The egg nog is drunk, the ball has dropped, and there's nothing left but crumpled wrapping paper. If you were still pining for presents come the first few days of 2011, you were in luck, as Yelp was the cure for your epic holiday hangover! Spanning the course of five nights last Sunday, January 9th thru Thursday, January 13th at the swanky Payne Mansion in Pacific Heights, Yelp's 6th annual holiday party presented by Skyy Vodka and Widmer certainly had a lil' something for everybody! There was even a lil' something for the dogs – with Wonder Dog Rescue representing at the Payne Mansion all five days. You can learn more about them here!
NIGHT 1 – YELP'S CAISNO ROYALE
Kicking off the five night extravaganza, we brushed off our finest duds for a flashback to simpler times. Partnering with Aces Up casino, the Payne Mansion was decked out with craps tables, blackjack tables, poker tables, casino war tables and a plethora of other nifty card games. But that was just the beginning of the party! With live ivory tickling from the "Rockinest Piano Player in the World", DJ Lebowitz (not a DJ, but possibly the most bad ass piano player in the Bay Area), the mood was perfect for an evening that'd make even Daniel Craig envious. Other notable accoutrements included fun flip books from The Laugh Box (a 7 second video, printed and cut into a live action flip book in less than 2 minutes!), complimentary drinks from Skyy Vodka, Wild Turkey, Campari, the Widmer Family of beers, Fiji water for the N/A types, and wine tastings from AP VIN. To soak up all that crunk juice, we also featured complimentary savory bites from The Pub @ Ghirardelli Square and the one and only Ike's Place, as well as some sweet nibbles from from Mission Minis and Sweet Creme Brulee. Phew!
NIGHT 2 – LIGHTS, CAMERA, FASHION!
We're a stylish bunch here in SF, so what better way to discover the hottest new threads the city has to offer than with a hip boutique fashion show? We welcomed some of our favorite local retailers Candystore Collective, Cary Lane, Shotwell, Heidi Says, San Franpsycho, and Rich Kid Cool as they featured some of their winter wears in a sweltering fashion show that made us all forget it was in the low 40s just outside the front doors of Payne Mansion. To round out the evening's fashion focused line up, we also featured live art from Pacific Art Collective, on the spot screen printing from the ubiquitous San Franpsycho, stylish updos from the SF Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology, as well as sexy beats from DJ Sonny Phono, more flip books from The Laugh Box, Skyy vodka, X-Rated vodka, Glenrothes scotch, Frangelico, Espolon tequila, the Widmer Family of beers, Fiji water, Rock Wall Winery, and more! We also had a gaggle of savory bites from Oola and an encore from Ike's Place, with additional nibbles from Bumzy's Cookies and Coco tutti.
NIGHT 3 – YELP'S SILENT STORM
For night three of the weeklong series (hump day, if you will), we teamed up with the Bay Area's Silent Storm Sound System for a truly unique night of silent disco! It was pretty much the coolest thing on the entire planet. Even more awesome than cats! The Workshop made an appearance with a sewing machine in tow for custom made beer coozies used from recycled fabrics, The Laugh Box was at it again with their truly memorable flip books, Atelier Emmanuel planted sylists from their digs in Union Square to hook the party up with bouffant coiffs while Brad, The Reality Thief wowed the crowd with his bizarre, yet mystifying magic tricks. Like the rest of the week, complimentary cocktails were quite plentiful. Skyy vodka was once again in the house, as was Flor de Cana Rum, Espolon Tequila, the Widmer Family of beers, Fiji water, wine from Long Meadow Ranch Winery, and we even had Midori snow cones! Complimentary savory bites made the rounds as well as from Luna Park and dissident restaurant, EAT Restaurant had pulled pork sliders and seared pork belly for the masses, while the crew from Sweet Constructions and Miz Lynn's Pies ensured everyone left with a lil' something sugary for the drive home.
NIGHT 4 – 7 DEADLY SINS
As you know, there are 7 deadly sins, and we made sure to break every single one of 'em! All 7 Deadly Sins were represented:
Lust (a hot and semi NSFW performance from Red Hots Burlesque).
Sloth (chair massages from Suchada Thai Massage.
Pride (hair and make up from the SF Institute of Esthetics and Cosmetology).
Wrath (a chance to arm wrestle a former Baltimore Raven and San Francisco 49er – Brenden Darby).
Greed (a raffle to make it rain, Lil' Wayne style!).
Gluttony (an intense Sugar Bowl Bakery brownie eating competition with competitors Aaron, Angelo, and Jeffrey. Jeffrey won with an impressive 20 brownies in 4:00!).
Envy (a blinged out photo booth courtesy of The Laugh Box).
Each of the 7 Deadly Sins also had a corresponding drink named in their honor with recipes featuring Skyy vodka, X-Rated vodka, Frangelico, Carolans Irish Cream, Wild Turkey and Espolon tequila. For those not hitting the hard stuff, we also had more beer from the Widmer Family, Fiji water, and wine from Mark West Wines. As was standard the entire week, there was also complimentary savory grub from Limon and Indian Bento, as well as complimentary sweet bites from SusieCakes, Landru Chocolates, and The
Tea Room Chocolates.
NIGHT 5 – LIKE A BLIZZARD
Then, there was one. On the final night of festivities, we rolling Diddy style in all white attire for a celebration of all things hip hop. Beatboxing and freestyle hip hop emanated as the legendary Bay Area hip hop collective Felonious blew folks away with some of the hyphiest ish around, and the evening also featured hot steps from the Soul Con Dance Company. Suchada was back to hook up relaxing chair and table massages for those weary from a week of partying, The Laugh Box continued their week long residency, DJ Sonny Phono was in the house with a playlist to please any rap junkie, and Skyy, Glenrothes scotch, X-Rated vodka, the Widmer Family of beers, Fiji water, and wine from Winery SF ensured all in attendance were able to attain a tasty, tasty buzz. OH – and we can't forget about more of those frozen Midori snow cone libations. You haven't lived until you've tried one, trust us! And for that final night, complimentary savory treats streamed from Radio Africa & Kitchen, DOSA on Fillmore, and to satisfy that sweet tooth, Cynically Delicious and Gateau et Ganache had samples of their sacchariferous delights.
And with that, we bid ado to five nights of glamour and good times! To read reviews of the festivities, click here. Also, check out photos from our pals at SF Station (Night 1, Night 2, Night 4), as well as our own snaps from party photog extraordinaire, Raynie Vratari (Night 1, Night 3, Night 4, Night 5).
