Elite Event: STIX at Indigo Hotel

Food on a stick is definitely an area where New York is severely deficient, and it’s nice to see another restaurant do it right!
As you enter the Indigo hotel, the restaurant is through another door to the right of the elevators. Inside is a reasonably sized bar, and behind a kind of wood counter/​separation the area with tables. Some significant thought went into both the style, and logistics of the relatively small space, and it shows. Even with the bar area packed, the table areas can remain nice and uncrowded.
The food was fantastic. There is really not much more to say beyond that. I would get any of the skewers without hesitation, though one, lamb I think, really stood out to me.

I read the majority of the reviews for this event and unless I left too early, those reviews are not an accurate reflection of what occurred. I was lucky enough to be invited as a plus one to this event by the King of Knightsbridge Arms, Inc. but the reality is that even though the venue was passably trendy and the staff was more than minimally welcoming, the actual event felt like it was located in a dimly lit, but beautiful fire hazard.
This Stix location was housed on the first floor of a boutique hotel and the restaurant itself had a black and earth tone coral reef-​like, rope wall separating the dining area from the bar; living foliage and bright lights on the back walls; and maybe 30 tables with two to four chairs apiece.
For the hour I was at the event there was little to no food dispersed, so I am unable to describe what was consumed. From what I could gather one or two dishes circulated every ten minutes or so, which is understandable, but not in a crowd of nearly 100 Unilocalers who stampeded toward eight to ten sticks of meat as if they were cosplaying «28 Days Later.» Consequently, the waiters moved rather quickly to avoid the hordes, whether they were aiming for efficiency or ensuring that everyone had an equal piece of the wares, I am not entirely sure.
Besides seeing Jando and Ruggy in their element and the owner of Stix standing on a chair and giving a heartfelt speech on her appreciation of our presence, my fellow Unilocalers were the highlight of the night and the party started after we left the event.

Thanks Jando and Ruggy! Thank you Unilocal crew!
I had a wonderful time! I got to meet and reacquaint with New friends and old. I got to hang out in this sleek restaurant and try their chicken skewers. (Which were juicy and well marinated).
I, somehow, ended up promising to keep an eye out for a nice Chinese girl for a new acquaintance.
The manager was so charming and personable. She walked around like an amazing hostess to make sure we all had a great time.
I learned how to properly pronounce Jando’s name.
And the staff was so thoughtful. They left coat racks in the back so we could self coat check.
I got to laugh with my happy, glowing husband. He got to catch up with a dear friend.
Thanks for hosting a great party!

What Unilocal elite event isn’t a great time with good company & small bites? Shout out to Ruggy for putting this all together & the manager of STIX who made sure to come around & make sure we were having a good time
DID not expect fun finger food to be served in such an upscale atmosphere, STIX would be a cute date place
The venue was kind of small & a bit crowded BUT the 2 bartenders were working hard to serve the crowd… There was a point when they ran out of cups, I don’t think they weren’t ready for the after work crowd who all needed a drink haha
Didn’t get to try too much of the food since there was a mob waiting by the kitchen but of the items that came around to my table the chicken STIX were noteworthy! delicious & juicy… Not to forget that yummy spanikopita!

