Yet another NYE spent with Daniel @ SD Hosted and another GREAT time was had by all!! Daniel is THE…read moreBEST trivia host hands down! This is my second time working with him and we collaborated to add physical challenges to the trivia and it WORKED! He is so easy to work with, super positive, organized AND FUN! Thank you Daniel for another FANTASTIC event!!

When you think of trivia you think of boring no fun events. Well SDHosted broke through that and…read morekept it very interactive. If you want a truly fun experience make sure to pick sdhosted for trivia. You know how hard it is to make my Grandma laugh?? Impossible! But sd hosted made it happen. Thanks for all the fun

One of my guy friends told me that dating is like throwing a net to catch fish - it shouldn't be…read morelike spear fishing! So, that's what I did for this UYE - I sent out a ton of messages to Yelpers in the LA area to see who would want to meet in real life. Based on the premise that Yelpers are the best people in the world - adventurous, positive, open-minded, etc., these are the ones who were able to attend: New faces: Czarina Robert P. and his lovely wife Van D. Yuri "Old friends": Alana Carrie Dana Jennica Jennifer N. Kenzie Steve M. Stevo Tim C. Because of Van D.'s review of Media Noche, this restaurant was selected as the venue. We all were looking forward to the reasonably priced Sunday buffet ($16) and other items that we could order from the menu. I called from Hawaii to make our reservation, but somehow, they had forgotten and were scrambling to set up enough tables and chairs for us! Hahaha! It all worked out, eventually, and we all had a fantastic time! The food was yummy and the live music was festive! We didn't want it to end, so we continued on at Boba Tea Lounge, aka Da Aftah Pahtee... I just figured that everyone in LA has met each other already, but it seems like distance and life get in the way at times. Fate is an unusual thing. So, I was extra glad that LA Yeeps had a chance to meet each other, too! Bonus!! We have the same friends! If it's meant to be... Some day, our paths will cross and if we have not met yet, it may happen sooner than you think! On this Thanksgiving Eve, I am counting my blessings - one of them is Yelp, and another one is you!!! Mahalo for reading! Have a wonderful holiday season! Review #500

Aloha Media Noche!! Our favorite Hawaiian Yelper Nadine is in town and she came with much love!! It…read morewas like a hybrid of Halloween and Christmas because she gave us Hawaiian totes to fill with goodies!! Her luggage was as bottomless as Santa's magical sack! She spoiled us with seashell necklaces and flower clips in our hairs... not to mention fancy Aloha name tags that were RED!! Yay for Yelp colors!! Speaking of Yelp, she also gave us some Yelp gear O_O' This UYE felt like a close imitation of the real stuff :) Media Noche could have done better, but we did not let their insufficient management ruin our fun. Once tables and chairs were maneuvered all over the restaurant for us, we finally go about 4 tables put together for our group of foodies. The $16 brunch was great, aside from that inedible pork and the bitter tasting sad flan. I often find buffets to be so disappointing. I recommend their dinner over their brunch. So we after taking a bite of everything for the sake of our yelp reviews, we went off and took a million selfies. And some of us (not me) even pulled the waiter over for some selfies too! Always a good time with good company!! After Media Noche, a majority of the group went to Boba Tea Lounge where we took pictures of our drinks and attempted to fill a buy 10 get 1 free stamp card so Nadine can have a free drink from the group. XOXO!! And of course more selfies!! So good to fiiiiiiiiinally meet my favorite Hawaiian Yelper!! Saw some old yelp friends, finally met some long time yelp friends and lovely to meet those Yelpers you've heard of all the time but FINALLY met... Lol so complicated O_O Shout outs to **insert your name here** XOXO!!

The ribs were better-than-expected the sauce was sweet but overall I like them, the sandwich didn't…read morelook very appetizing, it looked more like a burger but who am I to judge? The chicken strips were really good, the buffalo flavor was just perfect.

Awesome Happy Humpy Hour @ La Costa Mexican Restaurant!…read more *FLASH!* UYE Whenever three (3) or more Yelpers converge on a spot together - such as special non-Yelp events, or casual *spontaneous* in-the-moment unbilled Unofficial Yelp Events (UYEs) - you got yourself a *Flash* UYE! SITREP Tonight was a post-training decompression de-angsting treat for a dozen of us in Monterey Park- getting off work, and out of training, and so we headed over to La Costa to take advantage of the Happy Hour specials they had going on. MARGARITAS! Their classic margaritas on the rocks were 2-4-1 and dam refreshing - and I didn't share! I drank BOTH of my margaritas! THE FOOD However, the deep-fried calamari and the chicken quesadillas I DID share with my friends and colleagues, and they were so delicious. THE LOWDOWN Great people, refreshing drinks, and delicious food are a fantastic incentive for us to get together and share these things we enjoy together - La Costa proved to be a fun place to have a fantastic Happy Humpy Hour.

