Elite Event: 2014 BPB Yelpies @ Stache

Are you Red carpet ready? Let’s recognize the great Unilocalers of 2014 for representing the great qualities and the spirit to build a diverse, strong, happy, and participant community! How did they do that? By organizing events, taking great pictures, by being courteous with other fellows, by writing great reviews to share their experiences with us…
We all gathered at Stache, an old timer mixology den hidden in the heart of Fort Lauderdale, to enjoy a great evening. And what a evening! The red carpet was set at the entrance with the photographer registering our bubbly and excited spirits.
The bartenders had drinks for all different tastes from the strong scotch drinkers to the light fruity pleasant drinks. Unilocal had set a table with small bites like popcorn, donuts, pretzels…
The happiness was in the air and everybody attending was having a great time. The DJ was dropping great beats, and we had a great performance of the talented Phil Barnes, a hot burlesque dancer entertained us and also hung out with us.
The expected moment of the evening started with the new golden elite members receiving their recognition and moved on to our beloved Michelle C. receiving her recognition as a outstanding Unilocaler. Congrats Michelle, well deserved!!!
The night kept going on with the after party… But that is for another review!
Blue thank you for all the hard work you put into planning and organizing such great event, and thank you for having me to attend it.
Can’t wait for the next one!

An underground night club for an exclusive party celebrating a year of Unilocaling = perfection. Walking the red carpet was glorious, the free selfie (#selfwe) with Blue was fantastically fun, and the photo area stocked with Unilocal and Elite posters (and Pinky) was the perfect opportunity to put up a new Unilocal profile photo… Unilocal swag on the tables, popcorn, pretzels, donuts, and of course, drinks!!!
The band was great, the short performances were entertaining, the company was spectacular, and winning an award wasn’t too shabby either! Congrats to all the other well deserving winners.
When I started Unilocaling, I wanted Elite status, but I had absolutely no idea what that really meant. Just what really comes with that shiny badge? Earning the Elite badge this year I have learned exactly what being Elite means, and I feel extremely lucky to have had so many memorable experiences with the amazing people I’ve met through Unilocal.
Way to go Blue. You did it again!

This event was my first BPB event and boy was it a fun time.
We ventured pass the county line to arrives few minutes after opening time. Stache is a really cool venue; one that we will be returning soon. The bar area is beautifully decorated and set up with plenty space to hang out.
I stuck with old fashioned all night. Crafted perfectly, it was a winner. I felt the draper-​status all night long. Got a chance to meet new peeps and mingle with old ones.
Thanks, Blue for this event. We enjoyed every much!
PS: Congrats to all the winners!

It was great to be at an event that honored Elite Unilocalers. So many of the nominees are my friends, and I think they’re all winners. I had never been to Stache before. What a neat place. There were plenty of seats downstairs, and I loved the upstairs room which had comfortable couches.
I tried each of the three special drinks. They were refreshing and delicious. The Rhino Doughnuts were so good. I don’t usually pair cocktails with donuts, but in this case I made an exception. They served four different types of donuts, and I tried each one. They were all delicious. I can’t wait for Rhino to open in Boca Raton.
There was a separate area at the top of the stairs that had small bags of popcorn, cheese, Pretzel Crisps, and hummus. I love Pretzel Crisps and I got to try a variety of flavors. There was also different flavors of hummus to go with the pretzel crisps.
I listened to great music, saw a show, drank delicious cocktails, and ate snacks and donuts. The best part of the evening was seeing old friends, and making new friends.
Events like this makes me realize what an active and wonderful Unilocal community we have here in BPB. Thank you Stache, the bartenders, and the entertainers. Thank you Rhino and Pretzel Crisps. Thank you Blue for a great event, and for filling up all those bags of Unilocal popcorn. I had a wonderful time, even if I wasn’t nominated for an award this year.
Congratulations to all the winners.

There is one person who did not receive a Unilocalie award that reallllllllly should have gotten one… Blue!
I know, I know, he can’t give himself an award because the system would seem totally rigged, but Blue absolutely deserves an award for being such an amazing CM. I am not just referring to all the hard work that he puts in to making all these amazing events happen in BPB, I am also referring to the fact the Blue takes the time to put together an event like this in honor of the community, because he recognizes that the crazy family we call Unilocal is all about that, community. Sure, the parties are nice and it’s fun to get dressed up for a night out but really what matters most at the heart of it are the people that make up this community, and I applaud Blue for not only bringing us together but for making us feel like this band of misfit toys (it’s the holidays, I couldn’t NOT reference Rudolph) is a part of a special family.
Congrats to all the award winners, but I have to say that I feel like all of us Elites and our +1’s are winners for getting to be a part of this very special community.
Thank you Blue! Thanks Stache!
OH AND I CANNOT FORGET TO SAY THAT I LOVE LOVE LOOOOOOVE MY Unilocal JOURNAL!!! Paper and pens are my friends!!!