Stick ‘em up, stick ‘em up!
Stix is new in the hood, a bit hidden since it’s inside the hotel, I can imagine most of Indigo’s guests would be the main diners here but it’s not bad. The place is a bit small, better for intimate dinners or a small group gathering.
I came pretty early and boy am I glad I did, I was told they were running low on alcohol but I managed to snag their cocktail for the night. It was pretty good, strong and semi sweet. It had a bit of a tangy taste. The place was packedddd ! Drinks took atleast 20 minutes to get, one of the bartenders forgot our order and we had to say it again. I tried that orange german beer they had going around, definitely preferred the cocktail more.
I wish the venue was bigger, it would’ve been nice to have a table or I wish they took out all the tables and just have everyone stand, it was really awkward to stand near sitters and vice versa. Everyone was definitely bumping arms. Thank god for coat check though, otherwise it’d be a can of sardines.
Space was a bit weird in the beginning because there wasn’t certainty whether or not the bar area and table area were separate or not.
Major shoutout to the one of the servers, I didn’t get a chance to get his name but he had a moustache and dark hair. Seriously great guy, he took care of me and my friend the whole night and made sure we got a fair amount food. Shame on you guys for taking 3 stix at once, please rest assured there is enough food going around! It wasn’t fair for some people who didn’t get to try some things while some people gobbled up their share. But seriously props to him because the floor was PACKED and there was barely any room to go around and he still managed to do a circle to reach out to everyone.
My favorite stix of the night was probably the lamb and the puffs. It’s a shame the venue didn’t do the food justice. Would’ve enjoyed my food more if space wasn’t so limited.
As the night started to die out, my friend and I hung out around the bar. Dimitri took care of us and made some small talk, shout out to him because he’s a great bartender and really pays attention to details. Your partner needs to get on your game, bro!
This wasn’t the best event but definitely not horrible.
Here’s some pointers.
Room for improvement:
1. Have more bartenders or less people attending.
2. Make it more spacious so the human interaction is more fluid and less awkward or cramped.
3. Have more servers! It’s tough when you’re one guy and you’re trying to pass around plates to everrrrrybody! It can be overwhelming for both ends. If not more servers maybe have things laid out buffet style or an assembly line?
I really hope it’s not offensive to give constructive criticism because it’s tough love, I’m doing it because I wanna help you guys plan better.
Last but not least major thanks to Ruggy and Caroline, it must’ve been hard to organize this especially with a crowd this big and inside a hotel. Looking forward to coming back to stix when the weather’s better!
TLDR: 3.5 for the food and venue but rounding up to a 4 cause of their service.

Thanks again Ruggy and Unilocal NYC for coordinating this event for us. Also, much appreciation sent to STIX — especially Caroline! She was an excellent hostess, making sure all of us were okay. The wait staff was also amazing. Before the place started to fill up, the waiters came by the tables and offered food, telling us what each one was, which I really appreciated. This of course, was all before the entire mess of people waiting right in front of the kitchen, filling up the waiters’ eyes with absolute horror.
The food was absolutely amazing. Starting from the spinach and cheese pies — flaky with a gooey inside. The meats were also delicious — the honey mustard chicken and both steak and lamb were cooked to perfection with the perfect amount of red. The Gigi cocktails were also very fruity and refreshing. I didn’t have a chance to try the grapefruit flavored drink but I was told that it was very good. Unfortunately, they did run out of their specialty drink (Gigi), but no worries — the bartenders were able to accommodate with beers and rum and coke.
As for the atmosphere — it is located in the beautiful Indigo Hotel. The modern design with dim lights, brick wall, large windows is gorgeous. The large rope design separating the bar and the restaurant adds the perfect touch. The only downside is that the restaurant itself does not have a bathroom so I had to go into the lower level of the hotel (did the staircase creep anyone else out?).
Overall, this event was amazing and a great introductory to STIX’s Chelsea location. Also, I was able to snag fingerless gloves that said « Unilocal LIFE» which was the icing on the cake!

It’s hard to complain about free food and drinks… but this was my first Elite event in a very long time, and this one was just way too crowded for me. (Crowded bars are my version of hell.) The key was to get there right on the dot to get a table and secure food, because by 7pm, it was so packed you couldn’t move. I heard that unlike other events, almost everyone who RSVP’d showed up with their +1.
I feel sorry for the two waiters that were practically tackled every time they brought out food trays of chicken and lamb skewers. People swarmed them as they emerged from the kitchen — it was like watching a scene from The Walking Dead. My friends and I left soon after, hangry and tired of being elbowed in the face.
Regardless, appreciate the opportunity to go to these events and crossing my fingers that the next one won’t be quite so packed!

