Yelpmas Social at @SonestaBeeCave’s Meridian 98

So I’m really excited about this new hotel in Bee Cave’s. I didn’t know it was there, but I do know there area is lacking in nice places to stay.
Parking was easy. The B trolley was super cute (I really like the driver) and it took us all around the Galleria. How cool.
I love the Meridian 98 space. I feel like there is plenty of room to host a wedding party up there. I was there at night, so not sure about the full hill country view, but I bet it’s serene.
The food was delish. The drinks tasty (including the sangria) and the staff very efficient and friendly!
I will definitely recommend this location to friends and family.

I am so spoiled … sometimes I can’t believe this is my life! I truly am living a brilliant « Unilocal Life» as my new pair of gloves tell me!
This event was definitely one of my favorites so far! I had a blast seeing all the familiar faces and new ones too! I think every sentence I write on this review will end with exclamation!!! BAM! Things were just that good!
The Sonesta Hotel is located to the east. I think… of the Hill Country Galleria on Bee Cave Rd! It is a beautiful hotel in the midst of the hill country yet so close to the city too! It’s the perfect staycation type place, or a place for mom and dad to stay when they come and visit! Plus at the top floor is Meridian 98, which is the rooftop lounge and bar! It is elegant and comfortable! There were plenty of comfy seats throughout the lounge and on the patio with amazing views! Oh and OMG … the service here was top notch! I wasn’t even finished with my drink on multiple occasions before the awesome server came by to offer another! I said yes please and thank you about 3 times, I think! That Winter Sangria drink was sooo good! There was also some delicious bites for us to indulge in that were just as impressive as my drinks! Ceviche on edible spoons anyone?! Don’t mind if I do! Scallops and risotto?! Heck yes! Oh and how bout some yummy veggie pizza! Duh! It was all so good and again I can not comment enough on how impressive the service was — thank you to all the staff!
Then there was the trolley ride … aka party bus! I am not gonna lie, it definitely seemed like 99% of the people on here were toasty (the 1% was the driver) and what I initially thought sounded lame was actually a freaking blast! I haven’t laughed so hard in awhile! I had Dawn H in one ear giving her amazing tour guide impersonation and then Leila R and Kelly S cracking a joke across from me every 30 seconds! I couldn’t stop laughing!
Again do you see why I am getting spoiled?! I blame this on Unilocal!oh and Kelly S. it’s your fault too! You are so amazing and know how to show us a good time!
Helen M and Robert B — you guys are freakin awesome! I enjoyed our conversations very much and I look forward to chatting it up again with you guys!
Dawn H — Sorry I couldn’t resist the picture of all the nametags on the bum, but clearly I wasn’t the only one… I see they continued to grow through the rest of the night lol! Glad to finally meet you and Bobby in person!
Nina and James H — You two are awesome and it was great to see you!
There were so many faces there that I didn’t even get a chance to say hi too but I totally saw some of you! Until the next event my friends!
To the amazing people that put all this together … Kelly, Sonesta and Meridian 98 staff — thank you! I am looking forward to coming back and using my voucher and free drink card!

First Unilocal party so I didn’t know what to expect. It was for a great cause: Toys for Tots! First of all Kelly S. is awesome sauce! She really makes this an amazing Unilocal community (dare I say family) and she is just so helpful. I am sorry we did not cross paths sooner. Her energy really transfers to the group and she’s damn funny too.
Now for the venue! I didn’t try any bites as I am vegetarian but my +1 said that everything was really delicious. The sangria was pretty tasty. The servers were all wonderful and extremely helpful. The space itself is beautiful with rich leather furniture, fireplaces, stunning views of the hill country and a beautiful outside patio (with heat so you won’t freeze). I would love to go back right before sunset and see what that looks like. The parking garage at the hotel is a plus as you don’t have to worry about your car being ice cold when you return. It’s well lit also.
The Hill Country Galleria area is delightful as well with lots of shops and restaurants. You could make a mini weekend escape of it as this area looks quiet different from Rock Rock. Stay at hotel, take the Bee (their trolley) to go shopping and of course have drinks and bites at the bar.
Thank you to all the Unilocalers that made us feel welcome! And thank you to Errol for being… Errol!

