Elite Event at d.b.a. and Tchoup Shop

First things first. My heart goes out to friends and family of Ray Deter, the owner of both D.B.A. bars, who sadly died this past weekend after being injured in a bike accident. (eater ny link:
)
Secondly, this was the first BK event in a long long time that I’ve attended, so I was super glad to mix it up with this more intimate crowd. There’s a difference between the types of Unilocalers that show up at each of the three boroughs’ events, and it really was a pleasure to reconnect with some of my Brooklyn friends.
Tchoup Shop provided some excellent bites including the most delicious bite of the night — duck liver boudin balls. Maker’s Mark didn’t disappoint with the mint juleps and whiskey sours. And Sweet Booth had some amazing props to snap our obligatory photos with. (Everyone caught that one of Jimmy in a coconut bikini top, right?)
I’ll be back to D.B.A. to raise a glass to the memory of Mr. Deter. Cheers!

The perfect recipe to celebrate the first day of summer:
Pick a wonderful venue like d.b.a., add a nice patio, a dash of Maker’s Mark Mint Juleps and whiskey sours, throw chef Simon Glenn in the mix, a pinch of fun with Sweet Booth photobooth, et voila’! Awesomeness is served!
Yeah, that’s how we roll around here. Only in Brooklyn, baby! Only in Brooklyn.
Copious amounts of yummy eats kept pouring from the patio. Highlights included spicy deviled eggs, «char-​b-​q» oysters with spicy hoisin sauce and scallions, and brisket and duck liver boudin balls.
Really, can Brooklyn YEEs get any more awesome than this?! Thank you Peter D., and the staff at d.b.a. for bringing the awesomeness level to eleven.
Shout outs to my partners in crime Margaret, Briana, James, Claire, and Gabe for the afterparty at Weatherup.

d.b.a. was 2G2BT AFAIC
Didn’t matter if you were MorF as long as you were Elite.
IOT enjoy this evening you had to be DTF (down to feed)
And what good feed it was. (my fellow Elite’s pretty much covered it all) The booze and food were AOK, and almost had me DOA.
I finally had to say IOH and said XXOOZZZ to my friends.
I look forward to the next Gr8 Elite event. I left with a VBS. :)
Peter as always you are my BFF and let me know when I’m getting my shirt!

The five W’s of Journalism as applied to the event:
«Who should I bring next time I go back to d.b.a.?»
«What am I doing with a Unilocal poncho?»
«When will I be hungry again?»
«Why do I keep making faces like that in pictures?»
«Where are my pants?»
«How I am still drunk?»
Thank you to Peter D for organizing yet another wonderful excuse — uhhh, I mean event to meet new and old Unilocalers. Next time, I promise to try to have only semi-​inappropriate conversations with strangers.

So I popped my elite cherry last night and it was the perfect outing for the summer solstice!
Didn’t know a single Unilocaler IRL but everyone was super kind, friendly and approachable. Got to meet the Unilocal shepherds Peter D and Colleen and get all my burning questions answered. Plus I met Victor S. and Ben who are also big futbol fans so I got to talk about the beautiful game which is always a bonus in this soccer haters nation we live in.
And whoah did I eat and drink my ass off! As a bourbon kinda guy I was super amped to see Maker’s would be providing the social lubrication… only bummer was the brown well ran dry after an hour so I had to switch it up to the flowing Peak Organic Summer Ale.
And the food… seriously I tried a few things last night I would not normally throw down my gullet but it’s amazing what a few Marker’s 46 on the rocks will do for your inhibitions! BBQ oysters, deviled eggs, duck liver balls and fried gator nuggets. OK I’m making that last one up but everything was amazing.
Thanks to Tchoup Shop for firing up the backyard grill, had an enlightening conversation with head chef dude Simon Glenn about the vittles and learned pearls of wisdom I plan on impressing my girl with.
d.b.a. is a great space capped off by a lovely garden out back and a seriously extensive drink menu from tequila to bourbon to scotch, very impressive. I’ll def be back…

Bangin’, flavor boomin’ BK event… First day of summer– hangin’ in the backyard at DBA — chatting up many native Brooklynites– cool!
Special event and venue– great that it was Elite only– got to meet in person– Lisa D, Tara, Elizabeth B, Kevin and more…
Peter D.- awesome event, Kathleen– ditto! DBA staff ditto!
Food– oh, the food– Spiced up by Chef Simon… Flavorfull!!!
Deviled eggs w/​sea salt for crunch– addictive
Short rib meat pies– delish
Oysters warmed with BBQ sauce– oooohhh
Boudin Balls…
Chicken biscuits with peper jelly
Mini shrimp sandies
Sandies with Andouille sausage, homemade pickles and mustard-​Porky YUM!
Makers Mark Mint Julep– left it’s mark on me today.
Was mucho, mucho cool– makes me miss BK even more!

