This was such a fun experience. Drinking, pedaling, enjoying the experience of seeing our city in a…read moredifferent light.

My first experience on a pedal wagon, this was a lot of fun!…read more I've been asked in the past to do this and I've always thought "who wants to pedal around and get sweaty just to drink?" There's something to this pedaling around. Listening and singing to music. People watching. Waving at cars passing by. Having fun. Thanks for the fun!

:-D I cannot stop smiling! This was my second Yelp Cincy Made event and let me tell you, these…read moreevents are top notch! Cindy does a great job with finding cool spots and making the events so exclusive. We had only 12 people at the event, which was the perfect size to learn to bake these fantastic little French treats! Cindy started everyone with a glass of champagne (I mean, how can you NOT have a good time when there is bubbly?!) and we all introduced ourselves. Then she introduced Nathan, owner of Macaron Bar and his team. From there, we learned a little history about the macaron and started the lesson. I was surprised that the class was 3 hours, but the time flew by!! Nathan was a fantastic teacher. Making the macarons was actually easier than I thought, but having an expert and 2 other team members (shout out to Shelley and Courtney!) made it fun and exciting. We made some beautiful purple mararons and had lots of fun with the caramel filling! And much to my surprise, they tasted amazing as well!! Not as good as Nathan's version, but pretty yummy for our first attempt! I absolutely LOVE this event series! Learning about and supporting local businesses is just awesome. Thank you SO much, Cindy, for the time and effort you put into these events! Can't wait for the next one!

This is hands down the best Yelp Elite event I have been too! We learned how to make macarons from…read morethe masters at Macaron Bar (hey Nathan!) and it was amazing. First off, there was free champagne which is a good starting point for any event (good call with the champagne Cindy!). The class was small enough for us to each get to take part in each step of the baking process, so it was super hands on. I hate going to cooking classes where you just sit and listen to a lecture, and this macaron making class was certainly not that. We started by learning about the macarons (did you know that the flavor is all in the filling and the cookie doesn't have any additional flavor, just almond meringue?? I had no idea!). Then we made the meringue, the cookie batter, piped the cookies, and baked them. Each group of three then made a fluffy ganache filling (ours was chocolate, but the other groups made vanilla, rose, and even a salted caramel)...I'm not gonna lie, I stole a bit of the chocolate ganache off of the spatula. It was fantastic! Then, the best part...trying all the macarons! We tried all of the flavors, and we each took home a box for later. The macarons weren't quite as *pretty* as the ones at Macaron Bar (I think I need to work on my piping technique), but they still tasted pretty darn good, especially considering we were all novices! This class was free, but I would definitely pay for the macaron making class at Macaron Bar! This class was totally worth it, and I learned so much...No wonder their cookies are $2 each, it takes a ton of effort to make them! Now I can't wait to eat the ones I took home

So. Much. Fun. This was my first Yelp! event and it was a blast. The ice breaker was great for a…read morenewbie like me and helped me meet a lot of great people. We had so much fun chatting people up and making new friends. The free beer/wine & swag was a definite bonus too. Tom + Chee is just such a fun place. With all the fun colors and comic book motif it was impossible not to walk around with a great big smile. One of the owners was there and he was so personable. You could tell he loves his business and is passionate about his business and their mission. Touring the store was a great treat and I was just so impressed overall. This just made me feel great about a place that I already love to frequent. Thank you Yelp! & Tom + Chee.

Wine...beer...ice breaker game...free swag ... Lots of fun and interesting people. What's not to…read morelove. Oh yeah, did I forget the most AMAZING Grilled cheese sandwiches. OMG. LOVED the bacon barbecue chip cheese one. And my favorite was with strawberry whipped topping sundae one. Next time I go, the goetta one called Armageddon is so mine.

This event was a blast. I had the opportunity to drive a go-cart for the first time...even if it…read morewas a bit poorl, play Lazer tag, bowling and participate in a scavenger hunt. We were randomly put into teams as soon as we walked in and had a ton of fun getting competitive with the other teams. This place would be a great place to try out some serious team building and have some fun. I really enjoyed this event and the competition between the teams. Plus, my team was full of awesome peeps (I'm looking at you Adam).This seems like a great place to bring a group of friends for a fun outing.