Lovely, darling. Simply lovely.
Drove out to the hill country for a swanky event at Sonesta. Their rooftop bar, Meridian 98, was quite posh, with a beautiful view of the hills, even at night. We had great drink and food options (the ceviche was killer), and the staff were awesome.
Top off eats, drinks, and laughs with a trolley ride through the Hill Country Galleria, and we had a great night!

The bar staff at Sonesta was amazing. I love it when someone tries to fill me with alcohol. I felt just as catered to as I would have when a young Austin visited his grandmother. She would always make sure I had all the food and tea that I could handle.
The food was decent. I loved the scallops. The risotto tasted great, but there was a lot of inconsistency with it. Some of it was overcooked and hard. The ceviche was imbalanced. I could only taste an overwhelming spicyness or peppery taste. The edible spoon was a cool idea. I just wish it added something more than texture to the ceviche. The flatbread was good, but might have been better if the bites were consistent with toppings. I tried three pieces and they all gave me different tastes. I have a hard time looking a gift horse in the mouth, but I would have been disappointed had I paid for any of the food.
Kelly was awesome as always. I was glad to see shade thrown at whoever brought that weird doll.
If you didn’t go on the trolley ride, you missed stripper jokes, drunk yelling, shopping/​HH tips and the pickup of two innocent hotel goers.
Hotel Sonesta has some work to do in the kitchen, but the bar is great. The hotel looked nice and minimalist with a touch of modern. The bar had an old school feel and I loved the fans that I’ve only previously seen at my one and only trip to a pasta factory. I was digging the fireplace with rolling covers. Pretty neat!
I was glad to meet some elites who I only knew by reviews such as Jens B.
See y’all at the 2015 Unilocalies where we’ll all hug Kelly and the venue will be flooded with our tears.

Another great Unilocal event for the books. This one was especially fun because it was a very large space with a small number of people, and so there were lots of places to sit and lounge and really get to know each other.
I really enjoyed the scallops on risotto, as well as the edible spoon filled with ceviche. We’d eaten dinner ahead of time, so that was about all I could try. But I would definitely be interested in trying it again, if I happened to be in the neighborhood.
The view from the patio was pretty great, and I loved the large couches. It would be a nice view for eyes sore from a long day of Powerpoints. The surreal trolley ride through the outdoor mall was a very fun and memorable 5 – 7 minutes of my life.
I did not win the first raffle or the second, but felt like a winner nonetheless because I got to meet and visit with some of my favorite Unilocalers. It was a little bittersweet, though, now that we know Kelly S. won’t be there to shepherd us into events, each one more fantastic than the one before.

Merry Unilocalmas! Who knew that tucked away in the back of the Hill Country Galleria is an amazing rooftop bar and patio. I certainly didn’t. It turned out to be a perfect setting for a mid-​week get together with friends, many of which I’d never met before.
The Meridian 98’s attentive staff kept the drinks flowing and food offerings restocked while we were free to mingle about. That scallop and risotto app was mighty tasty. The night seemed to go by like a flash. I guess it’s true what they say, time flies when you’re eating ceviche from an edible spoon.
Bee Trolley ride to cap the night was a blast too. Thanks to the wonderful people at Sonesta for hosting and props as always to Kelly S for being the ultimate party planner!

Another great Unilocal event. It was amazing to see all the happy faces (and unhappy ones) new and old. The food was absolutely amazing. And I will recommend that «Winter Sangria» to just about anyone. Thank you Kelly, and all the staff. This was exactly what I want from a Unilocal event.
Also, what… I won something. Unfathomable!!!

