YEE: Gold Elites @ Fluff Bake Bar

For this Gold Elite event, I have kind of mixed reviews. Farrah, thank you for all that you do for us! Although it was pretty warm in there, I did enjoy visiting with other Unilocalers and talking about the treats and drinks! I must say that I really enjoyed the Fluffer Nutter, I mean OMG wow! The sugar cookie was good and the pudding was good too, until you find out that there’s a wet fungus on top :/​JK The cider was really the high point for me. very tasty and looking forward to having more in the future. He was so willing to chat and answer our questions! Looking forward to our next Gold Event!

A little late to the game, but I’m putting just as much love and thought into this as I would have otherwise :) This was a great event! My husband and I showed up late… at first I thought that we had missed out on the majority of the treats since there were only 3 items left, and not much of them… but it looks from the other reviews like that was the offering to everyone. Not a problem for me… the more dessert you give me, the more I will eat, so for the better in my book. I LOVED the fluffernutter, obviously… in fact, I may have gone back a couple of times for more (see above comment about being a dessert monger). The was also a hazelnut mousse and a sugar cookie that were good, though the fluffernutter was the obvious winner :)
Leprachaun was there, offering up their goods, and my husband and I enjoyed them as well… the guy was also super friendly. I’m not really a connoisseur of those beverages so I don’t have much comment but I thought they were good and it was a nice touch.
It is hard to justify 5 stars in comparison to the other, more decadent events; however, I was still happy and am always grateful for free dessert. Hell, I’m grateful for any dessert :) Since we arrived late I think we missed out on the crowds and stuffiness, but we also missed out on meeting more awesome gold elites. Next time. Thanks so much Farrah!

Oh sweet goodness! A sweet elite treat for sure. I’d give it a 3.5 really cause there were just a few details that felt off for the typical 5 star events we’ve had.
Yes, we all know it was hot in there and during the heat of summer in Houston, AC is certainly expected so the temp inside the venue was a heated disappointment. Not sure why it was sooo warm in there, but I’m not sure this little space is meant to hold many people.
But oh those FlufferNutters! Talk about an upscale take on my childhood. They were the best part of the evening for me. I loved every little nibble I took and even went back for another. The other desserts weren’t bad at all, but I just had delicious dreams after those cookies. The owner seemed a little shy at first, but did come out and talk a bit towards the end. Her helper (mother I assumed) was super sweet and seemed very proud of the place. I would have loved to actually visualize some of their other offerings, but everything was put away.
The cider was a cold refreshing treat in the heat too! This cider is now part of my top list and may even be at this number one spot at this time! Crisp, tart, cold and I didn’t feel like I needed some insulin after drinking one! A great summer drink for sure.
I’m excited to try some of the other creations Fluff Bake Bar has to offer in the coming future. I think first on the list will be their seasonal strawberry lemon cake — oh yeah!

This would the first time I’ve ever given any elite event a three-​star rating. Especially a gold event where you would normally get to brag to other non-​gold elites. I had such a high expectation for this event because (a) GOLD and (b) I love all kind of baked stuff. Especially one that has super high sugar count in it.
Alas, out of the many good things that Fluff Bake Bar had to offer on their menu, gold elites only had three items to sample. One cookie with some peanut butter in it, one what tasted like a sugar cookie, and another dessert sample that supposedly had some fungus in it that provide a sweet and bitter kind of taste. Although the cookies were good, the last dessert just tasted a little different to me to want to try more than one. Looking at the menu, I wish that the owners would have tried to show off other baked stuff that they offer like the different types of cakes that they have, maybe some macaroons/​French macaroons but nope; none of those.
There was also no introduction from the owner (s) of the bake bar. No little story or a welcome speech or anything that you would normally get at an elite event. For an event that’s meant to promote the bake bar, the best part about it was actually the guy that was promoting Leprechaun hard cider. He was friendly and he briefly explained gold Unilocalers about the company and about the two different type of ciders that they offered.
Regardless, I still want to extend my thank you to Farrah A, Our community manager for making this event happen and to Fluff Bake Bar to provide the time, space, and the samples for us to try. And also a thank you for Leprechaun for being there and providing us with the bottle caps. Those things are pretty awesome!
Until the next event, see you on Unilocal

I first had a Fluff dessert from Revival market and it was so delish that I was excited to be able to have a chance to come check out the bakery… however, it wasn’t as I anticipated. I was imagining her top desserts for us to try. All I can remember was a chocolate hazelnut mousse with passion fruit crème and a sugar cookie… not her best. She did bring out her famous flutternutters which I was thankful for.
I did appreciate the Leprechaun cider. It was tasty and hope to see more of it someday!

