Yelp Elites, dressed in their Yelpiest attire, headed to the center of Downtown Disney for the first ever "Dine Around" event. Our gracious hosts, The Patina Restaurant Group, spoiled event goers with some of the best food and drink from Uva Bar, Catal, Naples and Tortilla Jo's imaginable.
The food was a huge hit with offerings such as lamb sliders, paella, fresh custom made guacamole, lamb barbacoa soft tacos, scallop & jicama mini hard tacos, caprese skewers, flatbread pizzas, ricotta ravioli and more! Rohlin A deemed the lamb sliders the star of the show that were "cooked just the way I like it (close to medium rare) with great flavors" and he "probably could have eaten those all night." Stephen T isn't a huge guacamole fan, but agreed that "this stuff was amazing!"
To wash down the deliciousness, Yelpers were given an array of libations such as the Spicey Mamacita Margarita, Blueberry Mojito, Lost Coast Tangerine Wheat Beer, red and white wines. Dan A came all the way from Philadelphia to experience a West Coast event and loved the "margarita with cucumber and jalapeño. This drink was complex and had a nice bite with the right amount of heat." Howie C liked the dose of fruit in the mojitos and asserts "this was done perfectly; muddled blueberries and mint, rum, simple syrup, club soda, a twist of lime, topped with mint leaves."
Sweets were in abundance thanks to Mission Viejo's Devilicious Donuts. They served a variety of maple bacon, Hello Kitty, strawberry, pumpkin, red velvet and more. May M proclaimed that "their bacon donut made me want to actually start eating donuts again."
Elites were able to say cheese and smile thanks to Splendid Photo Booth. Attendees were able to not only get their photo snapped, but take a keepsake home with them as well. May M loved that "they had a really nice camera/lighting set-up that made everyone come out looking like freaking models."
The real winners of the evening were the kids at CHOC Hospital where the generous attendees gave a ton of toys and gift certificates to the children in the facility. Kelly M was happy that the charity was involved and that "each person that brought an upwrapped toy got an additional raffle ticket for the opportunity to win an awesome prize."
"The great service, delicious drinks and appetizers sparked my curiosity and now I want to come back," says Vanessa M. That feeling was unanimous and I hope we get to do it again soon!
For more photos visit our Flickr page and Splendid Studio Booth's download page.
Click here to read the glowing reviews of the event!
Until next time!
Ryan C
themonstermash.yelp.com
