Yelp Community Blog

Yelp Philly's Sideshow Adventure

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls (well, boys and girls of legal drinking age) joined us for the biggest party Yelp Philly has ever seen. We transformed Tower Gallery into a sideshow for the evening, including the food and entertainment! 

 

Five of the city's top restaurants offered up their interpretation of carnival food: Cantina Dos Segundos wowed the crowd with their chorizo corn dogs, El Camino Real spiced things up with their sausages, homemade sauces and chips, Rouge dazzled with duck fat popcorn, Bar Ferdinand made the evening sweeter with churros and sangria and National Mechanics brought down the house with their Frito taco extravaganza.

And the entertainment - oh! The entertainment! The lovely ladies of The Peek-A-Boo Revue treated us to a show (what a treat!), The Olde City Sideshow made us gasp in amazement AND disgust, Dr. Sketchy's Philadelphia brought out the artist in everyone and DJ Deejay got the crowd moving with all of our favorite songs (big ups for the LCD Soundsystem and Michael Jackson)! 

Yes, it was a beautiful crowd indeed, with lots of faces both new and old. Lots of friendships were made thanks to the tasty El Major Tequila and Combier Liqueur D'Orange margaritas, Oskar Blues beer and Honest Tea.  Luckily, photographer Jeremy Evans Thomas captured it all on film, and you can check out the evidence over on our Flickr page (as well as some sweet shots from our very own yelper Chris L!). And, of course, the reviews can be found on Yelp!

Thanks again to all who came out - it was the finest freakshow in town!

xo-

Carrie E

Yelp Philly Community Manager

   

Chicago Planet Yelp!

The February monsoon of 2009 couldn't stop the Chicago Yelp Elite Squad from their mission: to take over Mars Gallery and Jupiter Outpost Cafe for an evening full of extra-awesomeness! Party like a Yelpstar, indeed. Planet Yelp in full force!

Tucked away on Fulton Market in the meat-packing district, these two lofty, artsy, hidden gems combined to play host to 250 yelpers, champagne cocktails from Barefoot Wines, Shiner Beer, Monster Energy drink concoctions, treats from Landrin chocolates, and delicacies from Blackbird, Eve and Thai Urban Kitchen. 

Wait, did you snag a pumpkin cookie or ooozy melty panini at Jupiter Cafe? Well, you should have! Woooo, wait...there's more. A photo booth courtesy of Shutterbooth.com, paparazzi style photos by Victoria Sprung and Matt Ginger and of course, DJ Nikki C pumpin' out some jams on the ground floor rounded out the evening.

Three lofted floors full of: Art. Fashion (from Chicago Fashion Foundation). Music. Planet Yelp's the place to be, eh?

Check out the reviews here and the candids from Victoria Sprung! 

Until next time...SYOY!

Colleen C

Chicago Yelp CM

Denver Yelp Acts Out!

But, it was in a most assuredly good way, we promise. On Monday night Denver yelpers gathered at Curious Theater to watch a bit of improv performed by some of our very own yelp-actors. We saw Crystal N and Kevin B act out Adam R's review of Whole Foods. Then, Kat A performed her own version of a very trying Burger King experience. Following that act was a review of Pablo's Coffee written by Kevin B. Next up a totally romantic review of the PS Lounge written and performed by Nicholas N. And we ended the evening with Kelly Y singing none other than Kym B's review of The Giant Blue Bronco, or as I affectionately call it the Devil Horse, by the airport.

During all of this "act"ion, Brothers BBQ served up tons of food from pulled pork to hot links, potato salad to baked beans, even cookies and brownies. Denver yelpers washed it all down with Del Norte brews, assorted wines and plenty of flavors of Fuze. Delicious!

Don't forget to check out the pictures, courtesy of Jay B, the reviews of the event and all 5 of the videos! (Each of those words will show you a different video, in case you didn't pick up on that ;-) )

Until next time, SYOY!

Tiffany C
Denver Yelp Community Manager

New York Yelp Elite Show Their Yelps At Bubble Lounge!

The International tradition of Mardi Gras, or “Fat Tuesday” for you anglophiles, was taken to new heights this past Tuesday at Bubble Lounge in Tribeca as Yelp Elites arrived decked to the nines for some major masquerade madness. Yosh H and Daniel L scooted in out of the frigid February and grabbed their Champagne Taittinger flutes to get the party started while Chun L waltzed his beautiful date over to the gorgeous velvet sofas in the corner. Enter Cara A donning a pretty purple wig and Becca S sipping some IPO wine and bedazzled--knee injury be damned! Damaris P and Laura G sampled the free mini sliders, tuna tartar and mushroom sandwiches while nobody dared veto the Starr African Rum mojitos. Nobody could miss photog-king, Peter K snapping shots and double-fisting mighty fine Peroni beers in a pig-mask to boot!

Suddenly a drummers beat floated up from the bottom floor and Oriana J and Alan G rushed downstairs without any airs to find Mario Axe and his Samba Dancers heating up the room. The Carnival Parade quickly marched to the main floor where our very own Yelp Founder and CEO, Jeremy S, couldn't even resist a few booty shakes.

Best dressed dame, Kathleen R hits the nail on the head with the query, "how can a girl not have fun at an event involving: purple hair, sparkly masks, champagne mojitos, can-can dancers and a bacon gift basket?

If you missed it, check out the gossip on Talk, the reviews and the photos to get the scoop!

Native + Phoenix Yelpers at the Heard Museum = Fun Times!

Friday night February 20th was the kick-off for the NU (Native + U) Series at the Heard Museum, and the Phoenix Elite Squad and guests enjoyed VIP treatment on-site to start the night!