The lights, the glamour, the beautiful people, Broward and Palm Beach most prestigious awards night for our local Elites, the grand 2014 Unilocalies of course! And what a night it was. Hosted at Ft. Lauderdale’s most original venue, Stache, the Unilocalies was a night of celebration.
Walking into Stache with our Party Passes ready to be scanned, we were graciously greeted and photographed against the Unilocal background as we made our entrance, we proceeded in to the bar on the first floor which is gorgeous with a large tall wall behind it housing some excellent bottles, we ordered our first round of drinks, we had a choice of the Unilocalie, an Old Fashioned, or a Watermelon Collins. I started with the Unilocalie which consisted of citrus, raspberry and Pisco, Stache’s talented mixologists carefully created each drink to delight us.
Stache is a Speakeasy, Prohibition 20’s themed establishment, with a small stage where the very talented Phil Barnes and company entertained us with catchy tunes and his amazing voice. The 2^nd floor of Stache hosts a second bar, a billiards table and a seating area which oversees down to the first floor. There was a very nice selection of Pretzel crisps, hummuses and cheese on a side room upstairs, a large table of Unilocal Popcorn bags, and a large selection of Rhino doughnuts by the upstairs bar. I tried the famous Bacon glazed doughnut which I keep on hearing about and it didn’t disappoint, it was delicious.
There was even a surprise burlesque performance with fire and some very sexy moves, it was a lot of fun to watch. Blue announcing the Unilocalie winners through out the night made it for a suspenseful tease of the fierce competition, I was honored to be nominated for Photographer of the Year and Reviewer of the Year, I even had my speech ready just in case, but I was up against Brenda for Photographer and Marqus for reviewer — I knew my chances were slim! So congrats to them and congratulations to all the winners.
I loved that the Gold Elites were recognized, and I hope to someday earn the shiny and prestigious Gold badge. It was wonderful time, I had lots of fun chatting with my Unilocal friends and also meeting some new faces. I big shout out to Blue for putting together this memorable night, I don’t know how he does it, but Blue, you are the best CM we could ask for, thank you for everything you do!
Blue & crew — you rock!
Stache — Amazing venue, thank you for hosting us!
Unilocal friends — You are awesome! I love this community!

A «health club»
Red velvet ropes
Red carpet
Burlesque dancer
Photogs
Phil Barnes
Fire
Kick-​ass drinks
Awards
and donuts?
Oh, you know, just a night in the life of an Elite Unilocaler. A BPB Unilocaler, that is.
What a wonderful night!
I was ecstatic to win Photographer of the Year for the second year in a row. Winning an award for doing something you already love is an incredible feeling. At least, for me it is. The husband said «Great, now they just encouraged you. Again.» HA!
I have to say, none of this would be possible without our fabulous CM. This isn’t just a job, this is his passion. I think we can all agree with saying that IT SHOWS.
Blue, you are a beautiful person. The success of our community speaks for itself. You have poured your heart and soul into creating this incredible group and I am proud to be a part of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for all you do.
Congratulations on an incredible and memorable event! Everything was absolutely perfect. Also congratulations to all the nominees and winners. Way to represent! And, how cool was it to have so many Unilocal Miami cousins come up to celebrate with us? VERY! Thanks.
Allen, I trust you will take «the pose» and «the Hoff» to DC. You will be missed.
Until next year fellow Unilocalies… SYOY

