Yelp St. Louis Celebrates @ The Black & Red Ball

February 24th, 2012 is a date that will forever go down in Yelp St. Louis history! Over 400 yelpers came out to Yelp's Black & Red Ball at the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. Guests, dressed up in their finest black & red clothes, walked the glamorous red carpet and got their photos taken while being greeted by Casey the Entertainer! Casey made his way around the entrance of the party on stilts while juggling, and was truly exciting to watch. After checking in and seeing many familiar faces, guests made their way into the main event…

A whopping fifteen local businesses were in the house sampling everything from BBQ, to vegan eats, to Indian food, to the St. Louis favorite gooey butter cake. As guests made their way from table to table, there was no doubt that there was plenty to try, and plenty to buzz about! Our amazing lineup of food vendors includes Bogart's Smokehouse, Urban Eats Cafe & Bar+, Steve's Hot Dogs on the Hill, Brio Tuscan Grille, Mayuri Indian Restaurant, VegaDeli, Onesto Pizza & Trattoria, VCatering & Events, Park Avenue Coffee, Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream, and Gelateria Tavolini. Guests also got to try tons of boozy creations! Square One Brewery & Distillery's line of Spirits of St. Louis crafted five signature cocktails, Urban Chestnut sampled two types of beer, and The Big O & Crispin Cider had us buzzing (literally) all night long. The food and drinks were so good that yelpers were already planning their visits to the businesses! 

Andy D says it best in his review: "Everyone that shared their products with St. Louis' yelpers deserves a big round of applause for coming. Trust me, you've earned a lot of cred among this nerdy group of casual writers! The first prize food award goes to Bogart's, for their delicious ribs accompanied by a friendly attitude." Rachel W puts it simply… "OH MY GOD THE INDIAN FOOD FROM MAYURI WAS SO GOOD." Not only did business owners pass out the goods, but they also told stories of how they got started, and connected with yelpers in a way that made the evening even more special.

The crowd was surprised by a special hip-hop dance performance by the Ashleyliane Dance Company. The high-energy routine had people talking all night, and brought the energy of the crowd to a whole new level! Our DJ for the evening, Marc Mendolia of Rockstar DJs, had people swaying back and forth… some very talented crowd dance performances were also spotted. Yes, we were watching you!

Perhaps the most glamorous part of the evening was walking the red carpet and getting a photo snapped in front of a the giant photo wall graciously provided by Lou Fusz. It was way too much fun seeing all of the black & red outfits!

The evening was one that will go down in Yelp St. Louis history! All the fun aside, we managed to make a significant difference, as well. Thanks to donations at the door, we raised $1470 for Nurses for Newborns, and since $1000 is what it takes to take care of one baby for an entire year, that's something to seriously feel good about. Special thanks for making this event happen go out to Brea Photography and Jules Brown of the ALIVE Scene Team for photos, Midwest Valet, and the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis for hosting. If you want to read about the event or write your own review, visit the event page! To see the photos from Brea Photography's photo booth, click here, and to see the full set of event photos, head to the Yelp Flickr. Can't wait to see you all for the next one… thanks for all of your support of Yelp St. Louis, and I couldn't have asked to celebrate with a more awesome group of people!

Until the next time, SYOY!

Aimee K
Yelp St. Louis Community Manager