To quote Stefon of SNL fame…“Austin’s hottest rooftop bar is Meridian 98! Located in Austin’s outer belly button aka the Bee Cave Hill Country, this place has everything! Edible spoon ceviche, scallops & risotto so good you’ll wanna smack a baby, waitstaff that rocks the nonstop drink action, and fpulleys… fans that operate on pulleys! There’s even a «Visa» trolley bus, it’s everywhere you wanna be! Brought to y’all by the lady that puts the Unilocal in schwag and IS the reason for season, Kelly S. will always be the Austin Elite gift that keeps on giving!”

Who can plan Elite Events, for Unilocalers old and new
Serve it with Sangria or a Pinot Noir (or two)
Kelly S., oh Kelly S. can
Kelly S. can, our CM, she really rocks. Not elite? You really should…
Who can sear a scallop, a perfect golden brown
Place it on risotto as good as any place downtown
Meridian, Meridian 98
Meridian at Sonesta uses local sourced farm goods to make the world taste good
(just go with it, guys)
Sonesta boasts… to «Bee» an awesome host, for Galleria shopping wishes
The ceviche bite was so delicious, you can even eat the dishes
(You guys, seriously. It was like a spoon-​shaped nacho chip. How great is that?)
Oh, who’s the best Unilocal CM? Her smile is always bright.
She’s moving on to her next phase in just a short fortnight.
Kelly S… Oh Kelly S., man…
She’ll always be… the first CM for me. She makes the world Unilocal good.
* apologies to Sammy Davis, Jr., Roald Dahl, and that kinda creepy candy store owner from that movie…
— — — — — — — — — — — — –
Date Night with fellow Unilocaler Madi F. is always fun. Especially Road Trip Date Night.
I thought Sonesta was something that I should ask my doctor about, to see if it was right for me. But alas, it’s a charming upscale hotel near the Hill Country Galleria, in the far westerly Bee-​Caveian hinterlands of Austin. I believe their tagline is (or at least should be):
«The Sonesta Bee Cave Austin — The perfect hotel to keep your important out-​of-​town guests both happy, and 20 minutes away.»
I was impressed with the table service we received from the waitstaff. I liked the top-​floor (smoke-​free… ahem) balcony/​patio area, with the ubiquitious Dalek-​looking propane heaters. The hill country view would probably be more fun at sunset than in the dark, but we were able to see nearby neighborhoods sparkling with their holiday lights. And overall, my favorite kind of Unilocal event: where you can float around with ease to talk to all the cool folks. In a rare unicorn-​esque sighting, it was great to see Jens and Susie B. out on a school night.
It was a pleasure to toss my Frozen item onto the pile of Toys-​For-​Tots, as a reminder that, yes, many of us are lucky/​blessed/​etc. to have a life that allows us to participate in events like this.
Thanks, Sonesta. Thanks, Unilocal.
Thanks, Kelly S. I was honored to be able to share in your last «get a peek of this newish place”-style Unilocal event.

The first of December = PARTY!
It doesn’t matter where. It doesn’t matter when. Heck as long as I’m awesome Unilocalers. All is good. This time it was at a small boutique hotel, Sonesta Bee Cave, out in Bee Cave with a beautiful rooftop restaurant/​bar Meridian 98. The night were Unilocalers donated toys and put it under a beautiful Christmas tree when you first enter.
My pinot noir hit the spot and I couldn’t get enough of the small bites especially the scallops with risotto. The wood panel space with large couches made it feel relaxing. I feel as though I can lounge around for hours. The patio was nice with a view.
I’m glad I came here because I know some friends who live close by and I can tell them about Sonesta and Meridian.

Winner Winner Scallop Dinner! Even if I hadn’t won one of the grand prizes, I’d still be dropping 5 mad stars on this event. Initially I was thinking, man this event is basically in San Antonio, can I even make it that far across the globe. And I was quickly reminded what an ass I am when it took less than 30 minutes to get to this oasis from way North Austin. Sonesta is a pleasant and elegant reminder that not everything that is cool or worthy of visiting is within your odd, unnecessary, predefined radius. The hotel is beautiful and well appointed. And that same story continues through Meridian 98. What a stylish lounge with many separate large areas for pockets of people to have intimate conversations. Loved the layout. And that patio! Sweeping views of the hill country outfitted with cocktails there is my new summer 2016 plan.
Sonesta and Meridian 98 employees were gracious and attentive. And the food was incredible. I probably snuck more of those divine scallops than my single headcount allotted for… but… sorry not sorry. I can’t wait to go back for a full meal!
Even though it was date nite with Joe C, I managed to meet some new homies, Trent «No Last Initial» and Kimberlee A, which are always highlights of my Unilocalnights.
Hats of to Kelly for another stunner. Unilocal life will not be the same without you. We will carry your torch and continue a legacy that will make you proud of the squad you created.

