Elite Event @ The Loading Dock!

It was a wet Winter night. In the dark, The Loading Dock seemed like it was in the middle of nowhere. Inside, it was a refuge. We stripped our coats, set down our umbrellas, and dumped our baggage on the floor along the back wall. That area became a makeshift mud room and The Loading Dock/​SHO Gallery served as perfect hosts. The Elite Event at The Loading Dock felt more like an intimate open house and the setting was lofty and cozy at the same time. The back room was minimal with one massive dining table and the front room was more compact and narrow with just a few chairs. There were fireplaces, an interesting light fixture, and my favorite– an oncidium orchid centerpiece. It was on it’s way out but still it’s sunny delicate features make me really happy every time I think about them. I love orchids. The chairs were dressed with fur. Really impressive. I turned one over and it’s authenticity was proven. That’s the Rachel test. I do it to restaurant plates and utensils as well. The fur was not from IKEA.
peter d and Kevin L were in the corner dispensing from the keg. I opted for pear cider from the cooler and with the encouragement of Lisa D I then tried the apple. If Original Sin had more fruit flavors, I probably would have made my way throughout the whole fruit basket. I chatted with a very hyper Preeti B and met a very sweet Ki G who let me know my fears of internet stalking were not irrational. I have yet to make it to one of the bake offs! One day I will make salami and cheese puff pastry wheels for all you lovely Unilocalers. It was fun hanging out with the BK crowd (Isa W + Marco, James F, Melissa Z), meeting more down to earthlings Rusty R + Autumn, super cool package deal Laura R and Sarah W, and spending time with my pretend older sister Judy K (thank you for always having my back).
The line for tacos was ridiculous but this was not the typical Elite Event where we were spoiled with a full on food fest. The carne asada taco was dry and bland. I enjoyed the bean and cheese taco so much more. It was perfect. The vegetarians win on that one. Forrest C was very nice and interesting to chat with. Of course I asked him a million questions and we talked in depth of bringing more Mexican food over to the East Coast. It is a movement I fully support.
We lingered long past till we were one of the last to leave. And with that we got to partake in a Unilocaler rite of passage– slapping your name tag on to Ethan C.
I felt initiated and will see you at the next event.
Rite of Passage #2– Guestlist. Are you in or out?

(sung to the tune of the Meow Mix commercial:
)
I want tacos and Sin cider.
I wanna walk in rain to get them.
I want salsa and Sweet Action.
I want peter d. to give me these things.
Now you know
how I spent my
Tuesday night with Unilocal Unilocal Unilocal Unilocal Unilocal Unilocal Unilocal!
Unilocal Elite Events come in two varieties: awesome and more awesome! A medley of friends, booze, and crunchy tortilla chips, bursting with jalapeño flavor. Elite Events! Feels so good, Unilocalers ask for it by name!
Meow!

Chipotle Chicken Tacos and Black Bean & Cheese Tacos: Actually. .. free. $ 0
Sixpoint Ales and Cider Beer: Uh. .. free. $ 0
Getting to hang out with your besties Aimee, Preeti, Briana, Colleen, Jordan, Travis, Peter: Also. .. free.* $ 0
Shamelessly using slightly outdated pop culture references to write a review: Some lame kid named Brett. Just 0.
Having the guy waiting behind me in line for the restroom say, «Dude, there are so many drunk chicks here right now. You should take advantage.»: PRICELESS.
Some things cost an arm and a leg.** Unless you’re Unilocal.But, uh, for everything else, there’s. .. still Unilocal.
This review went way downhill, way fast. I’m still drunk.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
* I only paid for your friendship that ONE time, so sh.
** Like friends, and in that case you have to pay for TWO arms and TWO legs. Pf.

Why shower when you can walk to a Unilocal event? I honestly arrived in the same state as the delicious Original Sin Pear Cider… dripping wet (Though the cider just took a plunge in a cooler… I got beaten by raindrops and smacked by windbullets).
Once inside the Loading Dock, I did that whole shake-​like-​a-​dog routine… then off to explore the art-​lined walls, find several mini fireplaces, and get a hard cider.
Hooray for rain, it kept the event quaint and intimate, so I had a good chance to see many old friends.*
*Thank you to all for your encouragement on my gallery opening, you guys are the best!
*Um, thank you to the Protector of Stuff, I guess. Thanks to Lisa for semi-​supporting the Protector.
*Thanks to James for raving about my business cards (it’s all about rounding the corners!)
*Molly C, your haircut is adorable, I’m glad I got to enjoy the hotness after everyone else.
*EILUFBFF — smile, you’re loved.
*Kyle, Nina, Ki, Brianna, Joey, and many others, thank you all for your support of my art, it was great seeing all of you (and anyone I may have missed).
*Peter– nakedness in Unilocal ponchos? The people will love it. Just wait.