This event was so much fun! I enjoyed pairing with others to accomplish a win. Too bad we wrecked…read moreon our race track re do. I had no idea that lazer tag could be so much fun. That was my first time. I know I will do better next time. When I found out we would be bowling, I was very excited since I love to bowl. It was a surprise to see such small balls. It made bowling a little harder since I've never bowled in that easy before. The scavenger hunt was interesting even though I was really bad at it. I would've liked to have been given the answers in the end. This was really fun and I can't wait to do it again. Thanks Cindy!

O-M-effing-G with a huge side of swanky wow!…read more I have been to my fair share of yelp elite events and this one tops them all, hands down. Not only were the staff incredibly sweet, gracious and friendly - not only was the food absolutely melt-in-your-mouth phenomenal - not only was it so much fun to pretend like I was actually living in the 1960's and able to dress the part (and I won best dressed - total cherry on top of the cake of my nite!)- but it was also a wonderful opportunity to get to know other yelp eliters, most of which I'd never met before! Talk about an incentive to open up a yelp account and start writing your heart out! I know many non-yelp elite significant others watched us walk out the door with a twinge of jealousy in their hearts. lol. I equally appreciated learning about the background, history and roots of this restaurant (I wish we could have finished watching the video!) In my brief stint working in the restaurant industry, I gained a new respect for how familial it is. Ruth's Chris is no exception - in fact, their mission is founded on southern hospitality, and they do not disappoint. Many, many thanks to Cindy and all of the Ruth's Chris staff who showed us such an excellent time last nite. I genuinely appreciated every second of my experience and left with a happy (and very full) tummy, and some new friends!!! So to anyone curious about joining Yelp, or those of you who are on the fence with your review writing, or those of you who creep - if you love food and fun -it's 100% worth it to dive right in and begin food-blogging away!!!

This was my first Elite event and I'm so glad it was because it was so memorable. How fun to get to…read moremeet a bunch of fellow Yelpers, dress up like Mad Men AND have a beyond amazing meal! Everything about this night was in a word, FAB. The food, the service, the theme, the atmosphere, it was all great. Ruth's Chris speaks for itself when it comes to the food but as usual the steaks were perfectly done and I was so happy they had the creamed spinach as a side... my FAVE! I was also totally stoked to finally find out why it is called "Ruth's Chris" after watching a great video on how Ruth's Chris got it's start- what an inspiring story! It explains why the staff here are so proud to work at this organization and why the level of service here is heads above the rest. Thanks to Cindy for putting together such a fun event, and thanks to the Ruth's Chris Steakhouse Staff for being so gracious. Looking forward to many more Yelp events!

This was our first Yelp event as Elites, and Cindy really set the bar high with past Yelp events…read moreI've been to so I wasn't sure what to expect, but what a delight! The Frozen Asset demo was a great way to show off the mixologists of D. Burnhams and the food, though all catered towards carnivores, were delightful. Everything tasted great and were beautifully and artfully presented. Touring the hotel was a real unique experience considering the historic value of the building to the city and was unexpected, but definitely keeps me clamoring for more! A lot of yelpers seemed to be new to the Elite scene (myself included) and this was a great first Elite event to be invited too. Thank you, Cindy for a great Monday evening! You really know how to plan great events that'll float EVERYone's boat!