I actually thought this Sonesta hotel was some kind of quiet retirement community when I’ve driven past it before. A six-​story nondescript building with two shuttle busses parked in front. I figured there were traveling Bingo sessions for residents.
But during this Elite event, when I wandered from the top floor Meridian 98 bar & grill to explore a little, I started thinking their goal here was to successfully blend a contemporary hotel within this Austin Hill Country setting, using genteel space and elegant minimalism. I’ll bet the sunset views from the rooms & rooftop patios are truly idyllic. An impressive structure indeed.
Ooops, sorry, it’s a Unilocal review, not an airline magazine. Lawz, I’m not going to argue with scallops over risotto, especially when the risotto’s surprisingly great. Didn’t do the flatbreads or sangria. But I did try a spoon, and it was very tasty indeed.
Our Sonesta host Rachel was cool and informative, I now believe I possess the entire line of Unilocal swag, and it’s all about hanging out with a lively group of old school & latest wave Elites. You either like doing this kind of stuff or you don’t. And how many more times will I get to say «Kelly rocks?» Not enough, apparently. But Unilocal,still rules. Indeed.

Dashing through the mall, in a four wheeled trolley… Look at all the lights and a stunning Christmas tree… Laughing with well-​lubed Yeeps… it was the end of a great evening! But that was just the icing… I’ll start at the beginning:
Cannot believe I have never been to Sonesta Hotel’s top floor bar Meridian98 before (tucked away in the Hill Country Galleria). Comp garage parking is conveniently attached. Short skip to the elevator to the 6^th floor and let the Unilocalmas merriness begin!
M98 has a very lodge/​lounge feel with tons of comfy leather chairs that construct more intimate communal areas, with an alomost obligatory wall fireplace, all surrounded by floor to ceiling windows that open to a vast wraparound terrace with stunning views of the Texas Hill Country… I bet sunset is amazing.
Dropped off a few gifts for Toys for Tots, hello and heads to KellyS, and straight to bar. Several choices of wine, beer, and housemade sangria. Yum! The waitstaff at M98 could not have been more friendly or accommodating!!! Truly stellar service… did their very best to make sure everyone had a drink in hand and attempted to keep the food offering section full (quite the inpressive feat with Yeeps!) Philly cheesesteak flatbread — good. Shrimp ceviche in the coolest edible tortilla spoon — perfect balance of flavor and texture. And the piece de resistance, PERFECTLY seared scallops served with well-​executed creamy risotto!!! [Note: After searching and sampling just about every scallop I believe available in all of Austin, I finally find the best one at a buffet station in a lounge… oh my gosh!] So good… I had two!
And then of course there were all of the wonderful Austin Unilocal Elite squad people, both familiar and new. Always such a pleasure to see ya’ and catch up, even if someone [I know who you are! Wink! Xo!] started the trend of putting Unilocal nametags on my bum! Lol! Now that’s true love right there! ;D
All in all, fantastic relaxing event right before the hectic season of cooking and shopping. Many
thanks to Sonesta, M98, Unilocal,and specifically Kelly of course for a cool night out!
Great venue, good friends, food, and drinks! What more could a gal ask for? Maybe for Kelly not to leave… sniff…and maybe a few more scallops. ;) Happy Unilocaling and Merry Holidays to all!
[183 in 2015]

Where in the world have those tequila habanero drinks been all my life??? It wasn’t a spicy margarita and I still loved it! Those were awesome and also appeared magically, which made them taste even better. Just for frame of reference, my lips are STILL on FIRE… like 1 hour later! I like it spicy Ayayayayaaaa! The Holiday Sangria was also a tasty hit to the taste buds. Likey!
The food was tasty, and the creative ceviche spoons were a total hit. I wish I had more scallops right now. Yum!
I met some OG’s, some newbies, and some in the middle AND took a ride on a swanky bus!!! Win all around, Meridian 98 and Kelly of Unilocal!
The digs are swell and next time I’m near or have someone visiting, you betcha I’ll be back!