Andy L. tasted my dripping taco and he liked it.
Not that kind of taco, perves! It was a carnitas taco, and it was the REAL DEAL. Motherfucking pork, cooked in it’s own fat. As I said to Forrest, LAY IT ON ME! I was a sight to be seen, pork fat streaming from my hand and down my arm. The best kind of messy.
The carne asada was so good that if somebody blindfolded me and fed me that taco, I would be convinced that I was sitting at La Flor de Piaxtla. This is the way tacos should be done. Fuck sauce, just let the natural, perfectly seasoned flavors SHINE! Shine like my greasy forearms.
It was SO nice to see everyone at this event. It definitely goes down in history as one of my favorites, if not my favorite.
Shout outs to everyone! Joey, Kelly, Molly, Ethan, Lisa, Preeti, Ki, Colleen, Brett, Aimee, Nina, Melissa Z., Mo, James F, peter d., Abigail, Peter D., Laura A., Sarah W., Andy, Kyle, Shiso (sp…I was wasted), Six Point, Ben, Forrest, Stephanie, the taco MASTA whose name ESCAPES ME, Kevin, Becca, Wendy C., and ANYONE I am forgetting. Bear with me, I’ve got a KILLER hangover! Sweet Action sure is sweet, but it is also STRONG.

Last night’s event was my first Unilocal Elite Event and I had a wonderful time eating yummy tacos, drinking delicious beer and meeting new Unilocalers.
I especially loved the carne asada tacos. The meat was well seasoned and juicy. The black bean taco was good too, and wished it a little yellow rice in it to make it bulkier. The chipotle chicken was very good, better than the other chicken one that was bland.
The chips, salsa and guacamole were awesome. The guacamole tasted like it had a little mayo into it, or it just whipped to a very smooth consistency. The salsa had a nice kick to it and the chips were salted perfectly and crunchy without a cardboard staleness.
The venue is awesome, first time there too. Perfect temperature inside and a nice woody smokiness by the front door. The staff was great. Friendly and really enthusiastic about the food and the event.
I’ve always loved Six Point and the sweet revenge or sweet action was my favorite. The cider was good too.
It was a pleasure to meet Peter D, Ting S, Doug and a few other friendly faces. Thanks to everyone responsible for putting this even together and I hope to be at the next one.
p. s. I walked home in the rain and never regretted any of it. This was worth it!

From this point on, I think all Unilocal events should just have a happy staffer standing by a keg ready to beer you.
I was so cold and wet and flustered and late getting here, but once inside I promptly got my sweet action on and hopped on the taco line. One Chipotle Chicken + One Carne Asada makes Michelle a happy girl. I bailed shortly thereafter because I’m a selfish ( Unilocal)lover, but it was still totally worth the trek.
No moves were busted in the making of this Unilocal event, but otherwise excellent.

Unilocal Elite meetups are like Mister T. you don’t really need to explain why they’re awesome… they just are. of course, this being Unilocal,I do need to justify why I am reviewing something, so here goes:
those carnitas were well worth the wait. I don’t even know how long we waited on line — perhaps that made them even more delicious.
and are these freshly made tortillas? SHAMWOW, they were incredible, a refreshing change from Qdoba/​Chipotle and the Chexican places I usually frequent.
I also discovered quite possibly The Greatest Salsa On The Planet here. it was flavorful AND spicy. I certainly didn’t brainstorm any elaborate schemes to «acquire» some, no, not at all (don’t worry, I didn’t actually «acquire» it).
Loading Dock was a pretty sweet event location. from the front, it looks like a food cart got fused to a building, and the inside is this cool small parlor-​type setting with Random Pieces of Art. the event felt more like a small dinner party, which was cool!
I also broke principle and ate a vegetarian taco, but that was more out of beer-​inspired hunger.
got to see some Unilocalers I haven’t seen in a while (hi Lisa A.!) and meet some new ones (Mark K and I ended up talking about animé conventions)!
Peter D dispensing Righteous Rye and Sweet Action from a cooler jerry-​rigged to two kegs? AWESOME SAUCE… I think I’m gonna build me one of those myself.
I pity the fool who don’t come to Unilocal Elite events.