The latest Gold Elite event has me a bit on the fence about this place. The bakery staff were a bit stoic & being the chatty type I tried very hard to get them to join me in conversation. Who knows, maybe they are shy or were just really tired from being on their feet all day… in a very warm atmosphere. To me the place felt fine as I love the warmth but some of my poor friends were breaking out in a sweat which made the usual round of hi-​hugs a bit sticky.
I was surprised that there were only 3 offerings but hey Elite Events are sampling events sooooo… I really wish they threw out a couple more tidbits. The ones I tried were very good & I even stashed away a cookie for H (he liked it). I had a wonderful time seeing my Unilocal buddies & was very happy to see a couple I haven’t in ages (Melissa & Michelle… y’all need to get out more often!!) I absolutely adored the cider dude and his product (hello 4^th star). I let Fujio pick out which flavor I should try first and he picked an excellent choice: the Green Apple cider which is on the dry side with a crisp finish of citrus & green apple. I think I found my new drink for the summer!
Thank you Farrah for organizing this event. It was small & intimate which is the sort of thing I’m always up for. I had a great time seeing everyone & it was a very nice way to start my week.

I don’t think I’ve ever given an event below a 4 star before. But it’s the first that I must. And you could tell that the atmosphere was shared by many other Unilocalers. I showed up about 15 minutes before and was one of the last to leave and the event still had 30 more minutes to go. I feel it’s nothing that Farrah could have done differently to make it any different either. She is great and we are always blessed to have these events in Houston.
The reason for the drop off was the limited selection of samplings. We had 3 desserts offered by Fluff Bake Bar, 1 was something different, and 1 was OK, and 1 was just bad. To me when you have these type of events as a business owner you want to show off what you have to offer. Once you agree to the event, you must step up your game to draw people to come back in. The pudding, even though I did not enjoy it, was at least different. The peanut butter cookie was probably the best tasting for me personally and the sugar cookie was just that a sugar cookie.
I did not sample the cider, but I did spend some time chatting it up with the owner. He was a great guy, and has a great back story. I love people from the area who want to stay in the area they grew up in and succeed there. For a company that produces all of their products in Vermont, they only distribute in TX. The bottle cap/​resealable idea is genius. Especially, if you have a drink that you can recommend making and then having a way to store it and serve it quicker.
But the biggest complaint was the AC. I sweat very easily, and I was dying! The minute I walked in I could tell there was going to be a small puddle around my area. I attempted to move from spot to spot to find the vents, no such luck.
However, at the end of the day, the reason I come to these events is for the company. As much as I love the food and drinks, the people are the main reasons I contribute to Unilocal.With everyone’s busy schedule these days it’s hard to make time to see one another. With the aide of Farrah and these scheduled Elite events, we are able to gather at one place and catch up with one another. And for that I am very thankful!

Hot Hot Hot!
This was my first Elite event since December 2013 and it was so convenient and didn’t revolve around drinking, that I had to go. Also, it was Gold badge which meant I might know some people there.
The parking was easy (easier than I expected) and Farrah did a good job of making people feel welcome, as usual. Farrah always mingles, is great at introducing new people, etc…
I got to try one fluffernutter and drank a lot of water since I was melting. When I went back by the sample counter area, it was empty, so I didn’t go back again. I had planned to stay until the end but it was just too warm inside. I left by 7 and at that point, the place was clearing out.
I spoke to Rebecca Masson for a few minutes as we have some friends in common, but I was surprised that she didn’t address the crowd or come out and meet the Unilocalers and mingle.
I’m glad I went. I liked the one cookie I had and it might be enough to get me to come back in. I just wish my sample had been bigger accompanied by some words from the sponsor.
You win some, you lose some.

When it comes to Elite events, it isn’t always about the venue, the food, or the drink. It’s about the Unilocalers… the awesome Elites who make these types of meetings and this community possible.
As always, Gold Elites showed up en mass to support a new, local bakery that is filling a huge void in the Houston market… a craft bakery with desserts to die for. The community manager, as always, played the perfect host as Elites got to sample and extend online relationships beyond the internet.
Though the selections from the event were few… the offerings were enticing to warrant a second, third, and fourth visit. But again, this event was more than just the bakery… it was the perfect venue for Unilocalers to be Unilocalers!