Yelpers enjoyed tastes from Bombay Spice, San Gabriel Mexican Cafe, and Urban Cookies. There was beer-o-plenty from local Arizona breweries to wash it all down, as well as Honest Tea.  Chocoholics savored organic, vegan dark chocolate samples from Wei of Chocolate, and many guests appreciated the custom made perfumes from Lotus Wei.

Another highlight was the unique hoop dancing performance by Lane Jensen and his group... what a treat!  No Phoenix OYE is complete without the help of four white walls photography!  Check out all of the professional pictures here!

Miss out on the special treatment? Live vicariously through the reviews, and read more chatter here!

Until next time, Phoenix... SYOY!

-Gabi K

   

Yelp Metro Detroit's First Elite Event at the Garden Bowl!

Around 50 Metro Detroit Yelpers and their came out in full force Thursday night for the first-ever local Elite event! The crowd showed their love of beer, bowling and pizza at Detroit’s long-lived (continuously operating since 1913) and always comfortable Garden Bowl.  While some knocked down the pins, others gobbled up the tasty pizza and appetizers provided by Sgt. Pepperoni’s and the Majestic Café.

The Garden Bowl and Majestic complex ownership and staff were tremendous hosts – a special big thank you goes out to Cimbery, Chris and Amado, who made sure that everything ran exceptionally smoothly. True pros!

In addition to providing us with free bowling, plenty of tasty food and drink tickets, the Garden Bowl also chipped in with a gift certificate for a bowling party as a prize for our lucky raffle winner!

Things just wouldn’t have been quite as cool (and run so well) without Colleen C, who came all the way from Chicago to lend a hand.  Her decorating savvy and calm check-in capability was much appreciated.  Thanks to Kevin C from trekking in from East Lansing, too and helping out with a little heavy lifting at the end of the night.

As far as we could tell, no one got a turkey during the night, but hey – keeping score’s not really the point, right?  We did get to witness Kelly W’s unique technique, and while Matthew D may not have had as “on” of a bowling night as he’d liked, he did at least finally score his Elite T-shirt!  Marco D may have scored a little too much beer, as we noticed his friend grabbing a sharpie to clearly label his drink as to avoid some “accidental” sippage! Hmmm….

Thanks, all you awesome Metro Detroit yelpers, for a super-fun kick-off!
Witness some of the action here, and stay tuned for more events to come!

 

Austin Yelpers Crank Out The Jams, Snark

What's better than a room full of cool local yelpers, Deschutes Brew, Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and some of the snarkiest shirts you've ever seen? Try the WIT T-shirt night and Mix CD Extravaganza Austin yelpers made happen this week at Shangri-La (and special thanks to yelper / DJ Mike L). This fun and funky east side dive was home to a reveling crowd of yelpers who donned their favorite funny tees and mixed up some of the coolest desert island discs you've ever heard.  At the end of the night, we each went home with at least one...CD (mind out of the gutter, people) and doubt found some new sonic sweetness!

  

Dallas Elite Squad Does It Toga Style!

Big D yelpers headed downtown to the City Tavern donning togas of all decorations and sizes! Folks feasted on addictive mozzarella jalapeño sticks and turkey clubs while sipping on cocktails made from Distinguido Tequila and a very crowd favorite called Drifter made by Widmer. The venue also hooked up our ears with a special sample mix of popular local bands that play there weekly. A couple of lucky raffle prize winners left the party with a special edition DVD of Animal House and a set of vintage beer glasses.

 

If you missed the action, be sure to read the reviews of the party, and the buzz on Yelp Talk! Need some more evidence? Check out the rest of the photos taken by Yelp Elite couple Leigh and Etienne P and new yelper, Pstan L.

100 Best Things Yelpers ate this Year - 2008!

Back in January, a nifty talk thread began circulating in a number of cities (San Francisco included) asking yelpers to list the best things they ate in 2008. As you can imagine, the responses were postively mouth-watering. We had trouble whittling it down to just one hundred for SF, but we did it, and here it is:

While we're guessing any good yelper has been to some of these places, we can't imagine someone has been to all of them? Is it possible? Well, that's sort of up to you, now isn't it? Hurry up, and who knows what'll make the list for 2009...!

Boston Elites: Winter Warmer Party!

Frigid temperatures ain't no match for the Boston Elite Squad! Clad in cozy Cosby-esque sweaters, Elites nuzzled up in hideous prints, tacky knits and thrift-store finds that truly defined ugly!

Some shacked up to the bar and sipped on four delectable cocktails courtesy of our friends at Maker's Mark. the French Loretto, the Apple Manhattan, the Beurre Noisette and the Derby Pie quickly made their way into the hands of Elites and provided the necessary liquid courage to strap on some skates and hit the ice! With complimentary skates courtesy of The Charles Hotel, Elites clocked some exclusive time gliding around the rink.

To sustain their vigorous activity, nibbles from Noir's kitchen kept the party going, including hummus and fresh vegetables, mouth-watering mini pizzas and warm, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies. To remember the night, Elites took home goodies bags filled with cocktail shakers, Maker's Mark BBQ Sauce,  delicious chocolates from Landrin and discount passes for ice skating!

High-fives go out to:

-Bethany B for being the first one to arrive.
-Kirs P, Alex R, Amanda H, Jenny N, Dawn E, John R, John S, Kim K, Carrie M, Joanna F and Melissa M for their swan-like ice maneuvering.
-Jessika D and Paul S for being the last to wrap up the festivities.
-Lauren R and David D for scoring two pairs of tickets each to Regattabar's Jazz Festival!
-Sara S for holding down the door. Girl's got guns!

Got love for bourbon and ice skating? Check out the reviews and add your own two cents!

And be sure to peep the photos taken by our very own Tatsu I.

Till next time, Boston!

Leighann F.