Another great Unilocal Elite event. Had a lot of fun eating good food and chatting with everyone.
Food was very good. The steak on a stick was excellent. The chicken honey-​mustard was good also. I’m normally not a fan of mac and cheese (yes, I know I’m weird like that), but I thought the mac and cheese balls were excellent. The spinach pie was also good, but I don’t think it’s a «must-​try». The only dish I didn’t care for was the meatballs.
The restaurant was nice and modern. It was a bit overcrowded though and was a little hard to walk around. The wait for a drink at the bar was pretty long, but I did enjoy the drinks. Didn’t think that I’d like the grapefruit beer, but thought it was pretty good.
Overall, although, the place was crowded, this was a good pick for a restaurant for a Unilocal event. And as crazy as the crowd was, the staff was very polite and friendly, and tried to accommodate everyone.

My first elite event of the elite ’15 season! I see a lot of 5 stars so I have to give my opinion of this place on how I saw it. So here we go
Pros:
–Location was located in the ever so wonderful Indigo hotel! And of course walking in the establishment you felt like royalty.
–Staff opened doors, and was very nice upon entering the building and didn’t make me feel confused on where I was suspose to go hince I saw a long line going towards the restaurant.
–The restaurant décor was pretty awesome, very well lit, intimate with a lot of space I thought.
CONS–
–I never even came close to the speciality dishes that this establishment was going around talking about because the min the food would be pushed out other Unilocalers would flock to the food (which is expected)
— for those «waiters» who decided to stop by my way they never even asked if I wanted a sample each time I would attempt to reach out to take a sample the waiter would quickly move the plate and start to walk off! I found this highly rude.
Overall
I feel that the event was crowded but it was fun because Unilocalers made it fun, the actual venue and its staff (besides the owner she rocked) was completely rude to me. This is what killed it for me.
Shoutouts for the rug-​master for puttin on a wonderful show he cheers me up all the time he makes an event! I know the other Manhattan events will be even better so on to the next event!

This was my first 2015 Unilocal event and I’ve been to many in the past. Upon arrival you realize this resturant is at the bottom of a hotel. It did not seem organized to well but I don’t think that the people running the restaurant were ready for this. If you went of to the first come first serve coat check then you got luckly. If you got a seat you were lucky as well or even if you got close to the bar. The money shot was if you sat in the back closer to the kitchen.
I was a little displeased with how this setup went. For the first thrithy minutes we ate one thing until we magically started to think better (drinking helped) we moved over to the section where the man comes out with all the food. Wow this food was delicious but I was left wanting more.
:BATHROOM ALERT:
Before anything I hope the cell phone that I found was returned to its owner. Moving along well ummm this bathroom gets 2 of 3 stars. It was slightly messy. I really disliked the bathroom setup. One of the doors in the middle gets stuck when you lock it. The narrowing stairs were a bit much. You can tell that random people use the bathroom.
Lastly, this resturtant is better for small gatherings. In no way was this a spot for a ton of people to be in. I felt like I was in a early morning train ride to the city from queens. The plus side is that my plus 1 and I met some cool people. Hopefully my next Manhattan event will be better. Some of the other people were a little stuck up and greedy.

