YEE: Elite Mixer at Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern

This place is awesome. Great atmosphere, great location and great food. Exactly what Dana Point needed!

OMG! A great night with fellow elites. Kudos to Ryan for an awesome event and making us feel very special!
The food was amazing! A girl just can’t get enough of the meatballs! The 3 different kinds of sliders had me all dizzy and lets not forget the GIANT dessert we got at the very end that was so pretty I didn’t even want to dig into it!
The staff were very nice, love the ambience at the restaurant. Bathrooms were extremely clean and tastefully decorated. The location is superb, right in the heart of Dana Point. I would definitely like to return again for dinner!
Big thanks to Jimmy’s and Ryan for a wonderful night!

So fun! Thank you Ryan for arranging this event and spoiling the hell out of us!
Delicious food (and omg tons of it), also great drinks. I liked the Lory’s Lemonade — good vodka, and a nice mix with the lemon, but The Iguana was the real winner. The combination of tequila, cucumber and mint made it a perfect drink, just light and refreshing.
The real winners on the food included the shrimp cocktail — a great and light combination with the fresh herbs. The buffalo meatballs were fantastic — I think they were definitely my favorite of the night, savory and a little smokey. I loved the Ahi Poke — good fish, good avocado.
Omg and dessert, with the banana sundae of awesomeness. That was amazing!
Had a great time hanging out with the other elite Unilocalers and getting to meet some new people.
Thank you for setting this up Ryan, and thanks for having us JFAT!

Truth be told, I signed up for this event just because it fit into my extremely busy week. Totally didn’t look at where the actual place was. Unfortunately it was SUPER FAR from my house, but I wanted to go since I got in and it looked like a great event so I figured it out and still managed to make it on time.
Thanks Ryan C. for another great event. Thanks to Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern for a great tasting event.
Parking was kind of a pain, it’s a rather small lot for the stores/​restaurants in the square.
We were in the back room (which I believe you can rent out). It has roll up windows, so you can enjoy the ocean views during the day. There was a nice wall garden making the area kind of feel that it was outside, even though you weren’t.
We got to enjoy some buffalo meatballs, chicken sliders, burger sliders, shrimpt cocktail, ahi tuna poke, deviled eggs, and homemade potato chips with blue cheese sauce. There were a few french fries, and two signature drinks. I was able to get a regular soda since I don’t drink and one of the girls at my table actually got a signature drink with no alcohol and still loved it.
It did say on our little tasting menu that we were going to get a carrot cake cupcake. Seeing that this was a tasting we weren’t actually expecting full size cupcakes. I did like the cupcakes, as i LOVE carrot cake, but was missing the cream cheese frosting. What can I say, I’m a purist.
They brought out this other dessert some kind of banana dessert (couldn’t really hear the lady that was describing it, it was just super huge sundae looking thing). From what we were able to eat, it seemed to be just bananas and whipped cream. I’m assuming there must have been something else in it but we never found it.
On our way out — Jimmy’s gave us a little parting gift which was super nice.
It was great to see Christina P (even if it was for like 2 seconds since she had to head back to the westside for another appointment).
Thanks Ryan C. and Jimmy’s!

Always a good time with Unilocalers. I got to watch amazing sunset and get to try a whole mess of samples. The Pokey: SP:? was pretty good but the Kettle One Lemonade was too strong for someone driving. Luckily, I switched to a beer.
My favorite things during this event were the buffalo meatballs and the cup cake. Borrowing the actual name via cut and paste from DJs review they were called «Carrot Pistachio Cupcakes w/​White Chocolate Frosting» Now I am not really a cup cake person as evidenced by the fact that I’ve never been to «Sprinkles. «
Credit to DJ for writing things down. lol and getting the names right.
See I’m a foodie who isn’t really impressed (nor do I care) how something looks. But that cupcake LOOKED and TASTED AMAZING! Umm, the Banana Get it was amazing.
This place’s proverbial «desert hand» is way strong. Also taking a look into the kitchen was like looking into one of those movies from the 50s that depicted how things are going to look like in the future.
«THE FUTURE MARTY???»
I think that’s the trend with places like this. They know that every bar nowadays has draft brews for days. So they try to distinguish them selves making creative deserts.
And feeling them to us Unilocal peoples is a GREAT idea.
Also one more thing I’d like to note. Everytime I have ever been to an Elite Event the people I sit with are ALWAYS well traveled. We were talking about floating down the River at a river bar hop in LAOS!
SOOOO on my bucket list.
I also brought up the time I was on a class senior trip to Spain and spent the day in Moroco and the rag tag crew From Jersey City NJ I was rolling with was break dancing in a Morocan carpet shop.
Also I was being asked for the best Greek places in the LA and OC area! PM me I’ll spill the beans!
Foodie respect foodie.
YEEELLLP LIFE.
Hate to digress so much but I’m trying to emphasis what a well traveled and adventurous bunch the Unilocalers are.
No but in all seriousness MOST RESPECT to the ill OC rep, Ryan C.
I really hope I can make it out again sooner or later.
I was also able to take one of those AMAZING AMAZING «Carrot Pistachio Cupcakes w/​White Chocolate Frosting» cup cakes home because someone at my table was not a desert person.
SCORE!

