Black Out Hunger Elite Event @ BlackFinn American Grille

What a fun event! I really liked the atmosphere and drinks at BlackFinn (but would have been happy with some more vegetarian-​friendlyy apps). The servers were extremely friendly, and the rosemary mojito was awesome!
Farah did a great job setting this up (as always!) and it was fun to turn an Elite event into a canned food drive to help the community out.
I’ll be back to check out BlackFinn on a regular night, for sure!

What a nice intro to the Elite world! I know, I know it’s a shame I’m well into my 2^nd year of eliteness and this was still my first event.
Farah was there to give the newbie blurb so I could jump right in. Free bites and adult bevs floating around. The brie and tuna were really really really good. I want more. That elderflower drink was lovely– I had a couple or so.
The setting is pretty much something I can imagine meeting friends when a hole-​in-​the-​wall just won’t do. Dark, elegant, but lively– it’s spot on. Service was incredibly fast and I can’t say enough how welcoming and courteous they were. Insert mucho stars here.
I can’t wait for another event to attend!

By private invitation I was invited to Black Out Hunger at the BlackFinn American Grille on the eve of Thanksgiving. This event has had to be one of the finest and perhaps most humble & above all… most noble events.
These and other events are an unconditional pursuit of Unilocal to give back to its community.
BlackFinn American Grille served as the perfect instrument where Unilocal Elites joined to work toward blacking out hunger. Inside the grille, it is comfortable and inviting. While there, the service is good and the bartenders are dressed with repp ties against crisp white shirts. I found it to be a timeless & an intelligent look.
The grille’s interior was polished and near synonymous with upscale saloons of yesteryear. Television sets are mounted on the walls for the grille’s guests to keep score of what’s going on in world sports, or news.
Nicely done.
–Esteban

Anytime Farrah and Unilocal throw an Elite party with a great host, BackFinn and their staff, free booze, and free bites it will always be 5 Stars in my book. Once again a big Thank You to BlackFinn for opening up their establishment to us during business hours and accommodating all the great Houston Elites. They really kept the Mojitos and Blue Moon flowing. The servers were ‘Johnny on the spot’ all night, great job guys. I thought BlackFinn did a great job with the food. I found the flat breads to be addictive and the pulled pork sliders fun. The best part, there was always food available. I know I keep saying it but, BlackFinn really stepped their game up for this event.
I really liked the ‘Black on Black’ theme for the evening, and with a few cans of perishable food items I was inside. Oh and the Elites. It was great catching up with some good friends and making some new ones.
Farrah, we’ve been doing this along time, Thank you for working so hard to put this event together. It’s events like these that get me excited for the year ahead.

Dressed head to toe in black with some canned goods clenched in my hands, I headed over to BlackFinn American Grille for the November Elite Event and a much needed mid-​week break. BlackFinn was easy to find even though Map (stupid)Quest said they were located on the left (never again will I trust MP, but that’s another story). Parking in the garage is $ 5, which is fine with me because I have little patience when trying to find a parking place.
The staff at BlackFinn are awesome. These guys are at the head of my list re: Elite Events. On the ball, fast service with a smile. The Rosemary-​Elderflower Mojito was delicious and pretty. I did take the sugar cane out after the darn thing tried going up my nose when I took my first sip. The food was delicious, I really loved the pizza and the blackened brie. As usual, I can’t remember everything I tried and nothing stood out as terrible. I had fun spending time with my favorite Unilocalers and meeting new ones. The photo booth was the usual fun, fun, fun (especially toward the end of the night).
So thank you BlackFinn, our lovely CM Farrah, DnN Photography, MineralBlu Studio, Bacardi & Blue Moon for spoiling us rotten!

Black Finn did a great job at blacking out my hunger!
Hats off to Farrah and her crew for pulling off yet another amaze-​balls event! From the tasty bites, and libations by Bluemoon and Bacardi, to the photo ops by our own David N., this was a successful event. I specifically love the Elite Only events, because I feel it really gives people a chance to talk and network. There were a lot of new people and a good sample of the veteran crew, which helped enhance the evening.
Seeing everyone in all black was also pretty sweet and luckily for me, black helps provide that optical illusion called «slimming»! I think it was also nice to add in some charity with the normal Unilocal debauchery. I love giving back and if I can do it while out socializing with people I enjoy — what’s better than that?!