So… I don’t know what to rate the event, so I’ll back into it. Write the review and then decide — it’s all up in the air, the still, hot air.
It was an after work affair, so I was still dressed in office attire, along with the requisite cardigan to keep my office (the walk-​in freezer) in its place. Basically, I was dressed for indoor Houston summer temps, since I knew the only time I’d be outside was in the short subtropic walks from my car to work or car to event and the return trips. Well, dummy me. I hadn’t planned on the 85ish temperature inside the event. See, under my cute cardigan, I had exposed bra-​straps, so the cardi was on for the long haul. Either that or I was going to have to pull a Natasha Lyonne in Slums of Beverly Hills. Well, everyone was red in the face and sweating or glowing or just really hot (not in a sexy way). I thought — I’ll suck it up and rehydrate as I dehydrate. Thankfully there was water and some shot glasses to drink the water. Also, no photographers to capture the great gold melt of 2015.
I L-​O-​V-​E Fluff Bake Bar. Veruca Salt — bring her on! Fluffer Nutters? Hell yes. Easter cup cakes with frosting that looks like easter grass and a peep bunny on top? Cutey patooty. So I was happy that there was a cute tiered cookie tray with the Fluffer Nutters. And that’s where I’m going to stop. I’m down with creativity and flavor combinations, but when there are four to five in a tiny cup, I’m going to start looking around for something else to eat. Salt and chocolate: good. Salt and chocolate and passion fruit and fungus and crunchies: eh.
It was really awesome and I felt very honored that Rebecca opened the place up for us, but… If I wasn’t already familiar (and in love) her desserts, I would not have been impressed. It could have also been the heat and lack of water.
I don’t drink cider, but I hear it was gluten free. Also the owner of Leprechaun (the cider) was there, pouring out cups of cider… and gave me a larger cup to get more than just a shot of water at a time. Merci Beaucoup!
Farrah, it was a nice event, but some of the things out of your control balanced out my anticipation. It was great hanging out with you (haven’t talked in forever!) and some of the OG crew!
Okay, now for the rating. Tony H. and Dolph would be shocked that my rating wasn’t overly-​inflated. Ako, Heidi, Michelle, Melissa, Chris, and David know that actually it is. Beyond that lot (whom I spoke with at the event about the aforementioned issues), it was good seeing a few Goldies I hadn’t seen in years.

It’s interesting to see other people rating a YEE below a four… I thought that was just my thing!
I have to agree with what others are saying. The event was rather quaint and not up to par with what I’ve come to expect from Gold Elite events, but more of what I would expect from a regular elite event. I was quite excited to check this place out given all that I had read about it, but then the selection of things to try was lackluster. I’m also use to a little more boozing, but I thought the cider was good and different… it also worked well with the sweets since they were not super sweet. The combination of booze and desert is a great Happy Hour in my mind!
I too was also waiting for some sort of explanation of the baked goods. When that didn’t happen my buddy Jessie and I decided to just go up and talk to Rebecca. The conversation was actually great and we learned about her «cuppy cakes» … as opposed to cupcakes and about how they are trying to make red velvet cake in a way that no one else in the city is. I would have liked to try a few more things… I was waiting for something else to come out but when it didn’t we decided to just leave early (the first time I’ve done that at a Unilocal event).
I feel like this event had a ton of potential, but it didn’t quite hit the mark for a Gold event.