A wonderful time was had by all at D. Burnhams and the Renaissance Hotel this evening. For a…read morerestaurant that has only been open 2 months, they certainly seem to have their act together. The bartender Ryan personally developed a specialty cocktail called Frozen Assets to play on the fact that the site used to be a bank in it's previous life. It was impressive to hear how thoughtfully he concocted this wonderful libation. Because he wanted to include a dollar sign in the drink, he pureed basil and decorated the top of an ice cube with that symbol. Then he creatively used some coconut oil on top because it is a solid at room temperature before he poured more water on top to freeze so as not to mess up his design. As the ice cube melts, it subtlely changes the flavor of the drink over time, then as a finishing touch, he flambeed the liquid refreshment with Chartreuse! Next, before tasting any of the menu items, the chef came out and described this delectable array of food samples - potatoes dauphinoise, brussel sprouts, short ribs, seared scallops and duck to name a few. Delicious yet just enough to make you want to come back to eat there. Note: the chef and restaurant emphasize using local foods in their preparations which I can appreciate. The second half of the evening was led by Diana (an impassioned historian). Turns out D. Burnham was named for the nationally famous architect and when The Renaissance was built it was the tallest building in Cincinnati! The elevators right outside of the restaurant are an exquisite example of art deco even though they are no longer in operation. Besides the many suites and meeting rooms, I was blown away by the gorgeous Burnham Hall - look at some of the photos to understand what I mean. You rarely see anything like it nowadays. Glorious details and enough capacity for several hundred people whether you are planning a meeting or wedding reception! As a side note, in the bathrooms the mirrors had a grid of lights displayed in them. You could change the pattern by pushing buttons at the bottom. An unexpected, but unique design element. It was also fun for Cindy to have a Best Dressed contest. Some of the outfits were truly befitting the evening and D. Burnham's will hopefully let one of us know if we have won a free night's stay. Keeping my fingers crossed!! Thank you, thank you to The Renaissance Hotel, D. Burnham's and most of all to our tireless leader, Cindy, for arranging the entire event!

This event was an absolute treat!!! We were all so lucky to get to experience this through Yelp for…read morefree. Zach, the owner, was very informative and professional throughout the whole class. He had visual aids and plenty of wine flowing! We got a broad overview of the making, regions and flavors of wines that you might experience or have already experienced in your life. I learned a ton of new stuff about grapes, making and tasting wines. I've been to tons of wine tastings where you can learn about specific tasting notes, but you don't always get as much information about wines as a whole and the making of wines in genreal as we did today. I would absolutely come back for another class especially if it was something more specific like a sparkling wine class, just a suggestion ;-) In fact, this sounds like a perfect wedding shower for me! Going to plant some seeds! Thanks a ton to Cindy and Zach for a really fun experience today!

A class about wine? Yes, please! Zach the owner and his trusty bartender were incredibly warm and…read morewelcoming. I loved the cool cellar downstairs, especially on a hot day. The ambience was perfect to sit back and enjoy a glass of Riesling. With a large group such as ours, there was a wide range of knowledge about wine. Luckily our experienced teacher wasn't fazed a bit and was able to teach both novice and experts alike. I can certainly say I walked away with more confidence to choose a great bottle. (So much confidence that I just had to buy my own bottle of Rosé before leaving).

I was really excited to attend my first Yelp Quirks Out event tonight at Fit Philosophie!…read more The studio is located in Fort Thomas. It's kind of located in a neighborhood, so you have to keep your eyes peeled for the location. Parking was available on the street. Upon entering the studio, the instructors were extremely nice and helpful with the check in process to the class. Now onto the class! The class was way harder than I expected! And I thought I was in shape! The class was a fusion of yoga and cardio which was great and probably exactly what I needed to be working on! The class runs in cycles of four exercises. It then hits peak where you were completely active for two minutes. Then you move onto core exercises and finally a cool down. Both of our instructors were very upbeat and peppy and got us excited about the class. It also was nice that participants were awarded different prizes throughout the class to keep us motivated and active. Again, I really enjoyed the class! It was also a really nice perk to take home a little goodie bag filled with Fabletics and Hoist Water products! This was a great event! Thank you so much to Yelp and Fit Philosophie for having us!

This class was definitely a great workout! As someone who gets bored at yoga/barre type classes…read moreafter the first 20min, this class was definitely a way to incorporate those type workouts in a more high energy fitness routine. The class was heavily lower body and abs focused, but I assume that changes from class to class. The moves were easy to follow and all fitness levels could easily participate. Both instructors were eager to help individuals modify. The space was a little cramped for the class size and with all the other machines lining the walls. If their traditional classes are smaller, I don't envision that being so much of an issue. And if the bigger class meant more yelp people got to experience plyoga, then sharing the space was a-okay!

