Andy and Lauren, you did it again! This was another really amazing IYE full of good company! I…read morealways love coming to the California Center for the Arts in Escondido because they always have amazing shows there! My fiance, Drew L., and I were last there when the Venice Baroque Orchestra played last season so it was a privilege to be invited to attend the season's preview party! I think over the last season, I was at the CCAE half a dozen times and I can't wait for what they have in store for the next year. I hope that they will continue to bring amazing International groups here to Escondido! Tonight proved to be full of fun and laughter as us Yelpers ate good food, drank good beer, and took lots of photos at the photo booth (by lots, I mean... a lot)! I've always said that the California Center for the Arts is truly a hidden gem and I will most definitely frequent this beautiful center this upcoming season! Thank you so much NCSD Yelp for hiring these wonderful interns and thank you Andy, especially, for looking extra sharp and being the man of the hour! CCAE, you are a beautiful venue and I will see you soon! P.S. Andy- host another IYE please! You're the bomb diggity!

What a super fun evening! This was my first IYE- Andy and Lauren did not disappoint!…read more Light bites, some drinks, photobooth, and Yelp swag is the perfect combination for fun. I didn't sample any of the food (I ate before hand) but it all looked delicious. I loved the open air courtyard. The music was great, as well as the company of other Yelpers! Keep up the great work Andy and Lauren!

This was the back half of my North County Treat O'Clock doubleheader last week. I have visited SD's…read morefirst Matcha Cafe Maiko location in Kearny Mesa and was aware of the newest shop in Mira Mesa, but I did not realize until I signed up that the business had a presence in Escondido. The suite was in the Plaza Las Palmas which was very busy when I arrived during lunchtime. The inside had a limited seating capacity with fewer tables than the Kearny Mesa spot. For this weeklong promotion, the complimentary offer was a latte drink of choice with a free topping or a soft serve of choice served in a waffle cone or a cup. There were four flavors and two swirls for the soft serve. I asked for the Ube and Vanilla swirl in a cup. Initially, the worker was going to place the product in a standard serving cup. When I told her that I was going to be driving, she changed the cup to a deeper one that normally holds a small size drink. Not only did that make sense, but it was going to be much more convenient for me on the drive back home. As for the frozen treat, the menu photo depicted the ube as a shade of midnight blue. What I received was a more traditional lavender hue. The ube flavor wasn't as strong as I had hoped. The texture of the soft serve was reasonably creamy and didn't melt quickly while I was consuming it in my vehicle. Thank you to the owners of Matcha Cafe Maiko for hosting a Community Experience simultaneously at the Escondido and Mira Mesa locations. Indulging in your soft serve ice cream during this summer heat was certainly a pleasure. Thanks also to Audrey and Yelp North County San Diego for organizing the logistics of this Treat O'Clock experience.

Came to the treat O'clock at Matcha in Escondido California. At 3:30. Very hot out side so ice…read morecream hit the spot. I cane from julian California to try this. Was worth it. Small but nice little shop. The young lady and young men working were very polite friendly and professional. I was greeted when I came in. I took my Mom out for a treat. I had the Ube Vanilla in a cup. She had a Ube vanilla Waffle cone. It was amazing never had it before. One of the best ice cream I ever had. I give them 5 stars for professional staff Clean restaurant Food Serivce . And quality Yes I recommend them to anyone. Thank you to the staff and Yelp. I be back again Thank you again staff at Matcha and yelp

Love love love love…read more Got the fried chicken combo. They have a ton of mix and match combos you can choose from. Employees were so so sweet and literally telll you which sauces go with what and what they like the best. I will be coming back! Thank you elite crew for putting this one together