It wasn’t until this event that I realized I have virtually no black clothing. That cute little V-​neck top I’m wearing in the photos? It’s a Champion workout shirt. Whoops. What can I say, I guess I’m just a colorful person.
With free Bacardi flowing freely, glory hallelujah, this was one hell of a party. BlackFinn was kind enough to open its doors to host us, and the sponsors were fabulous. I’m not really a fan of fruity drinks, and the rosemary elderberry cocktails were dee-​lish. Servers were super friendly, attentive and enthusiastic. (It may have to do with Unilocalers being good tippers.) The only thing I wasn’t really impressed with was the food. Especially for this kind of price point – I wasn’t particularly enticed to go back. The bar area may draw me in again, though. The heated patio sounds particularly alluring this time of year.
Love, love, LOVE the interspersing of Elite-​only events. I got to talk to some people I’d never met before and also got to know a few folks better that I’d only traded words with.
As usual, you’ve done a great job, Farrah!

Thanks, Farrah! This event was loads of fun.
Plenty of space and food for everyone. I didn’t love the pulled pork sandwiches, but everything else was great. The elderberry mojitos were, stealing someone’s word here, amazeballs. ;D And most of my table agreed it was a stick of sugarcane in them.
The bar got really loud the later it got, but it was peaceful outside on the patio. And there were heaters!

Thank you, Farrah A. for a fantastic event! It can be a little intimidating to come to one of these and not know anyone, but Houston Unilocalers are so awesome that you won’t be alone for long. I finally got to meet some people who’s faces I recognized from the site and met some new, very nice, very cool people as well.
The venue is dark and masculine with an upscale feel. Large flat panel televisions line the walls — the ones above the bar aired sports, the ones lining the outer walls, a black and white film featuring Jimmy Stewart. Even though it wasn’t that cool outside, barely anyone was on the patio (c’mon Houston, IT WAS NOT COLD!), but I could see it being a popular spot in good weather. The appetizers were delish. I found a spot at the bar that was a prime location — want to try one of the complementary cocktails for the evening? Want to try one of the garlic, buttered shrimp or battered sweet and sour shrimp? Easy peasy. And it was only a hop, skip, and a jump to the flat breads/​pizza table. I did not have any drinks this time because of lack of food during the day and an early end to pack for Thanksgiving travel, the elderberry mojito seemed to be a hit. This is definitely a nice place to catch a game or grab a bite before/​after the Theater District or start or end your night.
However, the draw for the night was, of course, the Elite Unilocalers. Look forward to seeing y’all again and thank you, Farrah A., were introducing us to a new hotspot!

Black on Black on
Black on Black on
Black on Black on
It was an All Black Elite ONLY event at BlackFinn. You know the night was going to be a blast. BlackFinn was the gracious host of our recent ELITE ONLY event. Once again I like these especially because the crowd is a bit smaller and the faces are more familiar. At the open event its a mad house, you can’t catch up with anyone. Here you can comment in person about a review they recently wrote etc.
Food — I was able to the try the pulled pork sliders, YUMMY, the flat bread, delicious, and the shrimp, OMG that thing tasted like a better version of walnut shrimp!
Drinks — I only tried the mojitos and they were strong but tasted smooth going down.
Service — Top Notch, plenty of food for everyone to sample and ample amounts of drinks.
Concept — I like everyone’s take on the Black Out Attire. Most dressed up, so it was nice having another chic event.
Food Bank — Love giving back to the community.
Farrah — Gotta love her for putting together such a great event so close to the holidays.
Pictures available at:

Great job Farrah!
Had a great time at the Elite event, got to mingle with some other Elites I had never talked with before! This place is very cool and I loved the patio area too!
Blue Moon is a fave so that was tasty! Their Elderberry Mojito was delish and quite a large drink! :-)
Now the apps that were being served I can only comment on a few, as I do not eat seafood (or at least I wasn’t buzzed enough to try it) The sandwich that came around early I didn’t catch what it was called but very tasty, fresh and light almost! The pulled pork I was not as crazy about, just wasn’t feeling it. I must say my fave thing of the night was the pizza with asparagus and sun dried tomatoes. loved that taste!
Great event, loved the black attire theme! I really hope that our donations help out the Houston Food Bank! Thanks again Farrah!