I feel like if I were to have a theme song playing in the background of last night’s Unilocal Elite mêlée it would be either ‘Eye of the Tiger’ or ‘You’re Going Down’ by the Sick Puppies. HOLY HELL. There was steak on the floor. Blasphemy. Elbows flying. Pushing and shoving. I have a great idea. Next event lets all not talk to each other, communicate in any way what-​so-​ever and stand in front of the kitchen and maul every waiter that comes out with a tray of food. And let’s make sure we get eight servings of everything so that we’re full and have a complete dinner.
I kid you not, there was a girl that grabbed FOUR MAC and CHEESE BALLS at once. lol. She ran to the opposite side of the room out of fear of being judged. I’m still not sure if they were all for herself or not. Also, witnessed people eating their actual food on top of people’s heads that were sitting down. I had my camera poised and ready, waiting for a mac and cheese ball to smoosh into someone’s hair. I’m not devastated I didn’t get to try everything or get a second helping of everything because I went to the Stix event in Astoria a few nights ago and that was light years more civil.
Discrepancies on food of the night: Lamb balls were shockingly over cooked here. Steak was a different addition I hadn’t tried at the other location and it was cooked perfectly and well seasoned. Honey mustard chicken and mac and cheese balls still amazing! Overall, I enjoyed my night because I had managed to get a table with Steph P. and Leslie D. along with some newbie Unilocalers and just sat back and chilled out. Bartenders, Kostya and Dimitri were phenomenal and I never had to wait for a drink. They kind of just magically appeared and it was the savior of the night. Also, the owner Caroline is amazing, fierce, and sweet as apple pie. Thank you Jando and Ruggy though for hosting another great event. New Unilocalers with appetites of ferocious hyenas behave yourselves.

I love STIX and am so happy that they’ve opened up several locations throughout the city. I hope that their delicious sangria, cocktails and food are consistently delicious throughout all their different spots — thus far their Chelsea, Flatiron and Astoria ones are delicious and all spot on!
This event was fun! Ingrid S., Leslie D. and I sat at a table with 2 brand new Unilocal Eliters and it was nice to take in the scenery, try some gin cocktails (I don’t normally like Gin, but their signature cocktail last night, the «Gigi» was really light and refreshing.
I had no cell phone reception and didn’t get a wifi password until the end of the night, resulting in my losing most of my food pictures… but there weren’t many since if I had 3 Hors d’oeuvres it was a miracle.
The waiters working the event kept getting AMBUSHED each time they emerged from the kitchen with food. I was mortified and embarrassed to be a Unilocaler at that point because I didn’t want them to think we were all cut of the same cloth. Sure, I get it (kidding, I don’t, just playing devil’s advocate here) when you’re young, hungry, new to the Unilocal Elite scene unaware of proper etiquette (apparently :-/​) — but this was such a ridiculous display and I felt great sadness. SADNESS.
At one point a grabbed 1 mac and cheese ball and asked the guy if he could bring the 2 left to my 2 friends at our table and he said okay and suggested I just take them (also thanked me for asking) and at that point someone swooped in, pushed me to the side and grabbed both with one hand. Those were my balls and someone pushed me so they could grab them… I felt violated and the only thing that kept me from dropkicking that pathetic individual was that STIX @ Indigo Hotel is a rather classy establishment and I wasn’t going to stoop down to this person’s level. Balls.
At point the owner, Caroline, went to the kitchen and came out holding trains and passed them around to the tables completely by passing the kitchen groupies who set up camp so they could eat their weight in free food. I’ve been to some crazy Unilocal events where people are throwing elbows to get food, but this might have been the #1 event I’ve seen people act a fool at. One curly, haired blonde ran after a waiter holding honey mustard chicken and almost tripped in front of my table… if anything this should serve as a testament to how delicious the food is at STIX… and that’s a plus… or silver lining if you will.
I also met 2 new Unilocalers who kept hitting on girls all night and at one point by the bar said, «Hey are you Unilocal Elite? I am, I can get you into all the events!». I rolled my eyes so hard that I saw my brain make a sad face.
Despite people acting like classless, children with no discipline, food accidentally falling on the floor (which broke my heart :(. Check out my pictures, photos don’t lie! Lol) — you can’t go wrong with yummy mediterranean bites, German beers and well made Gin cocktails. I look forward to coming back sometime since this place is super close to my office.
Thank you Ruggy, Jando, Unilocal,Kostya, Caroline and STIX for welcoming us into their home and hosting another fantastic Unilocal Elite event!
Next time though, come out with trays that have covers — that might alleviate the wait staff from being mauled alive for cheese pies, lol.

