For those of you that are not familiar with Yelp.com, let me quickly fill you in. Yelp is a public website where patrons of different establishments have the freedom to get online to rate and write reviews of these establishments. On yelp, you can find reviews of almost every place ranging from your physician to your manicurist to your favorite local bar. Yelp has become much more popular in big cities recently than small ones, but I would imagine that you could find reviews for anywhere on their site.
(sign in bathroom)
At some point during my "yelping", I began to realize what fun it was to "check in" to local places and review them on site. The more I went out, the more I checked in, and the more reviews I wrote. My reviews quickly became short stories that told of memorable experiences, delicious meals or total flops. I had a platform where i could be honest and i was heard as so many of my fellow Yelpers are. I have read hundreds of Reviews from others and trust many. I have agreed with some and disagreed as well. As a whole though, Yelp is a great platform.
Due to my love for Brooklyn, food, and writing, I became what is known as "Yelp Elite" in Brooklyn in 2011 and again in 2012. What does that mean? I didn't even know at the time, but I was nominated for my reviews and love for all things in my city. I began to get invites to Elite events in Brooklyn for new bars and restaurants pretty quickly after receiving my new title, but never pulled the trigger and accepted. That is until a few weeks ago when I got an invite to an event that I couldn't pass up.
The invitation was for complimentary dinner and drinks at a restaurant named Hopeland that opened up in Boerum Hill in February. New spots on the restaurant scene are scouted out by Yelp head honchos to create a "I scratch your back- your scratch mine" set up. There are anywhere from 2-5 yelp events a month across the tri-state area just like this one. All I had to do was RSVP and wait to hear of I was in.
The event was held on Monday from 7-9pm. It was sponsored by a vodka company and Hopeland. The invite clearly stated that all I needed to do was bring my plus one and $5-10 for tipping the staff. Done! The purpose of these events is clear. Me and my fellow Yelpers attend an event, get wined and dined, and write reviews that hundreds of thousands will read to hopefully drum up business.
The restaurant was adorable and spacious. My plus one that evening was a good guy friend of mine that loves trying new places as much as I do. After we checked in and got our name tags, we were shown the bar and greeted by a charming and attentive bartender that immediately introduced himself and made us 2 signature cocktails. "The Hopeland" was a fig infused vodka with seltzer water and rosemary simple syrup. It was all finished off with the perfect amount of ice and a sprig of fresh rosemary.
As we moved our way toward the back of Hopeland, we were impressed with the decor and the restaurants vibe. We opted for two seats on the covered terrace outback where many other Yelpers were enjoying good company and great conversation. As we settled in we noticed 2 waiters were walking around with platters filled with crostini. While we waited for the food to get to our corner, we enjoyed our first sip of our cocktail. The vodka cocktail was amazing! The rosemary was powerful but not potent or overwhelming. The fig played a beautiful role in rounding out this summer drink. I have to also add that before this evening I was a strict wine drinker, but this was a game changer. I say this with confidence because we each put back 3 each.
The sliced hanger steak crostini was topped with a roasted baby artichoke. I wish that the bread was a little less hard, but the Flavors were fantastic.
Next we tried this roasted red pepper crostini that had a cube of ricotta and a micro sprig of basil on top. Yummy!
For the entree, we were treated to this in house made cavatelli with a slow roasted short rib ragu. It was rich but not too heavy.
Truly the most comforting bowl of pasta I have had in a long time. Just to make sure it was delicious, we had seconds.
There was a third crostini that was a huge hit, so we missed out on that. We also left just before dessert came around. However, I felt that I had seen and eaten enough to be able to rate this new establishment with confidence and honesty. As a bonus I also left this event with a confidence in the Yelp process as well as a confidence in myself to continue to attend get togethers like this one in the future.
Thank you Yelp!
Happy eating to all!
*some photos courtesy of: http://melaniefidler.com
Location:Brooklyn,United States
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