I often feel like I need to apologize to hosts of Elite Events* because I don’t think it’s possible, though I’m sure Pete/​Jane/​Miriam/​et al prep them as well as is humanly considerable, for businesses to be prepared for just the sheer amount of food Unilocal elites can put down.
And it doesn’t help when we’re talking delicious tacos (especially the carnitas — so juicy and succulent) and chips that were touched directly by Lehmon, the God of Lime, of which I only managed to stop eating when they were taking directly away from me.
Though the attendance was probably muted slightly by the atrocious weather, the people who did make it managed to not jump in the taco line, take copious beers from the fantastic folks at Six Point and cider from Original Sin** and be overall kind of awesome.
I met some new folks, saw some old friends and, hey, have you met my friend Ethan? And I actually did remark to someone how incredible it was to find such a large, chill, fantastic group of people who all managed to seem to have a good time in such a diverse mixture of personas and people.*** Kind of amazing!
* — not to Peter D. That dude needs to be apologizing to me for hogging all the awesome.
** — Who knew they were a local brand? And that Abby hid all those extra bottles in, uh, uncomfortable places to hoard as much of it as possible on the way out. What? Was I not supposed to say anything? She loves the stuff!
*** — You can leave the bag full of cash on the doorstep, Pete.

Why I’m going to RSPV to the next Unilocal Elite Event…
— Somehow they manage to bring me again the guy that I vote for at The Brooklyn Taco Experiment a few weeks back… obviously I already loved the Tacos. And new things to try. Usually drinks that I will probably never taste again and that I loved: Original Sin Hard apple Cider (and I could taste food and drinks arriving at 8:30pm …)
— I like to receive hugs from cool people. and from Kevin L. too. Who, by the way, I have to use to see frequently in NY.
— Only Peter D. could find a place where art gallery, vintage, fireplaces, come along tacos. Loading Dock was a lovely place that I wish to have closer.
— «In the time that you will spend here another 15 reviews have been posted» … girls restroom. inside. Tell me about pressure.
— Somehow Unilocal always make a bad day up. Still they have to manage the bad weather. Until then: «Rainy day SUPERHERO KIT». And more goodies, I’m done with the lunch boxes but I need more Unilocal personalized napkins for my private parties. Also I collect badges now … guess who’s fault?
— I always lose some incognito in every Unilocal event but is worth it if only one of my friends realize that I have eyes.
1. Love to see Judy K., Isabella W., Wing L.
2. New friends. Lori Y., Rachel A., Sandy C. Thanks for the pleasant time girls.
3. Because I missed Chris K. Chris H. Minhan S. Radford T. Chung T. Srini V. Yewel Y. Ben C. Steven C. (and Atif in case he appears sometime)
— Jane K wasn’t there
— Support Peter D and Jane K. I’m sure you guys work hard for this. Ok Kevin L. you too.
— Thanks Sarah W. since I was her +1
— … and because I can. I’m Elite after all… («get in the waiting list». what? already late? damn)

Per usual, had a blast @ this month’s Unilocal elite event. Great crowd, awesome Unilocal staff, cool space and good food.
The Loading Dock was a good place for the event. It felt like a Unilocaler’s house party! Artsy, lofty yet cozy and laid back. The kitchen that was serving yummy fresh tacos non-​stop is actually a taco truck/​cart adjacent to the front of the venue. Walking further in, Peter D. was handling out sweet pints of Six Points and bottles of Original Sin cider… awww… He is the man!
All and all, I believe everybody had a good time. Hanged out with some peeps and made new friends (another reason why I’m digging this whole event thing… great way to meet new people!).
Thanks!

What a friggin’ cool event. Peter, Interns — you guys did an amazing job with keeping the rabble (myself included) happy. And the Loading Dock crew were so pleasant and kept a smile on even when decended upon by ravenous and boozy Unilocalers — fantastic. Y’all rock!
Like some of those who came, I too missed the invite for this event. But thanks to Mr. Chuntastic, I got in and was able to partake in:
— Chicken tacos
— Fresh Tortilla chips and guac
— Lots and lots of Original Sin Pear Cider (ouch today thanks to this)
— Great jibber jabber (I jibbered, they jabbered) with my cool Unilocal peeps.
The venue itself was really eclectic and interesting — the gallery feel of the main room with the letter art lining the walls, the fire places, the beautiful communal table in the main room with the gorgeous light fixtures. And dare I say that I thought the bathrooms were pretty?
Shoutout to: Mo P (congrats again!), Preeti B. (date?), Molly C., Neeners (yay ink!), lisa a., Joey Bones (\m/​— send the song), Hi Ethan!!, Matteo R., James F., Briana (muah!), Carlos, Judy K (queens represent!), Rachel A (new friend?), Kelly S. (oh brothers!), Michelle N & Evan (I narrowly escaped being kidnapped for pie-​making, didn’t I?), and everyone else I bumped into, smiled at and made conversation but tried not to look for a name tag. Y’all rock too!
My head might be hurting, but I am not complaining. Hands down one of my favorite events of the year.