I love being elite! Another fun event with all my elite buddies. I’d already been to BlackFinn once, so I knew they had some good food, and was happy to go back again for a fun party! I’m glad that Farrah collected donations for the Houston Food Bank… great idea! I was sad that I didn’t plan better and could only find one can in my pantry.
It had been quite a while since I’d seen quite of few of my fellow Unilocal Elite, so it was great to see everyone again. The food was freely flowing as were the drinks. The people at BlackFinn really were on top of things. Special shout out to «Sean» from BlackFinn who really took care of our table. He made sure to come by many many times with food and to check on us. He always had a smile on his face… impressed!
I love the patio. Several of us headed outside and realized that there were heaters and it was snuggly warm out there. David N was out there taking some fun photos… he’s always to happy and willing to indulge everyone in their crazy photo requests.
I wish this had been a +1 event, I hope we at least alternate elite only with +1 events in the future.
I can’t wait to see what our end of the year event will be… December’s Holiday Unilocal party will probably be a BLAST just like this month’s! In the past we’ve had an awesome holiday Hoedown and a Ugly Sweater Party… can’t wait to see what next month holds in store.

Unilocalers are always down for a party. I love you guys! This was one awesome elite squad event. First of all, wow! This event’s list of complimentary food and spirits blew me out of the water and my only regret was that I had to drive home sober. The raw sugar cane was a very nice touch.
Thank you Blackfinn for your generosity and fantastic service last night. You guys were all smiles, very informative and productively busy. I live all the way out in Katy, and you guys have convinced me that a repeat is definitely necessary (hopefully with a hot date?).
I loved how the party eventually moved to the patio, and if enough people ask me to, I’ll add a link of David N. getting jiggy with it at the after party.

Baammmm… thank you maaammmmm!
Throw some stars at this event because it was tons of fun! What more can one ask for right before Thanksgiving by Unilocal giving the elites another stellar event. As usual, Farrah did a great job of getting this party started by greeting everyone that came in.
The Bluemoon beer and the rosemary mojitios (loved the sugar cane stick) were a hit! I didn’t get to try out all of the light bites but I did enjoy the salad and the pepped cheese on the cracker.
The event took place in the bar area of the restaurant which was huge. It was very nice to see such a huge crowd which included old and new Unilocalers dressed in black attire. It looked like a hipster/​funeral crowd minus the emo feelings and depression. I felt like a celebrity thanks to David N and Long T snapping photos all night.
Great job Farrah (also Ashley B, Unilocal and Blackfinn) and I’m going to check out Blackfinn for dinner next time and wear black attire because it’ll make me look skinner after all this holiday eating.
FTR for FTW!!! =O

I have been searching for a new place to watch some serious football on Sundays, when (waves a magic wand) an elite invite pops into my email account, and presto, magico, it is at BlackFinn.
I have been to a couple of BlackFin’s on the East Coast, and this new shiny counterpart in Htown did not disappoint. It’s very similar to Champp’s in Uptown, but cleaner, cooler, newer, and with better food and drinks. Okay, so it’s not like Champp’s, but it reminded me of a definite BOY place – hardwoods, lots of different beer on tap, and yummy bar food. I sampled the fantastic sliders, that were moist, and sweet, the crispy tangy shrimp, and the garlic shrimp. The little sandwiches with fried egg were amazeballs, as was the toasted brie. I loved the Elderflower mojitos, and Bluemoon. The atmosphere was cool, and the corwd a blend of young hipsters, and downtown suits. The service was very quick, and sweet, along with a large outdoor patio, that would make a perfect date spot. I will definitely recommend this place to my friends as a new regular spot!
GREAT Job Farrah as usual, a HIT, and for a great cause!