Banana Get It! Where have you been all my life?! My favorite dessert as of yet! It’s basically a vanilla sundae with whipped cream, bananas, bit o sauce and molasses biscuits. SO DELICIOUS!!!
Ok maybe not as favorite as 99 Ranch’s black forest cake, but for a sit down restaurant this takes the trophy for now!
The Elite gift was a shot glass! I will using it often! ;)
JImmy’s Famous American Tavern spoiled us with cocktails (Iguana and Lori’s Lemonade), as well as beer (Lagunitas IPA and Ballast Point — great choices for beer btw), and wine (a red and white… I forget the names). We also received plenty of small bites, of which my favorite was the TUNA POKE on a fried wonton wrapper. I also enjoyed the buffalo meat balls and shrimp cocktail. Other items on the menu were the jalapeño bedeviled eggs and crispy onion slider with fries which were a bit on the tougher side. We never received the chicken sandwich though… that will always remain a mystery until my next visit.
I rekindled with Monica and met some new friends! :)
It’s always a good time when Unilocal’s involved! Can’t wait for the next shindig!
Oh and as we parted the restaurant, we received a FULL SIZE bottle of their chipotle ketchup! Thank you Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern!
Thanks for another amazing evening Ryan and Co!!!

OMG, my first time to YEE was amazing. I met a couple of great people, Brian D. and Tracy L. Thank Ryan C. for this wonderful event. The food was great. The service was wonderful. I couldn’t stop eating those amazing homemade potato chips, so thin and crispy. The Ahi poke was fresh and perfectly flavored. I’m definitely going back to Jimmy’s to try their other menu items.
I can’t wait to go more of these events and meet more the elite Unilocalers who share the same passion in food.

First off, i’d like to thank Ryan C, our fearless leader and Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern (which i love that it abbreviates to JFAT) for hostin this wonderful event full of deep conversations about donuts, boiling crab, favorite restaurants, and of course Unilocal.
really quick service. we got pretty much everything on the menu (sans the chicken slider) within the first 10min of sitting down. We got mixed drinks and refill for our mixed drinks.
the seafood was really good. i liked the shrimp cocktail and ahi poke on the wonton. the sour cream (‘scuse me bleu cheese) and onion chips we’re alright for appetizers. the sliders were dry. the buffalo meatball was interesting with a hint of spicy, and the seafood was great.
overall it was an interesting event, topped off with an amazing banana ice cream mega dessert. it was the best saved for last and the little cherry on top.

I don’t make it out to a lot of events but when I do,
I’m lucky if I remember how I got home!
(So, let’s get this review up before the «medicine» kicks in… HEY! It’s for glaucoma! ‘Not mine, my aunt’s that is!)
‘Walked in, didn’t recognize anyone… AWESOME! Let’s meet some people…
(‘Because I’m shy like that…) Center table, middle of the room, two people seated, lots of open seats, & I remembered to wear deodorant… ‘Perfect! (However, it was my underwear that I forgot. Just joking… ‘I always go commando.)
‘Another great event… ‘And a big aloha to the table of wahines that I sat with!
Good food, people & laughs! (Yeh, I almost had a good time.)
‘Arrived about 15 minutes before the event, was informed by «Carrine”(sp?), the hostess at the front, that guests were not currently being seated for the Unilocal*event but I was more than welcome to take a seat @ the bar or join the… — ‘Don’t have to ask me twice, the bar it was!
‘And crowded as hell! Mike & Kelly @ the bar took care of me despite my short visit with them. Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern has only been open two weeks and the place was packed. (PS — No Happy Hour… ‘Yet.)
I was going over the Unilocal*drink options & was rather neutral on what to order, I’m always willing to try new things… So, I looked @ Kelly across the bar from me & said, „Surprise me!“
(Yeh, I’m easy like that. I’m a „food snob“ minus the snob… ‘Aren’t there enough people walking around w/​their palates in the air @ a constant 30 degree angle, acting like they blog for the Food Network?! ‘Extra cheese, por favor.)
Kelly presented me w/“The Iguana»: Epsilon silver tequila, agave nectar, cucumbers, fresh mint
(‘Not a strong/​very heavy pour, but tasty & «Very refreshing too!»)
Photo —
‘And later in the evening, I continued with another Iguana… ‘And later again, once again. I wasn’t sloshed by any means, I was way drunk before I ever got here! (I’m kidding! Did I mention the glaucoma…)
‘Briefly spoke with another bartender, «Bear,» and It seems a lot of the locals were really looking forward to a place like Jimmy’s opening up @ the harbor… Well, if the crowd is any sign of the public’s opinion, it appears Jimmy’s is receiving a very warm welcome from the natives.
The Unilocal*samplings:
Ahi Poke & Avocado Wontons (Avocado, Yuzu Cream, Crispy Wontons)
Photo —
Blue Cheese & Crispy Onion Sliders
Spicy Fried Chicken & Jalapeño Slaw
Jalapeño-​Bedeviled’ Eggs (Deviled Eggs, Jalapeño, *Farm Fresh Hen Eggs)
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Baja Shrimp Cocktail (Avocado, Tomatoes, Red Onions, Lime, Jalapeños)
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Buffalo Style Meatballs (Wing Sauce, Blue Cheese Dressing)
Dessert: Carrot Pistachio Cupcakes w/​White Chocolate Frosting
Surprise Dessert: The «Banana Get-​it» (This thing was huge! It was the size of a baby’s head… ‘A very decadent, carmel covered delicious cranium!)
The food was good, I especially liked the poke & meatballs!
‘Being from Hawai’i, I’m always on the look for good poke and THIS was it!
The Buffalo Style Meatballs were tasty & had a nice bit of heat to them!
Mahalo nui loa Braddah Ryan C. for this small, intimate event. (I say small because the Unilocal*group was between 25 — 30 people… ‘And I say intimate because on a few occasions, the lady to my right brushed up against me, or was it that Filipino waiter? ‘Either way, it was intimate.) That’s been the closest I’ve gotten to first base in a while… ‘Well, at least with an actual, other person.
A big thanks to the awesome work of the JFAT Team, Jennifer Morris (PR/​Marketing), Ella, and the rest of the staff for juggling & spinning plates, lots of delicious plates! Also, I thought it was a nice touch for the Kaneohe Braddah, Tommy F.(Exec. Chef) & Fonzy D.(Sous-Chef), for making the rounds to the various tables & introducing themselves, making the event all that more personal. Kudos. (*tips hat)
‘And the swag…
Photo —
Big Aloha!
DJ