Things that are not cool:
–Totally inept cab drivers who do not know how to get to Tillary St. from Smith and Bergen (Seriously. Ask Molly. Or, wait, don’t ask her because she’ll get all riled up again).
–Walking back from the event through the Lawrence Metro Tech campus in the pelting, freezing rain with winds whipping up your dress while trying to find Jay Street. (yes, I found it. I knew where I was.)
Things that are cool:
–Discovering new restaurants and bars via elite events (Loading Dock, I’m looking at you).
–Peter D. pours a nice glass of beer with no head.
–Melissa Z. and Lisa D. looked out for me and scored me a veggie taco.
–Starting rumors about me touching Nina C’s boob.
–Sitting beside a fireplace on a chilly February evening with a beer in hand talking to James F. about our respective ages.
–Catching up and laughing with many people I’ve not seen in a while.
–Getting some Sweet Action (oh, and Righteous Rye).
The Loading Dock seems to be off the beaten path, even though it’s on Tillary St, one of the busiest streets in Brooklyn. It’s a cool small-​ish, nay, intimate space that feels more like someones house. The main room has a cozy seating area surrounding a fireplace and a large communal farm table. It is also home to a small local art gallery, well, artwork (for sale or just display?) adorns the walls of the well lit main room. I’ll have to head back for a meal one of these days.
And, as always, nice job Mayor Pete for organizing the affair. I mean, event, not affair… we don’t want people to get the wrong idea about Peter.

Thank you Peter D. for another fantastic BKLN Unilocal event. How did you find this place?! An art gallery/​exhibition space that sells super-​tasty tacos. This place is awesome!
Great food (I can’t wait to sink my teeth in their fish tacos!), great beer (I love both Rye and Sweet Action), great ambiance (the fireplaces, the wooden table, the lights hanging from the ceiling, the art on display…), great people.
If they have outdoor seating, I am going to take residency here in the summer.
Old friends: James F., Joey H., Andy L., Kyle H., Wendy C., Richard B., Melissa Z.
New Friends: Ki G., Jin M., Adam R., Peter D.
Missing Friends: Vivian H., Deanna W., Franco C., Chun L., Brian H., Natascha L., Jim U., Janeen B., Peter K., Gabrielle M., Dr. Gonzo M., Cara A., Payam Z.
Great time.

Really cool event. Thanks Peter D for putting on such a great event. My friend Nichole and I had a really great time and the tacos and beer were de-​lish. We sat at the table with Lisa D and her friend Chi. My favorites were the carne asada tacos and the avocado salsa or watery guacamole. I dont even like guacamole so much but this sauce was perfect on the tacos. The dark six point beer was a perfect pairing.

5 minutes after 7PM, got off the train
10 minutes later, my umbrella broke and I am so lost
5 more minutes later, found Wing L., another lost Unilocaler… yay!
2 cold and lost Unilocalers battled the rain and finally found Loading Dock at last!
30 minutes after 7PM found Mark K. waiting on line for tacos
3 minutes later, met Wing’s +1, Lori Y.
20 minutes to 8PM finally introduced self to Peter D.
2 minutes later saw Kendra C. arriving
6 new faces met at this event, including Laura A.
3 yummy tacos consumed by me
X amount of chicken, lettuce and stuff left in a trail across the floor… yea sorry that was me… such a slob
0 alcohol consumed, due to overcoming a cold/​fever from yesterday
1 happy Unilocaler with a broken umbrella and smelling like tacos
Thanks for setting up another awesome Unilocal event! =)

I responded too late, but luckily Molly C loves me and I was her +1! Woohoo!
I had an awesome time:
— as usual, picking on Peter D.
— loving my newest sweetheart, Graham B.
— groping Ethan C.
— sharing bathroom time with Andy L.
— playing with the tie of Kyle H.
— smacking Rob L.
— being +1 to the lovely Molly C.
— guilting Ting S.
— starting rumors about me and Lisa A.
— talking ink with Ki G.
— observing a slightly tipsy Preeti B.
— being treated like a princess by Melissa Z.
— getting hugs from Briana M.
— congratulating Mo P.
I even had a delicious Loading Dock pork taco and got to talk to Gideon — the big guy at Original Sin Hard Cider!
Although I got there late, it was great to see a good number of people had made it out, even with the nasty weather. Just the right amount to mingle with, but not too many that we were overcrowded.
I’d definitely make the trek back across the Manhattan Bridge for these tacos — so pleasantly surprised by them.
And, both the Sweet Action and Original Sin were tasty, tasty.
Let’s do more of these please!