My first Unilocalie Awards show & it was so much fun. My only complaint is that the event went way to fast & it was over before we knew it. Blue did an outstanding job of putting this event together and as usual it was a blast & tons of fun.
Walking in on the red carpet and having our pictures taken was very cool & glamorous. Stache had created a few different cocktails for our event. I stuck with the Unilocalie. I have no clue as to what was in it but it tasted like raspberries. Cold & sweet & delicious. I am not a big drinker so I didn’t realize how much I was drinking because the Unilocalie tasted more like a fruity drink & honestly I didn’t taste the alcohol. Until later. Then I felt it & switched to water. Whatever they put in this drink they did a great job because it was very very good.
I noshed on some cheese that I picked off of Sue’s plate & eventually made my way upstairs to the Rhino donuts. Little baby donuts in crazy flavors. I justified the calories by telling myself I shouldn’t be drinking on an empty stomach. The smore’s was good but a little sweet for me BUT the one with bacon was out of this world. I never had bacon on a donut but this was brilliant. I had two. But again they were mini donuts so I told myself that two minis equal one whole. Maybe my math was off just a bit but I have no regrets because they were excellent.
Phil Barnes performed and as usual he put on a great show. The burlesque dancer was freaking incredible. How she danced holding all that fire totally amazed me. She earned my respect because I can barely walk in heels let alone do a sexy dance while holding flames of fire. I would go back just to see her show. I had a chance to talk to her and she was great. She did a great job of mingling & talking to us & she was funny!
Congrats to all the cool winners. Even though I didn’t win the Rookie award I am happy that Sherry won. She totally deserved it. These events are such a fun way to get out & meet new people who you correspond with online & already feel like real friends anyway. With that being said… many of my real life friends started out by just being my friend on Unilocal.I will always be grateful to Unilocal for bringing me into contact with such great people who I now consider close friends.
A huge thank you to Stache for hosting us & I definitely will go back for the show. Blue what can I say that I haven’t said a million times before? You truly are the best CM ever and each event is better than the last. Thank you for a wonderful night.

What an awesome night… still can’t believe I won the Unilocalie for «Rookie of the Year». My first year as a Unilocaler has been amazing. I have met a lot of great people and tried many great restaurants.
The event started off without a hitch, since we easily scanned our party passes and got right into the venue.
I had my first smoked glass of Old Fashion. I was impressed with the knowledge of the bartenders. I tried all three drinks and my favorite was the Unilocalie.
Phil Barnes always amazes me. I really enjoy his music and the sound level was perfect to be able to converse with fellow Unilocalers.
The maple bacon Rhino Donut is always a pleaser. I first experienced it at their store during opening week.
I have been waiting to get my hands on a Unilocal flask. So happy to finally get one!!!
I can’t wait until the next Unilocal event:)!!

What a way to recognize the BPB community! The 1920’s Drinking Den was a beautiful spot for the event last night. All of us felt like stars walking in on the red carpet and the ambiance was simply amazing. I knew that it was going to be a spectacular time from the moment I walked in.
The three cocktails on the menu were the Old Fashioned, Watermelon Collins, and Unilocalie. The Old Fashioned was a little bit too strong for me and I wasn’t much of the fan of the watermelon, so I stuck with the Unilocalie throughout the evening. It was sweet and refreshing.
Popcorn? Pretzels? Dips? Cheese? And doughnuts? Hell yea. Who can resist those munchies? The smores and bacon doughnuts were delicious and I had to stay away from the Rhino donuts table for the rest of the evening because I didn’t want to stuff my mouth with the other ones, but damn, they looked goooooood.
Hell, we even had a burlesque show. The lovely dancer Angeliki broke out some moves and the music was great by Phil Barnes. Both of the performers were excellent and stood out on stage during the entire event.
My husband and I had a great time and enjoyed everyone’s company. Thanks to Stache for the kick ass atmosphere and service provided to us. Blue, Ashley, and Rosario can’t be thanked enough for their hard work and time that was put into this event. All three of you deserve a standing ovation. Congrats to all of the nominees who won and a big one to Michelle for the lifetime achievement award. Everyone is a winner and don’t you forget that, my fellow ones! ;)

Only one word can describe last nights Elite Event: fun Fun FUN!!! Okay maybe three!
This is my first time attending the Unilocalies Awards and the experience has been great. What a terrific job Blue has done with our community and made this year great, and I am so fortunate to be part of this.
Upon arriving to the event at The Stache, we felt like a movie stars. We walked on the red carpet, and had our photo taken my a photographer (thanks for the great shot Mavila !) and the whole nine yards.
The venue took place in Stache, one of the coolest place in Downtown Fort Lauderdale. I love all the nice decoration both down stairs and up stairs, specially the huge wall of liquors behind the bar. It’s definitely a cool place to hang out and a perfect place for the awards ceremony.
And of course, when there’s a Unilocal event, there will be food and drinks. I really like the special cocktails Stache had prepared for us, as my favorite was The old fashion. And there were some lite bites as well. I love the doughnuts, and the bacon on top of those doughnuts made them ever better.
The night is a celebration to all the members in our community for their wonderful contributions. A big congratulations to all the nominees and winners. Big thanks to Blue and his hard working crew for making this evening one to remember. Also thanks to Stache for being a wonderful host.