After an awesome workout at The Fit Mill, us foursome headed over to Blaze for some post-workout…read morecarbs. We wanted something fast and inexpensive. We headed over to Blaze and it wasn't busy- SCORE! Custom and delicious pizzas to delight our post-workout cravings. We snagged the high top table in the corner for our group and had a blast talking about the week's Yelp Kick Butts events. Thanks Andy for getting together and for Christel and Tara for hanging out. Flash UYEs, now why haven't I thought of that before! Go Andy!

Super fun event! I've kayaked before, but never during the evening and so close to seals! They were…read moreso cute! For this evening kayak event, we met at Aqua Adventures where our guides Gunner and Jordan led us out to the bay area. We were able to go at our own speed, but stopped at resting points for everybody to catch up. This was a really fun, chill event out on the water. Unfortunately, I didn't bring a camera so no pics of the seals. Thank you Christel L. for putting this event together!

While I LOVE food, it was nice to see some events that were more activity based and I am so glad I…read moregot into this one! While the 2 hours of kayaking was a bit strenuous towards the end, you can't beat the $15 price. Especially when we got to see the red crabs floating in the bay (that seem to be all over the news now) and sea lions super up close! Thanks to Christel L. for hosting such a wonderful event!

Our hunger didn't simmer, for we ate like royalty!…read more Andy P organized a fun foodie family-style UYE at Simmer Huang in Temple City, the first ever Simmer Huang in the United States. The lucky few who were fortunate enough to attend were greeted to feasting as befitting an emperor. 1/2 of my fellow gourmand tablemates (Pam & Dora)- https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=EtRjJCxmAuSWQ7HRmU9XJg The first course came by way of palate-pleasing appetizers. Spicy noodle salad- https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=jczETJProapaAGc4RrsA9w Sweet, spicy & slippery in my palate, these were great to start. Steamed yam with blueberry compote- https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=DPdAab9Rghz5OgwYwRI0jA This dish seemed more apropos as dessert, as both the sweetness of the yam & especially the blueberry greatly juxtaposed the savoriness of the spicy noodle salad. Second course was the star of the show, the assorted meat & seafood simmer pot. Shrimp, beef & basa filet chunks on top of 10 vegetables. I wished the shrimp were brought out whole, as the head provides a ton of flavor. Not to mention, all those brains & head fat make for some good eating- https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=JF7uX9drFGuUBqspSFON4A Place the lid on top, and watch that baby simmer! https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=3tWPn0l85MR4xwXYE6ufmQ Jojo was our chef par excellence, mixing the Simmer Huang sauce, which she then masterfully applied to our boiling cauldron of culinary excellence. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=pyqd4UkWeHVaQxBTHv-cqQ https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=L0rtN11wGOYQ5bE_aHS-Pg Noodles were brought out for us to zush into our simmer pots. My table asked for an extra serving, because we're pigs..........er, I mean, because we wanted to enhance the experience of enjoying Simmer Huang's assorted meat & seafood. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=4hElzKJDJFeqY5uAVQmEsg After eating awhile, more veggies were brought out, including broth, to transform our simmer pots into cauldrons of piping hot soup. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=mcS-qxLJhvuwFwNAItNkYg https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=0XMIqJ4dw5evqBwApmATEQ https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=QrdwaW9nJxps1GZwUqUMBw The soup was soothing & nourishing on a cold night. But, of the two preparations, I prefer the simmer pot, as adding broth diluted the strong flavors that came from the 10 vegetables & other ingredients. Congrats to the social media contest winners! Jubilant Gizelle with main man at Simmer Huang Temple City, Tongxin- https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=TDE5JP5mGjvu08GXDohV3g Another winner, who I forgot, won a prize for guessing which 10 vegetables went into our simmer pots. However, we all went home winners with coupons for a future visit to Simmer Huang. Unfortunately, I forgot mine on my table. Thanks to Tongxin & the entire staff at Simmer Huang. The quality of the food we were treated to was surpassed only by the excellent service we received by the employees And, thanks to Andy P. for organizing this event. I eagerly anticipate the next one. https://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/uye-fit-for-an-emperor-temple-city?select=LSompeXnRAWYdl460E5ZUg Excelsior!