I am torn about rating this event. It just didn’t seem to provide the quality of all the other Unilocal elite events I’ve attended. But the show must go on and I just be honest and transparent else folks won’t know how they can improve and attract/​retain customers.
After hearing that there was going to be Unilocal elite event happening at fluff bake bar and having the biggest sweet tooth ever, I stopped everything and cleared my schedule to make sure I was there. Why? I was ecstatic to hear Rebecca was having a brick and mortar nearby AND having some of her desserts in the past, I was looking forward to sample the best from fluff especially since this was a Unilocal event.
Unfortunately the desserts offered did not make the cut nor leave me with a favorable impression. I was deeply disappointed because I expected that Rebecca would put her best food forward on showcasing her top and most popular desserts especially for Unilocal elites. The signature fluffernutter cookies were just ok and the gelato was salty. It may have been the salty toppings that was on top of the gelato but it didn’t go well with my tastebuds and the passion fruit/​fungus, the texture and flavor of it was off (in my opinion). The sugar cookies weren’t memorable. They tasted like any other standard sugar cookie I’ve had. I really felt Rebecca could have done better. I’ve had some of her outstanding cakes and cookies before but had I not, I probably would not come to this bakery because it just didn’t leave a favorable impression or gave me a WOW factor to go here again because there are all these other bakeries competing in the Houston area so why fluff?
I was hoping to hear from Rebecca and see her mingling with us but her and another staff member stayed behind the glass and didn’t really interact or were approachable. It was very standoffish. The leprechaun cider representative was very informative and interacted with me. I don’t drink cider so I gave my share to my +1. She really liked the apple/​pear flavor and found the green apple (dry) to be unbearable. The green cap swag was pretty cool and useful.
Overall the planning of the event by Farrah was well executed (as always!) however this event wasn’t very representative of what I considered or expected a Unilocal elite gold badge event to be. (Eg think peskas presentation, red lobster or longhorn steakhouse elite events) It honestly felt a little odd and I don’t know if it had to do with the small space, not enough water especially the dinky cups, the AC not really working making the environment a bit stuffy and uncomfortable or the owner’s presence not really gracing the room or interacting with the guests. The dress code was dressy casual yet there wasn’t our awesome Unilocal photographer to capture the sweet moments like he’s at for other Unilocal events.
Perhaps for future Unilocal events that are smaller (in this instance) there can be suggested ice breakers to help with the mingling since we tend (including myself) gravitate to people we know and there can be some type of presentation from the owner themselves including explanation of their products, their passion and what drove them to pursue this business and why they wanted to invite Unilocal elites to come.
Huge kudos to Farrah for organizing and giving us the opportunity to check out the bakery and try out leprechaun cider.

A mid rating because I did not have any serious objections to the event. It was limited in terms of offerings and the venue was also limited in space which contributed to my claustrophobia. I understood why the invitations were limited as a result.
There were three offerings of bakes. I enjoyed the fluffernutters but was not impressed with the hazelnut chocolate mousse. The sweetness of the Leprechaun offerings also killed the taste of the sweets and vice versa. Jake was very friendly and explained the differences in the ciders even though you couldn’t tell once you munched on the bakes.
I would have liked to have tried Fluff’s vaunted veruca salt (can’t fight the fever) cake but alas.

When I saw that Farrah managed to set up a YEE at one of the hottest openings in town, you better believe I was all in. After watching Rebecca Mason on Top Chef Desserts, I was eager to hear what she had to say and go into fangirl mode. I’ve interacted with a few of the well known chefs and love listening to them talk about their food. Unfortunately, Chef Mason was a bit stand-​offish and didn’t come out from behind the counter to mingle. Womp womp womp.
But! This doesn’t mean the event wasn’t wonderfully organized and a great introduction to the bakery/​bar. Farrah was there to greet all of us, as we Gold Elites mingled over the yummy snacks. Speaking of which, the snacks were a great range things Fluff has to offer. We tried a nutella gelato with a rehydrated fungus in passion fruit juice, and some crumbly bits (totally forgot what those are). I loved the gelato and the fungus was interesting; I totally wouldn’t have ever picked that to try. There were also her signature fluffernutters, which is marshmallow fluff sandwiched between two soft peanut butter cookies. I’m not a fan of peanut butter cookies, so it wasn’t my favorite. What I liked the best was the simple sugar cookie! It was soft, thick and chewy with sprinkles. So simple, but so hard to pull off. Usually sugar cookies are a dry, crumbly mess.
Also on hand was Leprechaun Cider, which I would have loved to try, but I’m currently incubating a little one who can’t hang. But, I was told that Leprechaun Cider is a lot drier and less sweet than American ciders, which is exactly what I love. I also heard it has a champagne-​y quality. I can’t wait to try it out after I’ve served my eviction notice.
The space itself was cozy, and there’s a huge glass window so you can watch the bakery work. I can’t wait to come by for a coffee and a snack while watching people bake. I can’t wait to come back and try some of the cakes listed on the sign boards. Also it looks like Fluff has one of those fancy pants espresso machines to make all the fancy drinks you can dream of.
Overall, it was nice to see and meet other Gold Badgers while checking out Fluff before it opens.