The wife and I don't make it down to Cincinnati very often. Making the list for Yelp's Bourbon…read moreTour gave us a great reason to come for a visit. The lovely and talented, Cindy G, set up a great Elite event with Cincy Brew Bus for a daylong tour of the area's emerging bourbon scene. Mike, the owner/driver/guide of Cincy Brew Bus, kept it entertaining and fun...so much so, the wife and I definitely want to try their brewery tour. New Riff Distilling and Second Sight Spirits couldn't be more different in the size of their operations. New Riff was a state of the art, spacious, beautiful modern facility with a multi-story column still that served as the visual focal point for the distillery. Second Sight was the epitome of the DIY spirit as it occupied a small space on the main drag in downtown Ludlow with the most unique and beautiful still I've ever seen. Both distilleries offered up informative tours given to us by people that were truly passionate about their craft and the spirits they were producing. Both distilleries offered up their entire line of other spirits for tasting, which were intriguing and delicious. At 94 proof, New Riff's Bourbon Barreled Kentucky Wild Gin possessed the expected gin botanicals but was amazingly smooth and nuanced as a result of its barrel aging. Second Sight's Villa Hillbillies Apple Pie Moonshine was dessert in a glass and their delicious Spiced Rum was balanced in its spice notes. The other two stops on the tour, the Littlefield and Horse & Barrel, offered informative and tasty flights of Kentucky bourbon. It was a great way to compare and contrast between bourbons from different distillers as well as bourbons from within the same distiller's product line. Each of their staffs were gracious and accommodating for our group. What made the event and our trip down to Cincinnati extra special was the opportunity to meet some of Cincinnati's other Yelp Elites. It was a great group and I had a very fun time making their acquaintance over food and drink and experiencing Cincinnati's (and surrounding area's) bourbon scene. Thanks, Cindy, for hosting this awesome event!

This was my first Yelp Elite event and I survived! :) this was an intimate event with only 14…read morepeople invited, but I loved meeting some new people and doing something different. Cindy was amazing as usual in planning this and Cincy Brew Bus made the day educational and entertaining. I haven't spent much time in Kentucky so it was nice to check out some new areas. I'm not a HUGE fan of bourbon (I'll drink it in mixed drinks and sip a bit but not my everyday thing) but my chemical engineering nerdy self loves the distillery tours and just learning about all the different types of bourbon and how it's made. I have been to a ton of brewery tours but this was my first distilling tour. Cincy Brew Bus kept us entertained the whole time with fun Cincinnati or Kentucky facts and scenic tours. They also provided snacks like water, pretzels (from Servatii's!) and KIND bars to keep us hydrated and full. The stops on the tour were: New Rift Distillery (Newport), the Littlefield (Northside), Second Sight Spirits (Ludlow, KY), and finally Horse and Barrel (downtown Cincy). New Rift was a great tour and very spacious, you can tell the staff is passionate about what they do, the business, and bourbon. After the tour we got to sample some of their house-made bourbon and even a fruity mixer (which was delicious). They have a huge space and areas for people to host work events and they even have a larger space above where they do weddings. There's also a gift shop near the tasting bar. The Littlefield I have been to a few times now (you can see my review of them on my account). As usual I love their bourbon drinks and food. I was excited to get their pigs in a blanket. We got a $5 credit to spend on anything. Only thing I wish at this stop was that we weren't so rushed and had more time to finish eating/drinking. I got my food 5-10 min before we left and had to scarf it down. Second Sight Spirits is definitely the most unique place I've been to and is a craft distillery. Their story of getting started is very interesting. I won't spoil it for you in case you check it out. Overall the owners are entertaining and brilliant men. For the tastings here, we got to try some of their unique infuses bourbons like apple pie moonshine and fire jack (infused with a chilli pepper). They were amazing and definitely worth a try. Horse and Barrel is in the heart of downtown so I've also been here a few times. The manager who led he tasting was very knowledgeable and you can tell really enjoys bourbon. I actually was a fan of the Old Fashion. We got a $10 credit here and tried some months food, which was delicious and needed after a full day of tasting bourbons :) Overall this was a great 5 hours spent meeting new people, trying new drinks, and exploring Cincinnati/ northern Kentucky. Thanks to Mike, our bus driver, and Cindy for a fun day!