Plus one again! Had a great time at this event – thanks again, Dana M. I also saw a few other familiar faces but did not get a chance to speak with them since it was a crowded event and the latest Stix location is more modern and lounge-​like.
The hotel that houses the space is beautiful and I think the space will become very popular – especially because it also has a rooftop bar that’s sure to be a crowd pleaser when it’s not freeze-​your-​face-​off cold outside.
An overview of the event’s main features:
The décor:
–a net-​like contraption divides the bar area from the dining area
–the lighting is a mixture of purples blues and gold
The food:
-«Gigi» was the cocktail of the night, with organic gin, ginger, and agave.
–steak on a stick
–chicken on a stick
–spinach pies
–philo with cheese, basically tasted like fancy grilled cheeses
–fried mac and cheese balls
There seemed to be only one server walking around trying to feed everyone. The guy would come out of the kitchen with a tray, be ambushed by grabbing hands, and then retreat the three steps backwards to get more food. Repeat. Until the spokeswoman realized the problem and had him use their secret side door to go in the other way and serve the bar side. Of course, we were camping out by the kitchen…
Overall I think this would make a great date place before a night out in Chelsea.

There was plenty to drink and to eat at this Elite Event! My guest and I were one of the lucky few to grab seats & table in the restaurant area before the crowd swept through STIX at Indigo Hotel. We definitely had a huge attendance!
Before it got really crowded, the waiters brought out the food from the kitchen and served it to the people seated down in the table. I got to try the Chicken Stix, Steak/​Lamb, and a bite of the Meat Balls. My favorite was definitely the Chicken — so juicy and tender! The red meat could have been cooked a bit rarer… at least that’s how I like it!
In the bar area, there were some spreads + grilled pita bread, as well as one cocktail option (Gigi) and two beers. I had the grapefruit beer and it tasted just like sparkling grapefruit juice with a hint of beer. I am not a huge beer drinker, but I really liked this drink!
I tried a trio of the Spread, which is served with warm, organic homemade GRILLED whole wheat pita bread drizzled with olive oil and seasoning. The pita bread was a bit thick, but I loved that they grilled it! The Jalapeño Hummus, made with chickpeas, tahini, garlic, lemon, cumin and extra virgin olive oil, had a nice kick of spiciness from the jalapeño. Would definitely recommend it if you crave the heat! The Tzatziki, made with greek yogurt, cucumber, lemon, garlic, and dill, was cool and refreshing. I was missing the crunchiness from the cucumber though. Could add more of the vegetable! Finally, the Roasted Eggplant was deep, intense flavor from the combination of parsley, cilantro, scallions, and greek yogurt that I enjoyed. This was a great appetizer to share!
I also tried the Spinach Pie, which are triangular flaky dough with spinach and feta cheese inside. The pies were kind of greasy. It was interesting that they sprinkled sesame seeds on the flaky dough.
Finally, the namesake of the restaurants: STIX! The concept is to serve everything on a stick, whether it be meatballs, chicken, or lamb. I tried the Meat Balls, Chicken, Steak, and Lamb sticks. The meat balls are made with 100% organic beef, onions, parsley, and oregano. These meatballs had different texture and consistency than the ones you find in your spaghetti… much mushier?
My favorite was the Chicken stix, made with free-​range chicken and drizzled with honey mustard sauce with sprinkles of scallions and thyme. At first, I thought the honey mustard was peanut sauce. The chicken is juicy and tender. I wasn’t too crazy about the steak or the lamb. First of all, they were too overcooked (I like my red meat RED). Also, the mint on the lamb didn’t really help to lighten that unique «lamb» smell.
The staff at STIX were super friendly — they were walking around the venue the whole time, asking if we had any questions, etc. I am excited for this new addition to Manhattan, and as always a huge shout out to Ruggy for the wonderful event!

Another great event. Sitting near the kitchen wasn’t the best idea. Every time the food came out we felt like we were getting bombarded. Then again I guess that is expected when free food is involved.
The décor of the restaurant is great. I loved the mac n cheese balls… then again I just love Mac n cheese. The beef and chicken that came on a stick was great and seasoned perfectly. The filo dough with cheese was awesome. Only thing I wasn’t a fan of was the meatballs. They were extremely dry and lacked flavor.
The Gigi cocktail was delicious and they served my fav grapefruit beer. No complaints there.
I will be revisiting to see that dope rooftop.