Brooklyn Unilocal elite events are like traveling first class on the Titanic. You get to sample awesome food, excellent beverages, and — as long as you avoid Cal Hockley and Rose’s mother — you’ll meet fine people and have many interesting conversations.
Yes it’s a shame that non Unilocaler’s like Jack Dawson, have to watch from the outside, but he should be lucky he’s not living under a bridge in Paris… the spitting bastard.
The only shame of the evening, after indulging in such great food and drink, is running into that big white thing. The train. It was then I sank into the depths of slumber, bringing the enchanting journey to an end.

Wow!
Major THANKS to all the staff for keeping the food and booze flowing. The food was seriously top notch and interesting and something that I’ll return to Tchoup Shop for.

I’m not too sure, but money was offered for the Unilocal shirt right hot off Peter D’s body… I’m still waiting for someone to post picture proof of this; don’t be shy, we’re all foodie friends here right?
Getting there with the «I’m too hot outside and feed me I’m starving» crowd at 6:45PM, I was already to get my d.b.a on, which = drunk boozin’ attitude. The Whiskey Sours turned my Tuesday into a Thirsty Tuesday; really great blend and it was my drink of the night. The little sliders of assorted shrimp salad, chicken, and those deep fried balls (that’s what they are man, I know you giggled) were the perfect salt-​fried blend. Thank you Tchoup Shop for a really tasty variety!
I know we are all shy when that RSVP says, «Leave your whining +1 food mongers at home» but it was so great to befriend Kevin G, Isabella, and Jared and hangout with my regulars Ron, Jim P, and Peter D.
BK is where we play,
Brooklyn Winery or down in d.b.a.
Thank you for this Elite Event! Woot!

This event was bangin’
Brooklyn beer, Boudin balls, brown coconut breasts. Bangin.
Board games, booze, big backyards. Bangin.
Being silly in Balinese vacation clothes in the sweet booth*. Bangin.
Baby… baby… burger bites in the back of the bus. Bangin.
Being with some of the coolest elite Unilocalers. Bangin’
Bringing childhood 80’s TV shows back like Jem and the Holograms, James Bond Jr, Pete & Pete. Bangin’
Peter D (and his lovely lady) + the the Unilocal staff (what up Charleston!) Bangin’ job!
*

Had a fantastic time last night, sippin’ on whiskey collins, noshin’ on those delectable bites from Tchoup Shop (salty deviled eggs, chicken biscuits, shrimp sliders, short rib pockets), photo-op’ing in the Sweet Booth corner, and seeing the bevy of lovely Unilocalers that came out for BBQ and d.b.a.
Mind you, d.b.a. may stand for «damn, brooklyn’s awesome» — but in my mind it’s also fitting to say, «downright bangin’ adventures» as always through Unilocal!
Thanks to the Unilocal crew and Peter D. — who was as cool as cucumber — in holding down the event and providing me with an alibi to drink on a Tuesday night!

Brooklyn.
Beers.
Backyard.
Enough said…
This was an awesome event. Very intimate since it was Elites only, I do like these events a bit more. You can actually talk to people and meet new Elites. I was very glad that Summer Ale was the Unilocal Beer of the night. Yesterday was the official start of summer and this was perfect drink to start it just right.
Maker’s Mark and I have a Love/​Hate relationship. We last met at Empire Room and got totally f*cked up. This time I decided to take it in a little. It was a good decision. The Mint Juleps were really refreshing. It woke me up with the flavor and got the party started.
It seemed the food never ended. There was plenty to go around. The sliders were amazing. There were a couple of options from Shrimp, fried chicken and Andouille Sausage. All were good, but the Chicken stood out cause instead of a bun it was on a biscuit. I LOVE BISCUITS!
One of my favorites of the night were the Brisket and Duck Liver Boudin Balls. I’m not gonna lie, i’m a fan of liver. Having these deep fried balls were really good. (I know it sounds weird… BALLS!) The Grilled oysters were something to back for. I live mine raw, but cooked with a sweet sauce was amazing!
If you got into the event, but missed it… I HATE YOU. Cause you missed a really good event and photo ops with Sweet Booth.
Great Job Peter on hosting another good event! Summer in Brooklyn is starting off right!!!

1. What does d.b.a stand for?
A) d. amn b. rooklyn’s a. wesome
B) d. rink b.ooze a. ll night
C) d. evour b.urgers, boudin balls, bbq oysters, a. nd a bite of everything else
D) d. o b.e a. wfully silly in the sweet booth (you can after all)
E) all of the above
2. Who are the sponsors we owe gratitude to?
A) Peter D. and the Unilocal team!
B) d.b.a
C) Maker’s Mark
D) Tchoup Shop
E) Sweet Booth

Seriously, I love Brooklyn Unilocal elite events because they are fun, laid back and relaxing. You don’t have to fight for a space, a drink or a snack.
It was cool and source of so many laughters with the Sweet Booth, happy tummy with Tchoup Shop finger food (the chicken biscuits, shrimp and the sausage sliders plus the summer rolls were my favorites) + Maker’s Mark booze; and of course, the lovely presence of all the fellow Unilocalers.
Thanks to Unilocal and Peter D. (hurray!!~) for another great event.