The Unilocal gold badge opened another door this evening, in place of the regular ol’ Alohomora or casually slipping the maître d’ a nice name-​brand-​crayon drawing of Sad Pepe like I am wont to do at Damian’s, Quattro, and other places where I want the nice table, not just any table. Why the obsession with doors? We’re off by a day here but the other curators of art history tumblrs know that yesterday was the anniversary of Edward Hopper having completed «Nighthawks» in 1942. When asked by a Chicago Tribute reporter about the philosophical meaning behind the diner having no clearly visible exits Hopper responded, «Shit. Fuck. I did it again. Goddamnit. Fuck. Not again. I did it again. Shit.» and slammed his hat on his leg. Had he only known about Alohomora, or a Unilocal dot com gold badge to make things happen with doors magically.
Tonight gold badges and their +1s piled into Rebecca Masson’s Fluff Bake Bar, a new addition to Midtown and her first brick and mortar space. If the name sounds somewhat familiar you might have sampled her treats at places like Siphon. Or you might remember her from Bravo’s Top Chef Just Desserts.
This was not a bar/​drink heavy event so it was a lot different than our past gold events like Dosi and Peska. They were restos that were not quite open to the public yet while Fluff has been open to gen pop, having been a regular «selfy» spot for various people of the instagrams over the past weeks. However we still had Leprechaun Cider in the house for some adult bevs to pair with Rebecca’s tasty treats.
I have seen Leprechaun in the supermarket but cider does not reside at the top of my supermarket bev aisle priority list. Reading up beforehand, they have 3 diff versions: Golden (apple and pear,) Dry (green apple,) and Pomegranate (pom and cranberry) all clocking in at 6.9% ABV which is way more impressive than where Woodchuck and the other American ciders sit around 5%.
Leprechaun is a «premium» hard cider which means the fermentation of fresh juice blends of cider varietal apples, versus concentrated apple juice and many additives. Premium Hard Ciders with fresh juice brings a cleaner, brighter, more palatable and versatile experience than traditional everyday blends — according to their web page. Available for us to sample were the Dry and Golden. I only had the Dry and I liked it. The owner Jake was there pouring and he was super friendly and very polite. He even gave us a cider saver for use on future ciders to save them. That’s the kind of brand I would go buy now, he made a fantastic impression on me as a person and as a biz owner; and the cider was easy drinkin’ too which was nice since it was balls hot inside and every cool bev that Jake poured helped us try and simmer down.
Rebecca had a few samples of things set out on the counter and left it at that. Unlike Dosi where chef Jordan Asher worked the room to introduce his concept personally; or at Peska where chef Omar Pereney greeted us and personally lit up the Dragon’s Kiss down the line of the bar, Rebecca didn’t interact with the crowd at all. This is the first OYE ever where I didn’t get to meet the chef and hear about their passion in their own words; instead I had to google it like a peasant off of the street.
If not for the rampant heat, loud din of conversation, and tiny children inexplicably running around (???) inside then I think a little crowd-​work might have gone a LONG way as far as opinions & expectations of gold badge elites go. After all, gold events are a chance to impress and wow; just as much if not more than the regular elite events. Something Dosi and Peska knocked out of the park because they were putting in work.
The fluffernutter was good tho. I think the air conditioning was off inside or we just had too many people to make it quite hot inside. One of those, or the fluffernutter was giving me the vapors as I would say as a sensible Antebellum débutante expressing that it was not just too hot but three hot inside for this delicate porcelain doll. If only there was a crazy ex-​wife in the neighborhood that would throw a chilled martini in my face on command like right then when I needed it to cool down a bit, rather than when I least expect it and am wearing a shirt that for once is not gently mustard-​stained.
Overall this was an enjoyable evening out in Midtown with the gold crowd. While it was just sweets instead of the full spread we had at Dosi, the fluffernutter was equivalent to our app portions size at Peska — a free treat that only cost $ 0.50 in parking out on Gray.
Ako and I were there; but Mike Dub was not. So our mystery continues. At some OYE the trio will be united and we shall finally have answers. It was nice to see other golds in the part-​ay like David, Robyn, Melissa, Alan, and everyone else that makes these events fun.
A huge thanks to Farrah and her crew along with Unilocal for setting this up; and also to Leprechaun Cider for bringing something cold and refreshing to sip on.