Awesome hill country venue!
Loved the risotto & scallops, the flatbred pizza, and the ceviche.
The waitstaff was attentive, and the wines were amazing. It was great to see so many Unilocalers in their holiday best.
Unilocal rocks! Kelly rules!

Dear Kelly:
You are amazing. Continuously. Thank you for all you do and have done for the Unilocal community; it wouldn’t be what it is today without all of your love, nurturing and effort. You rock that shit, woman!
Dear Mike T:
You’re an asshat. I love you so. It was so great to see you after all this time and reconnect as if it had just been yesterday that we hung out.
Dear Avery:
Gurrrrrl! You my B! Let’s get together soon and hang out! I am so glad the universe has brought me the daughter I never had. lol
Dear Ricardo:
Keep that gift I suggested in mind. I’m just sayin.
Dear Bernadette:
YOU ARE MY GURL! Tittie Bingo ASAP!
Dear Aaron:
Be a good Jew. That being said, you’re adorable and coloring and hanging out with you was the best!
Was that a great time or WHAT, fellow Unilocalers? This scallops? Like butter in my mouth! The bbq flatbread was also super yummy! The view from the deck area was so gorgeous!
I cannot wait to go back to Sonesta and try more of their delicious bites and cocktails.
#Yelpmas 2015 was a success and we all had quite a lovely time! HOORAY!
P. S. Y’all, I totally took a selfie with Errol. #LifeGoals

Every spoon should be edible. I feel like my life has, until today, been a joke because that hasn’t always been the case. This should be rectified immediately: all spoons edible. All plates made of pie. You get the idea.
Meridian 98 is a swanky bar hiding out on the sixth floor of a swanky hotel. They delivered adult beverages to us Unilocalers like UPS delivering at Christmas. Non-​stop.
I’d like to pause for a moment to think of all the scallops that perished on this cold evening. It may be that I was responsible for most of that consumption. I’m okay with that.
It’s just so nice at the end of the year to relax and see some sweet familiar friend faces and meet some cool new ones (I’m looking at you, Stephanie G). I had exactly zero issues with the merriment of this event. Highly recommend.

Because all underprivileged tots need a dammit doll.
Festive time at the Sonesta Bee Cave! Especially on the 9pm trolley ride. Woot!
Nice rooftop bar, friendly, attentive service, thank you, Meridian 98. And the scallops on risotto, nom nom. Perfectly cooked. Can’t wait to come back again given that this is in my general neck of the woods.
Kelly S., don’t even get me started on the nostalgia yet.
. Simply. Like Tina Turner said.
Glad to see many familiar faces and to meet some new ones, always a pleasure. Thanks for the good times and the hospitality. A new hotel to add to my staycation list.

What a wonderful way to kickoff December! The Unilocal Elites came together making spirits bright by donating Toys For Tots while enjoying delicious libations and savory bites.
It was wonderful catching up with everyone and meeting some shiny new Unilocal friends too. The rooftop bar was nice and cozy with warm fireplaces and comfortable furniture. The food and drinks did not disappoint! The team at Meridian 98 were on top of things bringing out some thirst quenching sangrias, wines and brews. I am a fan of the Pinot Noir, their «fall scallops» on a bed of risotto, the golden tile ceviche with a fun edible tortilla shaped spoon, the Philly flatbread and of course the sprawling patio with Texas hill country views.
Thank you to the Sonesta Hotel, the lovely Meridian 98 rooftop bar, Unilocal and Kelly S. who always hosts the best parties in Austin!