It was quite the drive to get up to the Carlsbad Gateway on the final day of this weeklong…read morepromotion at Surf Up Chicken. The business was located in a suite next door to a gelato shop, both of which were in this random industrial park. I wonder with its remote location, how much customer traffic it can generate from beyond the neighbors in this complex? Anyway, a bonus was that parking was super easy. Upon entering and checking in with the cashier to mark my name off the magic list, she informed me that each of us had a $15 credit to select anything off the menu. I really loved the flexibility of this offer as it opened up the possibilities. Normally, an Elite promotion is for one or two specified items. The offerings were obviously heavy on chicken, however I noticed some non-chicken grub like crispy shrimp, Filipino spaghetti, a veggie egg roll, and even Belgian waffles. My picks were the two middle entries out of the six in the Specialties section... Chicken & Waffles and Chicken Curry. They conveniently added up to $14.95. The first container had four mini waffles combined with around a dozen pieces of chicken nuggets. A self-service condiments station was available that provided ketchup and four different sauces with clearly marked signage of each name and flavor profile. I used the Golden Chicken Dip for the nuggets to add a sweet and smoky enhancement to the bits of white meat. The second bowl had white rice as a base with chicken, broccoli, and carrots in a curry sauce that was mild in heat and spices. Two slices of yellow pickled daikon (takuan) were included on the side. The mix made for a nice savory snack. Thank you to the owners and staff at Surf Up Chicken for introducing a group of Elites to your eatery. The combination of Asian fusion and Southern-style flavors was unique. Thanks also to Audrey and Yelp North County San Diego for identifying a new local, family-run business to host an Elite Week Event.

This event was way cooler, and way more pink han I ever anticipated! I was seriously impressed. I…read morealmost didn't sign up because it felt like a bit of a drive just for gelato, but dang, was it worth it. I scored a massive gelato, some cool swag, and they even hooked me up with bonus candy and drinks from the back room (which is a treasure trove of foreign snacks and unique finds). The staff was incredibly helpful and friendly throughout the whole experience. I took full advantage of the samples and tried almost every flavor honestly, I couldn't pick a favorite, maybe the coffee, but they were all solid. I ended up building a pretty crazy gelato combo; check out the picture below! I definitely went a little overkill on the mix-ins, but those little popping boba pearls were delicious! Thank you Gelato Sweetspot, CM Audrey and Yelp for putting this together!

Gelato sweet spot is in poway California off poway road. This is a very cool spot the have little…read morelike Ice cream sests out front have lots of different Gelato I got the georgia peach It always so delicious never had that before . Loved it. Got some dessert yo go with it and coconut. Highly recommend trying i be back. 5 stars professional staff and service. The young girl and young man did a great job. They went above and beyond. Thank you. 5 stars for amazing Gelato and toppings even have cereal 5 stars professional staff 5 stars clean restaurant Thank you Gelato and Audrey @Gelatosweetspot & @YelpSanDiego.

Absolutely love this restaurant!! I originally got waitlisted for this event but was so happy to be…read moremy friend's plus one!!! Our waitress Kim was amazing! Thank you for all the recommendations and taking into consideration that I have celiac! You were so helpful and kind to provide reassurance on what meals to pick that were gluten free. My fruity goat salad was amazing!! I got grilled chicken with it and it's definitely my new favorite. I also had a Sauvignon blanc which was great and refreshing. Thank you for amazing food and service! This location is absolutely amazing!! Thank you Stone, Danny, and Brad for a great elite week event at stone!

Huge thanks to Brad, Danny and all the folks at Stone for setting up this event…read more We've been to been to both locations but chose the Escondido location for our Elite Week because it's closer and we love their outdoor gardens. Our server, Katie was awesome. Super friendly and good about making sure our water glasses were filled. Tonight was the Winter Storm event, where Stone brought out their winter brews. But those brews were being served in the garden not the restaurant. However, Maddie one of the managers, was gracious and brought us over the beers we wanted from the Winter Event. So we were able to enjoy the food and their special brews. I started with the Stone Unicorn spiced milk stout. It wad a pretty decent stout with strong notes of coffee. My husband got a tasty Double Bastard Ale. Since we had eaten at Stone before tonight we tried new entrees. We ordered the jhiodri wings to share and I ordered the Moroccan Hanger Steak and he got the Chicken Snitzel. OMG, the wings were FIRE! But in aa good way. Loved the latent hot spice thaat left a long getting burn, the breading was had a wonderful crunch, like a hard tapioca/popcorn something truly delicious. I have no idea what it was but it was amazing! Thoroughly enjoyed my hanger steak with the 2018 Mikhail. Good flavor, cooked to order, and the a artists, broccoli, and mashed potatoes with pistachios were yummy. I cleaned my entire plate! The beer was amazing! Smooth, creamy with coffee, chocolate, and malty notes. With an ABV of 13.5% this was a good beer to end the night. Hubby enjoyed his Schnitzel with Stone's Rumination. Our oldest arrived halfway into our meal (cheap Uber :) so we treated him to a True Craft Burger which he polished off in 5 seconds. Gotta love those those youngsters. LOL We finished up the meal sharing the brownie. It was a huge portion topped with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream, perfect for 3 people. Thanks again to Brad, Danny, Ron, Maddie and the rest of the Stone family for a wonderful night. Looking forward to our next visit.