Usually when I talk about sweet action (or the hope thereof) it is in a convoluted story about the rigors of dating, but thankfully tonight it was about Six Point Sweet Action and how much I could get as people waited aimlessly in line for tacos. As I look back, this was some of the sweetest action I can think of — available, cold to the touch but warmed up after a few and seemingly as intoxicated with me as I was with it.
This was a great, intimate Elite event. It was not overcrowded and the space at The Loading Dock was both welcoming and large enough to handle the hoards of people who wanted as much food as they could get their hands on. I waited in line for tacos once and came out with a chicken taco that was very flavorful. I apologize directly to Forrest for spilling some of the contents on the rug, but I was hungry and it was hard to handle with a cradle of Sweet Action in my other hand.
The crowd was low key and while others made new friendships and enlarged their circle of Unilocal,I stuck with the people I know in a corner near and around the bathroom because I am both antisocial and ambidextrous. This seemed more like a dinner party and that, in and of itself, was a nice change. Unilocal service at the keg made me feel like I was in high school again. Not so much because the girls in line were oblivious to my presence, but more because waiting in line for beer was a ritualistic endeavor that I went back to again and again.
peter d. was in control as usual and this really seemed like a good match between Unilocal and a venue. More of a dual event rather than one where the bar or restaurant takes over. Everyone seemed happy and the lines, although long for food, were manageable thanks to the weather.
This venue was a challenge because of its location, but for those of us in close proximity to The Loading Dock it was a nice introduction to a new friend we will hang out with many times over the next few months.

This is my first Unilocal event and and I was real curious to see how these events are like. Once off the train, I kind of got lost (OK, I got real lost) and it was real hard to use Google maps to locate myself because my hands were shaking so much from the rain and the cold. On the streets, I met another lost Unilocaler and together we figured our way to Loading Docks together and through this little trial of ours, I made a new friend.
Loading Dock was smaller then what I imagined it to be but was big enough to make the event seem intimate without being overcrowded. It was nice meeting Peter D. but sadly I didn’t get to talk to Jane K. this time. Maybe next time.
Met some friends that I made on Unilocal and it was nice to be able to talk to them in person. Also made some new friends at the event.
The food was good. Didn’t get to try everything but the beef taco was my favorite and the bean taco was surprisingly my second favorite of the bunch. I need to go back there soon to give the place a review outside of the event. Looking forward to it. The Original Sin Hard Cider was very interesting. Some of the Unilocalers I was with thought it was a bit too sweet but I liked the flavor and I don’t even have a sweet tooth.
Thanks for the event Unilocal.Nice meeting everyone there and see you all at the next event.
P. S. I finally was able to see Laura A. without her sunglasses on. That alone was worth the whole trip to the Loading Dock through rain, wind, and cold. I could finally confirm that she really have eyes, not just dark glasses stuck to her face =)
Oh yeah, Peter D. was also serving us beer at one point. Where else except at this event could you get to experience that?

Popular topic–
What makes a real New Yorker?
Those of us born here keep it to ourselves but I’ll share it with you:
The refusal to wait on line for anything but money and booze.
For some reason waiting for booze makes sense (my take = it brings you closer to God), and in this case the line was short (the most righteous peter d. is a great tap master) and the Sweet Action was fantastic. The Hard Cider was really good but a little sweet for my taste. It seems like something I’d sip at home watching the tube.
The tacos were also very good although I refuse to wait in line for it.
How to do it ?
1. Talk to friends at front of the line, waiting, while food comes out.
2. Beg, plead, flirt with any and everyone to bring you an extra taco.
And what excellent tacos they were.
The carne asada and chicken were very good. There was another chicken one that was spicier and delicious (the name escapes me).
My favorite was the black bean taco procured by the wonderful Melissa Z. The beans were spicy and perfectly done. I was thrilled.
Wait. No meat? Delicious?
: pause while go out and kill something beautiful:
Okay. I don’t care what Cali people think (does anyone really??), these tacos were really good.
Besides being a general bastard, not standing in line gave me time to chat and catch up with my Unilocal buddies. Ting, Rob, Joey (the Mac guy), Mo P (she has the nicest business cards) Lisa, Kelly and all the ones i forgot to mention (Rachel, Judy, Matteo, Ki and more) it was great fun, can’t wait for the next one.
The Loading Dock is somewhere I intend to return to, it’s a real NYer’s kind of place.
Great work peter d. and Unilocal posse.