Yelp Miami Spices It Up!

Over 600 yelpers, a fire dancer, belly dancers, a 6ft sand fire castle, a champagne ice bar, and more than 20 sponsors convened in Miami, Saturday night on the Mandarin Oriental's private 20,000 sq ft, white sand beach overlooking Brickell's glittering skyline. Plus yelpers raised over $1,000 for the local charity, Women of Tomorrow. 

Yelp Miami crossed onto Brickell Key and into the luxurious Mandarin Oriental on Saturday, November 14th for an evening under the stars. The night was a feast of epicurean treats that stretched from Italian fare to Indian curries and Chinese dim sum delights as Yelp went Marco Polo on guests' taste buds with some of Miami's top restaurants serving up hearty samples. To accompany the noshes were cocktails (including a make your own cocktail station), champagne, beer, and of course to end on the perfect note, coffee.

   

Wondering who supplied this wonderful feast? The Mandarin Oriental, MaiTardi, Baklava Factory, Thira, Sushi Maki and Indian Palate provided signature dishes, while Two Girls and a Cupcake, Sugar Girl Bakeshop, and Todo Frio Ice Cream provided a sweet touch. As for drinks, Artisan Brands, the first and only artisanal distilled spirits distributor in Florida, brought some of their much-loved spirits out to help liven up the festivities including Gran Sierpe Pisco, Ron Cartavio (rum), Nicholas Gin, and Touch Vodka. Plus, they provided a make your own cocktail station. As for beer that was all Peroni. Guests were able to get their second wind thanks to HER energy drink and to the Segafredo coffee bar. And NCL's Epic champagne ice bar that kept the Moët ice cold and flowing. Don't forget all the free services including hand massages from the Spa at the Mandarin Oriental and eyebrow threading from Brownes while Miami Henna Company left a mark on plenty of yelpers. Just in case any guests wanted to add an extra special touch, Bijoux Turner provided hundreds of complimentary accessories to party goers. 

 
DJ Ace kept guests moving all night with a blend of Bollywood tunes and hip-hop hits. A troupe of belly dancers from Belly 2 Abs shook their hips all nights; they even got the yelpers in on the action while a fire dancer from Pyro Fusion lit up the skies with some red-hot flaming choreography. Also keeping it hot, hot, hot was the 6ft tall sand castle set on fire by Sentinels of Sand. Arguably, the best reward was raising money for Women of Tomorrow. 

A huge bow to the Mandarin Oriental for being the best hosts anyone could have the pleasure of working with and giving yelpers the five star treatment. And a round of thanks to the superb Yelp team for making it all come together Kevin L, Miriam W, Monica S, Tara L, Chantelle K, and last never least Leighann F. 

All the photos of this spectaclar night were provided by Jipsy, the NefariousGirl herself. If you didn't make the event but still want to donate to Women of Tomorrow you can do so right here. If you attended the party and want to share your personal highlights, type out your thoughts here. Prefer to be let in on the night's inside jokes? The laughs are still happening on the talk thread.

Still want more? You're in luck! Yelp Miami has a lot more coming at you.

I'll see you at our next event but as always until then I'll SYOY.

Cheers!

Maria A