Yay! My first elite event of the year! The fun factor of this event has been the best. Made new friends and had a blast mingling. I wish I got to try all the food, but I’m just too slow, heh. I did end up tasting the chicken and beef stix. Those were great! As for the drinks, we ended up with rum and cokes because they ran out of the beer and specialty cocktails of the night, boo! I really wanted to try the grapefruit beer, hehe.
But that doesn’t matter because I still had so much fun chatting it up everyone!
The place was packed, lively and just popping!
Amazing event you guyssss :)

So cold out. But stix and drinks warmed fellow Unilocalers up!
Fellow Unilocalers and their plus ones were treated to some awesome meat on stix, warm Bread with humus, and fried macaroni balls. …All I got to try was the warm bread. The servers tried their best to spread the lovely food around but the crowd was just to hungry.
Awesome schofferhofer grapefruit beer. This settled my thirst while I chatted with some old and new Unilocalers.
The turn out was pretty good as it was a packed house. The décor looked very modern and slick. I must come next time to try their full menu!
Thanks to Ruggy and Stix for hosting such a popular event and Jando for helping out.

I’m not a camper; you know what I’m talking about. I like to stand and meet new people to stalk at events as such. I was lucky enough to be one of the first inside, & the one male server brought a small platter to our table since the food didn’t circulate to our corner. This didn’t happen as the evening progressed because of the campers. It wasn’t even acceptable back in the days of Counter-​Strike. If you got this reference, we can possibly be friends. Possibly. You’ll only catch me camping for one of two reasons: stars or s’mores.
I felt special when I saw they were serving one of my favorite beers, the Schofferhofer grapefruit. It’s for the beer-​adverse and is more reminiscent of juice than alcohol. I bring it to every special occasion that comes up: picnics, BBQs and baby showers. I can be very inappropriate as you have surmised.
The chicken stix was tonight’s food spotlight; they were juicy and flavorful. The steak & lamb were a bit too chewy. Of the 3 meats: chicken protein usually fares last on my list. Tonight, however, it stole the show and ran off with the prize.
A very big Thank You goes to Sir Ruggy & Sir Jando: D for admitting me to this event, you know, despite my indiscretions. And a super high five to Stix Bar & Grill for being the perfect Sexy & Stylish backdrop for making crazy new friends.

So this was my first Manhattan Elite Event and wow was it intense! This was by far the most crowded event Ive ever been to but it was also a good time! It was so crowded the bar ran out of Gin for the signature drink of the night the «GiGi». No worries though they’re were a few other selections and variations to the menu to substitute that. I cant lie I didn’t get to try much of the food because unless you were standing near the kitchen entrance it was flying off the trays thereafter!
Anyhow my review of Stix. Love the décor! Sexy, modern, chic interior design that is very attractive. The signature drink the «GiGi» was very good, a blended sweet and dark taste of gin. The bartenders Costa and Dimitry were great making drinks extremely fast. The couple of things that I did try were the cheese pie, spinach pie and the roasted potatoes which were all really good. I most definitely want to come back here and try some more food! Till next time Manhattan back to Brooklyn!

The freezing temperature did not stop me and my plus one to attend our first Manhattan elite event of 2015.
The event was held at Stix Bar and Grill, it is a new restaurant chain that sprouted in the city of Gotham. This outlet was within the premises of Indigo Hotel in the heart of Chelsea.
They specialize in Mediterranean-​style dishes made on sticks– hence the name. For this event, we were fortunate to sample each and every dishes on a stick and more. The food kept on coming and complemented perfectly well with our drinks, courtesy of Greenbar craft distillery.
Thanks to Stix and Greenbar craft distillery we really had a great time in spite of the harrowing wind. We will definitely recommend this place.