Brewventure is back! Thank you Belching Beaver, what a great way to start off the 2018 brewventure…read moreseries! I did not even know that Belching Beaver had this tucked away little spot, what a great way to check out this location, tasty beer and the food is on location here, so no need to depend on food truck services here. This place has a nice cozy feel to it, it has great outdoor seating, enough indoor seating and plenty of places to stand around and chat. The staff here was super friendly, and quick to offer suggestions and/or recommendations! We both really enjoyed the IPA here, I also enjoyed the peanut butter stout (as always).. the wife thinks it a bit too sweet for her, but always hits the spot for me! Thank you Danny and Trish, this was another nicely executed function, we both had a great time, and it makes for a perfect excuse to get out mid week and check out a new place. I will be back!

This was another awesome event! I missed the 1st Brewventure because I was getting ready to go on…read morevacation. I'm glad I made it to this one, it was fun. I obviously won't be giving my review of the beer, but the girls in my party definitely liked theirs. The brewery is nice because it has the outdoor patio area, unusual especially for the breweries in a business park. Got chilly toward closing, but not too buggy. The fire pit wasn't lit, because it's warm weather. It would be nice in the winter months out in the yard with the fire going! The food from Mexico City was great! The $5 Yelp deals were an awesome bargain! I had the nachos with carne, and I couldn't finish mine because they were huge. I'm looking forward to the next one! Thanks to Trish, Bill, Andy, and Chang for a fun time!

Great event, my friends and I enjoyed it. Three hours of non-stop foodie adventure with unlimited…read morebites and sips. Surrounded by tons of fun ppl. Nothing brings people together better than delicious food and drinks. At the flower field for the "best of north county food festival". This is my very first time attending a food festival, it won't be my last for sure. Tips for the event: arrive at least 15 minutes early to wait in line. Always go with a group of friends, it is more fun. They have dancing music so wear dancing shoes if possible. Dancing is good after eating buffet-style food. wink. Fun atmosphere, good to try out local restaurants you have never been to. Some of them are newly opened.

Last night I had my first experience at this event together with a friend and we both enjoyed the…read morewhole package: phenomenal venue in Carlsbad -even with the threatening rain- the funny retro, filled with props photobooths, the wine galore, even more craft beer to choose and, ohhh, the food! The both decided that our favorite was that ceviche with watermelon from the Wrench and Rodent seaabasstropub. Now I am so looking forward going to that semi new restaurant! Volterra wine and generous paella did not disappoint either, and neither did Cafe Secret and the citrusy ceviches that were so refreshing! Music was very good too, tines for all tastes and everybody dancing and having a good time. I got to know several new spas an beauty salons for me, so the list of new stuff to try grew as much as the warmth in the cold night. San Diego magazine offered tons of the latest issue, so I got a couple of them to share the joy of our city many beauties with others. Great event overall with plenty of food and drinks forb every body.

Wow what can I say. I do a lot of UYE. It is so amazing to meet new Elite Friends. They are liked…read moreminded and we love food. I usually do a UYE every month. Our Elite friends get together and chat away at some new restaurant or a specific type of food. We have a blast. It is a unique community that is so much fun. We even once went on a weekend trip to Lake Tahoe with our Elite friends. Such great memories and times. Happy eating. SYOY

I've had my fair share of Unofficial Yelp Events (UYEs)! Even more so when I first started Yelping…read moreback in my early 20s. 17 years later, you can probably guess my age. Heehee. OG yelp granny! Something special about UYEs are due to a more small, intimate setting. You can finally put that face in real life to that yelper you may be following for years or have been virtual friends with. Like-minded yelpers with similar passions get to connect and really get to know each other at these gatherings. Whether it's becoming lifelong friends or making memories with those near or far, it's always a positive and uplifting community and experience. A lot of work and coordination comes with organizing these events and each one I've been to have been so fun and worthwhile. From costume-themed events to breaking a sweat at a local gym/studio it never disappoints and I always have a blast! So many UYE highlights throughout the years and I'm thankful to those who I have come across and I look forward to meeting more yelpers aka friends in the future! Pardon my cheesy review, but had to represent!

