drinks were quite good, and at one point I learned that apparently I got heavier pours than my boyfriend did. Don’t know if it was because we had different bartenders, or because the bartenders were both male, or that was just how it happened…
The appetizers: I really like what I think was seared tuna, the skewers (tomato + mozzarella), and the little mushroom cups. The other stuff was also mostly good (I’m not sure about the salmon-​topped pancakes– salmon was tasty, pancake was just… not necessary, imo), but… I feel like it was simple and way less than I expected of the Waterfront Seafood Grill. (Especially after having been to the El Gaucho event and experiencing how well they pulled off the food aspect.)
The other appetizer bummer was that in the beginning there were lots varieties out and available, but as the evening wore on they’d just bring one tray out at a time and all the food would disappear in less than a minute.
Also– When it’s a 2+ hour event and most of the gals are wearing heels/“pretty shoes”… tables with seats would have been nice.
So yes… some good, some bad… over-​all, though, it was another wonderful Unilocal-​worthy night with the fantastic Unilocalers of Sea-​town and I had a LOT of fun. Especially after I had a couple drinks and got extra-​social ;)