Dressed in their finest suits, fedoras, pencil skirts and pearls, South Bay Elites went retro chic at our latest event, Yelp's Gone Mad (Men) @ Citrus restaurant in Santana Row. Located in *the* hot spot in San Jose, Citrus is located in the Hotel Valencia, an urban oasis. No matter what the occasion, you come dressed to impress here in Santana Row… But this time, Elites really went the extra mile, taking a queue from Don and Betty Draper! "Sixties fashion is so polished and good-looking. It was awesome to have an excuse to bust out some 'fits and use the Bally's square purse my mom's been storing in the closet. Everyone looked superb, exclaimed Brenda L.
Upon arriving to the restaurant's swanky outdoor courtyard, Elites were immediately greeted with vodka & gin martinis, Scotch as well as several varieties of wine. Even Roger Sterling would be impressed! Said Viet N, "Scotch straight, whiskey straight, gin martini, vodka martini, or a Cosmo. Decisions, decisions. I don't like martinis, but seeing as how I was trying to channel my inner Don Draper, I had to get one. Lemme tell you, dem drinks was strong."
And because no one likes to booze it up on an empty stomach, Citrus' staff brought out plate after plate of delicious appetizers that were anything but old-fashioned! We're talking ahi tuna tartare, citrus braised pork sliders, duck fat fried chicken drums, sweet gem lettuce wraps and chicken koobideh. "I definitely need to point out how good the service was," touted Morris C, "There was consistently food going out to all of the tables, and people checking up on drinks. Often times new food would be coming out before I'd finished the last sample, and someone would be asking if I'd like another drink before I'd finished." Swell!
To get into the Mad Men theme even more, there was a short trivia quiz availble for Elites to participate. How did Joan Holloway become a partner at the firm? What is Don Draper's real name? Guess you had to be there to find out! Those who got a perfect 10/10 or 9/10 score were awarded tickets to Local Color, the latest exhibit at San Jose Museum of Art. In addition, Citrus gave out a restaurant gift certificate to the best dressed Elite, Caryn B, who was wearing her grandmother's vintage foam green lace dress.
Aside from the delicious food and more than attentive service, the best part of this event was the fact that it was an intimate affair for Elites only. Those in attendance were pleasantly surprised to find that coming to a Yelp event by yourself is actually pretty fun! "Being new to the scene, my first event with no +1," Christine H, was afraid she'd be "that one girl in the corner eating stuffed mushrooms by herself. But I'm quite surprised how friendly and gracious everyone was! If everyone was this fun and approachable, I don't think I'd ever need a +1. Seriously!" Aww…
After the event ended, Citrus kindly opened their doors for Elites and guests to dine inside the restaurant for a special Yelp menu, with 40% off the regular price. A very special treat indeed! About half of the party stuck around to take advantage of such an enticing offer." $43 for pork rib apps, sea bas, and top sirloin entrees, who would really complain?" wondered Angeline H. Yelp agrees with you, missy!
Check out all the stellar 5-star reviews as well as the pics taken by Asia and Paul McGowan from PhotoStudio29.
See ya later, alligator!
Abby S (South Bay-Peninsula Community Manager) & Jason O (Yelp Marketing Intern)