Hayley spoiled all the Yelp Elites at Paradise Dynasty! I had my eye on this restaurant in Glendale…read morethat is grand opening near Christmas! The servers and baristas were so friendly and amazing! General Manager Jason and Randy were so welcoming! Legend of the Xiao Long Bao. Say no more! It was so nice meeting fellow Yelp Elites Ana, Kat, and Zara. The perfect lunch at an awesome table. Drinks and conversations were flowing throughout the service. Jasmine Tea was light and refreshing. A 2 Hour Yelp Elite Event Menu: We started the Tasting Menu with a Welcome Cocktail: Singapore Sling. Sweet. What a way to kick off! Appetizers: Japanese Cucumber with Minced Garlic & Radish Pastry to tease your palate. Dim Sum: Signature Original XLB Kurobuto Pork Wonton in Chili Oil - My personal Highlight Specialty Dynasty Xiao Long Bao - If you are feeling adventurous! Definitely get the Dynasty But wait, there is more!!! Intermezzo Cocktail Guava Mama - Definitely stronger than the Singapore Sling Main Course: Fried Rice with Fried Pork Chop - YUMMY Stir-Fried Black Pepper Angus Beef with Basil Braised Creamy Butter Lobster Noodle in Nanyang Style - Lobster was so sweet and tasty Stir-Fried Pea Shoot with Minced Garlic Ended the entire tasting experience with: Panda Chocolate Lava Bun Now for the SWAG: 1. YELP Chopsticks 2. YELP Dim Sum Boxes 3. Paradise Group Bag 4. $25 Vouchers to come BACK! Paradise Dynasty could not have been more generous. Hayley, this one is for the books! It was a legendary tasting experience. So happy and grateful to attend and meet new Yelp Elites, Black Elites, and Gold Elites. Forgive me if my Noodle Pull was limp the first couple of takes :) The cocktails were kicking in.

So happy to be part of this amazing event!…read more The welcome drink: Singapore Sling Appetizer: Japanese cucumber with minced Garlic radish pastry perfect way to start great meal! Dim Dum: signature original xiao long bao all very good and tasty. Mid Cocktail: Guava Mama , perfect way to help you get through rest of amazing tasting menu! Main: fried rice with fried pork pork chop Stir fried angus beef with basil , my fav main dish! Braised creamy butter lobster noodle super creamy and rich Stir-fried pea shoot with minced garlic Dessert: Panda Chocolate Lava. Fantastic service, great location and phenomenal experience!

Lots of interesting vendors with interesting things. Hardly any places to sit and eat, but very…read morespacious at the same time. Things are not cheap, so expect to pay a little extra compared to what you would find outside of the market.

We LOVE coming to 626 OC!!! We look forward to it all year. Great food choices. Some were better…read morethan others (I have edited my food post after a further review). Thumbs up to Cafe 949 (great lobster and garlic noodles) and MJ's Bellychon Basket for excellent lechon, Daddy's Catch for great dusted fries and lemonade, Molly Kitchen for grilled octopus, HGG Tanghulu for interesting sugar glazed fruits on a stick. Thumbs sideways for New England Seafood for lack of flavored oysters, and Bonanza Bakery and Cafe for creepy realistic animal shaped mousse cakes. Thumbs down for Kanto Filipino Street Food for chewy (not in a good way) fried chicken skin (old and rubbery probably leftovers from the previous day) and lack luster flavorless lechon. Overall 626 is an experience too good to pass up even though some foods are a disappointment. Atmosphere here is great, service is excellent! Just be choosy when making your selections. There were more to tastes we wanted to try, but our bellies and take home bag was stuffed.