(To the tune of «December 1963 (Oh, What a Night)» by Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons:
)
Oh, what a night
Mid-​November in 20 – 14
What a very special time for me
As I remember, what a night…
Oh, what a night
Took selfies with too many friends to name
But I was never going to be the same
What a party, what a night
Oh I…
I got a funny feeling when we walked in the room
And I… as I recall, it ended much too soon!
Oh, what a night
Hypnotizing, mesmerizing me
Listening to Phil Barnes sing BSB
Sweet surrender, what a night
And we clapped for the winners with applause of thunder
Watched the burlesque dancer spin around and sipped drinks from bartenders
Oh, what a night!
Oh I…
Loved all the decorations of Bar Stache
And I… knew this was going to be one unforgettable bash
Oh, what a night
Got a nifty notebook for being Gold elite
Treated like royalty, staff was very sweet
What an evening, what a night
And I have to thank Blue for going all out for this
We’re all super grateful, seeing how much you spoil us
Oh, what a night!

The 2014 BPB Unilocalies Event and the Unilocalies flowed in over the red carpet not only with their typical touch of Unilocal class but many in Roaring 20’s style. Some really great Flapper and 20’s creation dresses, our CM, Blue, with bow tie on a white on white; all totally in the snaz with a Unilocal Yowser! Yowser! Yowser! to it.
For such an auspicious event, we couldn’t have had a better venue than Stache. Thank you Stache. You’ve always been one of my fav hangs and of course had the perfect atmosphere and setting for it.
The event had everything, great turn the time clock back to the 20’s with Classic Old Fashioned, RazPisco and Winterfest Royale drinks, food, the great music of Barnes & Maddox, and to top all of that off an in the real and in the style time honored burlesque show… need I say I loved that whip and fire.
Annual awards were handed out but the congratulations goes to everyone, because everyone there is a winner by the mere fact of being there, a part of the BPB Unilocal Community. Of course it was distressing to learn that we are losing Allen F. to the haunts of Washington, D.C., but nice to know it’s for a great new job position and to have had the chance for us all to wish him well.

Wow! What a great event. It was so nice to see so many of my Unilocal friends get recognized for their efforts and share a few drinks in celebration of their achievements.
The one person I wish would have got an award (but didn’t) was Blue A. You simply cannot underestimate the amount of work and passion he has for his career and I wish we had an award for him. In fact I spoke with some Miami folks at the bar who said that our event blew away anything they have done in Miami, this clearly speaks to what a great CM Blue is, and how fortunate we are to have him.
On to the event.
I got to see all of my Unilocal elite buddies and share some stories and a few drinks. It was really cool. My favorite was the old fashioned, but I also really enjoyed the 15 year old GlenLeviut (hope I spelled that right) served upstairs. The band was awesome and I really enjoyed the burlesque show. Most of all I enjoyed the company. You Unilocalers are just great people and I really like hanging out with you guys.
I decided to stay for awhile afterwards to take in some blues and a few more old fashioneds. The band was just excellent and the bar service got a lot better after the crowd died down a little.
Overall I think a great time was had by all, and I had a ball. Thanks again Blue and 1920 for a great night out. You guys rock!

The Unilocalies!!! The Glitz, the Glamour, the amazing musicians, the awesome mixologist, the Lovely ladies who did the Burlesque show, the venue, and the host himself Blue. What a wonderful evening!
Stache is such a great place, the speakeasy, sexy sultry space takes you back in time. They were so very gracious to all of us. Perfect venue for this second year of Unilocalies! Congrats to all the amazing winners. Blue said it right «everyone is a winner». What a fantastic community. I was ever so honored to win the Lifetime Award which blew me away. I was so thankful, embarrassed and so honored to be part of such awesomeness. Thank you Blue for making a lady feel special.
Everyone looked so gorgeous! We all had such a lovely time. Blue and the First Lady Rosario you are so good to us. You two are pure class and we appreciate you both so very much. Huge shout out to Ashley for all of your hard work, the photographer, the musicians and those donuts. Not that I had any but hubby had enough for the both of us. He was in heaven!
Thank you all who made this event so perfect! Blue thank you sir for always going above and beyond. The afterparty was a blast! Hard saying farewell to our Allen for sure.
BPB what an amazing group! See you all soon. Xoxo

So much fun! A full 24 hrs later im still in recovery mode. I love stache it’s such an awesome unique place. The event had three drink options to chose from the Unilocalie, old fashioned, and watermelon collins. I stuck with the Unilocalie most of the night.
It was great to meet a lot of new faces and chat with everyone. Being new to the Unilocal community everyone I have met has been really awesome so thank you all!
Thanks again to blue for pulling off another fantastic night.
Did I mention I ate 3 maple bacon donuts– scheduling a gym class now. :/