Farrah knocked this one out of the park, as usual. Even though I live down the street and am a fixture at Cyclone Anayas I had no oblivious idea this place existed, although a facebook foodie friend (not a Unilocaler) already «liked» this place since the soft opening I missed while I was in LA on business. So I was happy to be able to take a gander at this place while it was still new-​ish.
Walking by the patio on the way to the front door. First thought as my tie gets blown every which way: yep, it is windy and a bit cold, will probably not be spending too much time out there tonight. And I was right — I followed Linh outside for a photo shoot with David and the only further experience with the patio I had was walking by it again on the way home. It is a very large patio though — way larger than Cyclone Anayas. And it is on a less busy street and set further back, so it is more relaxing and serene I suppose.
When you walk inside it feels like a hotel lobby with those big heavy doors, fancy hallway, and large concierge desk that bottlenecks into the bar «room» we were in. The tables are the high-​up ones so boost yourself up on the chair and get ready to down a couple (or several.)
The bar space is large and imposing like something out of a Hemingway inspired rough and rugged, yet new and shiny hunting cabin. The large flatscreens provide sports when conversation slows and overall it seems like a way fancy steak place, not at all something like a TwoRows which was always totally casual and perfect for fratting out. I was glad I wore a tie. Otherwise I would feel underdressed.
The rosemary elderberry mojito: deelish. Linh thinks it was sugar cane, David T suggested a french fry, but at any rate there was a big hunk of something jammed there to flavor things up in addition to the sprig of rosemary, the mint leaf on bottom, the lemon wedge jammed on the rim, and the alcohol, the delicious alcohol. Although my foodie buddy saw the photo I took of our «menu» and corrected everyone, wanting you all to know there is no ‘e’ at the end of St Germain. But he thinks it is delicious.
Blue Moon Abbey Ale ran out so we got the old school Blue Moon garnished with the appropriately sized orange slice. You know what Blue Moon tastes like — and it was free.
The food, endless amounts of food brought right to you! My thoughts: the food quality was amazeballs. Bruschetta? Excellent. The cubano sandwich? Very flavorful. The shrimp? Sooooo good!
The waitstaff was very nice and on their game. But the shrimp guy, Euriah «Sean» deserves a special mention for making repeat trips over to me/​my table, instructing us to take as much as we like, and he even doubled back one time to let me grab the last few pieces of shrimp on the platter. Definitely a cool/​personable guy and a great waiter. Next time I am back here I will ask to sit in his section.
Finally got to meet Larry B. and David T. in person, as well as others. It felt like such a long time since Yelapa so it was good to catch up with everyone in person — although unlike Yelapa there was no «quiet upstairs» to escape to. It was very, very loud. Linh and I ended up passing notes back and forth at the end since it was impossible to hear anything in conversation. Perhaps that is where the patio should have come in. But the loudness is the only demerit — everything else was amazing, flavorful, and fun. I had a great time. And I will be back at BlackFinn.
Plus I was able to feel good about the whole thing by dropping off non-​perishable food into the Houston Food Bank container with a PostSecret inspired message of hope scribbled on the side.
Awesome elite event. Thank you Farrah!

Thanks again to Farrah and Unilocal for introducing us to the cool new restaurant and bar that is BlackFinn American Grille in the midtownish area on this Blackout Hunger event. With nonperishable cans in hand, I gladly donated a few cans for an evening of fun with new and old friends. Definitely a fan of the Elite only events as it encourages more and more Elite Unilocalers to mingle with each other.
With Blue Moon Pumpkin Ale and Rosemary Mojitos flowing, and small bites like pizza and sloppy joes being passed around, BlackFinn proved itself to be another great option for hanging out with friends in the area. Like Anthony N and Justine H, I too loved the sugar cane stick, and the nerd in me kept chewing the sweetness out of the sugar cane stick (that sounded kind wrong).
The place definitely has an upscale yet casual vibe to it… with deep woods throughout the bar, it’s got a classy «Cheers» feel to it.
Thanks again to everyone who came together to make this a great event!
I’ve uploaded video highlights from the event, which I hope you guys will like!