This event was absolutely awesome. I had started thinking nothing could be as ridiculesque as Le Comptoir was but — like France to New Orleans — this was the low key, NOLA style version of fabulous.
Maker’s Mark won me over with the mint juleps made by the lady bartender & the whiskey sours pretty much sealed my fate of unproductiveness for today. Worth it.
I loved the little biscuit sandwiches and the andouille sausage sandwiches. The oysters were unlike any I’d had before and I also liked the vegetarian mushroom spring rolls.
The staff was friendly — even the overworked bartenders were smiling — and it seemed like the food just kept coming and coming. The back patio was a smoothly functioning workshop of guys and gals from the Tchoup shop. Note to self: I have to get back to the ‘berg and try some full-​sized version of this goodness!
As always, great to see old friends and meet some new ones, putting faces to names.
Thanks Peter D. & team! Really stellar event.
–oh also! the photo booth! such a cute idea and the women, er, woman-​ing it were lovely. I got to talking with the owner after gushing to her about her website’s design. (yes, I am a nerd who read their website before I came — and it’s so cute! check it out) and it seems we can all download those photos from their website, too. So our drunken photo shoots live on in infamy …

Promise broken.
I said I’d stop reviewing events, I always have a good time, what’s more to say ?
Well there was…
1. a Jando sighting
2. duck liver boudin balls
3. bbq oysters
4. seriously some the best NOLA influenced food I’ve had outside of the Big Easy. Not only was it good there was a lot of it.
Tchoup Shop was damn impressive. I’ll be returning.
As usual I had a great time meeting new Unilocalers, and drinking and photo-​bombing with old friends.
thanks for having me, broken promises and all.

This was my first Elite event, and I have to admit, I arrived completely unsure of what to expect, and as a result I was a bit shy at first, but learned how things work.
If they’re all like this in the future, I can’t wait to continue going!
As for d.b.a., it’s a great bar. I have always been a big fan of the one in Manhattan, and this place is no exception — it’s just as good if not better. More space, better lighting, bigger courtyard. Of course it’s in Williamsburg, so fighting for space on a crowded night could be a potential problem.
To the main event: Drinks and food.
One word to describe it — amazing. I’m not always an adventurous eater, and trying things like duck liver and oysters, have always been towards the lower-​end of my «WANT!!!» spectrum, but this turned my negative nancy attitude around. Everything was great, as in, really damn good. Simon knows how to do it. NOLA-​style cuisine at Tchoup Chop is just plain win. If you have a chance to have some of the food, do it, and don’t think about anything more.
The Makers Mark cocktails weren’t as amazing as the food, but I’m not a big bourbon drinker so my opinion is biased. They were good, though, just not necessarily my thing.
In conclusion: It was a great event, met some really great people, had a blast enjoying drinks and food. Thanks to Unilocal,and everyone who made it possible.
PS — Tchoup Shop is slammin’

I had a really pleasant night at this Unilocal Event. The drinks, the company, the southern hospitality and the festivities were extra sweet on this perfect summer’s eve.
Hanging out with Unilocal Elite crowd is always a perfect night, and I feel like we all get each other on a really cool level. Not a nerdy level or anything, but we know what we like and whats good and how to go out and find it.
The bite sized deep fried magic liver meatballs were to die for, as well as the sausage sandwiches and the BBQ’d oysters that were also very interesting.
Mint Julips were just right, they didn’t knock anyone out, but had the perfect sneak attack going.
The backyard made me want to throw a backyard bbq, it was a nice touch to a classic Williamsburg YEE.
Happy to see all the usual Unilocal suspects again! More UYE’s need to be in order.

Wicked bar with a backyard — check! Never been, loved it.
Tasty drinks — check! Never thought I’d like Whiskey Collins. I’ve been missing out.
Delicious food — check! Did I just shove a whole deviled egg in my mouth? Yup!
Beautiful people — check!
Sweet Booths photobooth with props — check! Did 7 of us really fit into a frame? Just about!
— Thanks Peter for organizing it & proving how awesome Brooklyn really is!
— Thanks d.b.a for hosting us!
— Thanks Maker’s Mark for keeping us hydrated!
— Thanks Tchoup Shop for the never ending supply of amazing food!
— Thanks Sweet Booths for capturing the fun!

Wow, not too crowded, great strong drinks, what more can you ask?
Maybe Peter has a good idea with the no +1 rule. I was forced to talk to some new folks and I had a great time.
The bartender was awesome, he hooked it up with the makers marks drinks and he even let us ask for our own concoctions (Makers mark on the rocks, or makers mark and coke, etc.). Unilocal events usually force us into taking their drink mixes, but I feel we should be able to pick our own poisons.
As far as the food goes:
I enjoyed all of the turf samples:
Deviled eggs,
Duck Liver boudin balls,
andouille sausage sliders,
chicken sliders,
I don’t eat seafood, so I don’t know about the shrimp sliders, or Grilled oysters but they looked good!
This place seems pretty cool. They have so much selection of beers and drinks available, their chalkboard seems to go on forever!
This is a cool hood spot if you lived in Williamsburg.