Wow! What a way to celebrate my newly bestowed elite squad status. We were all welcomed in through a red carpet with pictures at the Unilocal backdrop. Love that!
They had signature Unilocalie drinks that were delish. I stuck with multiple watermelon collins, where my husband stuck with the old fashioned. Love the 1920’s feel and ambiance. Great nooks to sit and chill with your friends. Thanks Stache for your generous hospitality! I must say the bartender upstairs, Frank, was a pro! We were willing to wait an extra few to have his signature cocktails.
Phil Barnes performed throughout the evening and he did great covers from Jon Bön Jovi to Rihanna. It was a nice touch to have live music just for the event!
We also had the pleasure of seeing a brief burlesque act. She was fantastic, especially with the fire batons! She mingled with the crowd before and after and was definitely sweet and down to earth. Even texted one of my pictures to her!
I want to congratulate all of the nominees and winners! All well deserved indeed. It was nice meeting fellow elites and hope to get to meet more soon. Such friendly people. Thank you Blue for putting on a rockin’ evening! Can’t wait for future events, the bar is set high!

Well Unilocal,you keep on delighting me! You’ve introduced me to wonderful people, venues offering delicious food, businesses that cater to their customers, and new destinations right under my nose — in short you add fun to my life!
Ok — maybe it’s more like Unilocal and Blue (and Ashley, Ros, and all the other people and vendors that step up to put Unilocal events over the top). Tonight took it to a new level — it was all about recognizing Unilocalers that contribute to the BPB Unilocal community.
I am thrilled that I was nominated for two categories and while I wasn’t awarded a Unilocalie, I did snag a Unilocal flask and fingerless gloves! I didn’t know this swag existed! I was treated to top shelf tequila, an assortment of pretzel crisps and cheese and two floors of fun just for Unilocalers. There was a selfie area with props, live music, and scantily dressed burlesque dancers (that hubby seemed to really enjoy — where were the half naked men, Blue?)
We had so much fun — I’ve gotten to know many Unilocalers and seeing them made it a wonderful party!
The more I know you Unilocal,the more I love you… no really, I mean it. You are a forum for my thoughts, you post my pics, you expand my network of friends… and as I learned tonight, you count my characters, compliments, pics, and messages! You really pay attention to me, dontcha!!!
All kidding aside, I appreciate Stache’s generosity, the live music, the offering of Rhino doughnuts, the pics and everything that made tonight’s event great!

Stache was the perfect venue for a festive night of celebration for Unilocal and Unilocal achievements. Although a nondescript speakeasy” without a sign on the door, it was easy to find Stache with the line of Unilocalers at the front door.
After «walking the red carpet» and a photo at the entry, it was time for one of the 3 drinks of the night: A Unilocalie, an Old Fashioned, or a Watermelon Collins. I tried the Watermelon Collins which was light and refreshing.
There were light snacks including « Unilocal corn», hummus, and pretzel chips. The tastiest snack was the large array of Rhino Doughnuts. I did not indulge but I have had them before and they looked delicious.
The entertainment was an act that has become somewhat of a Unilocal staple; Phil Barnes is a class act and was as enjoyable as ever. Another part of our entertainment and one of our little surprises was a burlesque dancer. The lovely lady did a short performance, but did an even better job of mingling with and chatting up the crowd.
As usual Blue was the perfect host and MC. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees! Thank you to Blue and your team (Ashley, Julie, Ros) and Stache for putting a wonderful evening together!

Oh I know we just left, but can we repeat this perfect evening? Once again Blue put together a perfect event to recognize the Best of the BPB Unilocalers, and give us a fun Saturday evening.
Starting with the grub and booze, the smokey Old Fashioned were a work of art. From capturing the bunsen burner smoke to mixing in burners and bitters, the brew masters at Stache made it worth the wait. Of course, there was also the lovely Angeliki doing her burlesque dance (where my buddy Dom told me to close my mouth :) as I was entranced by her umm fire. Then there were the bacon maple donuts from Rhino Donuts that will be the case of many trips north for me…
The evening belonged to fellow Unilocalers, from Wine Goddess Michelle winning her Lifetime Achievement Award, to Brenda’s famous pose and photographs, Joy’s joyful compliments and Charlie’s royalty of the Hollywood Boardwalk. Allen’s funniest was bittersweet since he’s moving and both Jeanne and Chris rocked speakeasy appropriate fashion. In addition to pictures with Brenna (aka Brennaface) I got to teach Allen S about Hialeah and dog parenting with Howie and Amanda. Blue deserved an award for putting this together.
So yeah, can we like, do this again?