Ryan C. does it again! Thanks to Jimmy’s Famous American Tavern for setting up a lovely tasting for some very lucky elites last night. Jimmy’s is only 20 minutes from me which made for an easy drive south. Parking can be a little cramped in their lot but I found someone leaving just as I pulled up. The restaurant holds quite the amount of people and it was busy and bustling throughout the evening. We had our own little area to ourselves and probably about 30 elites were invited.
We were treated to some really great alcoholic beverages like Lori’s Lemonade and the Iguana. We were also able to choose a few wine and beer selections on DRAFT! More importantly, the food came out as soon as I sat down. We were treated to the S&P potato chips with blue cheese dressing, blue cheese sliders, spicy chicken sliders, fries with their own brand of chipotle ketchup, baffalo style meatballs, jalapeño bedeviled eggs, baja shrimp cocktail, ahi tuna poke, white chocolate frosted carrot cupcakes, and a banana sundae. Needless to say, I was stuffed upon leaving. It was so nice to see Christina P. too. Thanks again to Ryan C. and staff for putting together these wonderful events. Can’t wait to check out the next event. Until then, SYOY!

Just got home and wanted to knock out this review before the fun wore off. Loved meeting my two new Unilocal buddies (Jeni, Nica) and reconnecting with Ryan, and that’s always half the fun.
The other half is the food. Meatballs were juicy and the jalapeño deviled eggs had just the right amount of tang to them. Really liked the ahi tuna and the shrimp cocktails. And, of course, the chipotle ketchup was just the right amount of smoky and sweet.
Well, and the third half is drinks. The iguana margaritas were awesome and the fact that there were magically appearing from stage right was just fine and dandy by me.
By the way, before I left home to come out to the event, I got a little hesitant, seeing the reviews for Jimmy’s but, what the??? How are they so bad? Doheny Beach must be filled with haterade because there’s a lot of haters in Dana Point. Locals should be excited there’s such a cool new spot in town. When I’m down in South County again, I’m definitely stopping by.

This event ended with me not only feeling like I was in a food coma but a diabetic coma as well. Which means it was a great event!
I was excited to find out that a JFAT was opening in Orange County and was über pumped to see this YEE!
Brian D and I were anti-​social and sat in a table towards the back of the room. Luckily for us, Tina C sat at our table and it was a good time chatting with her at her first elite event!
Now on to the food and booze. My drink choice of the night was the Iguana which had tequila, agave syrup, cucumber and mint. It was a refreshing cocktail!
Soon after we were seated, a basket of chips were brought to our table. The house-​made chips were one of my favorite thing of the night. They were thinly sliced, crispy and salty.
Other bites we got to try included: blue cheese and crispy onion sliders, fried chicken sliders, ahi poke and avocado wontons, buffalo style meatballs, and the baja shrimp cocktail. There was also some deviled eggs, but i am not a fan, so I skipped.
Everything was delicious, food was constantly being passed around which meant I stuff my face. For dessert, we had carrot cupcakes with a white chocolate frosting. Then we were surprised with another dessert called the «banana get it». That thing was huge (twss…do people still make that joke?) — seriously, just look at the pictures.
The event ended with JFAT giving us a gift bag that included their chipotle ketchup. I have never been so excited about ketchup in my life, that is how good their ketchup is!
Thank you Ryan C and Unilocal for this great event!

Yayyyyy free shot glass with check in! Drinks were served quickly and you had a choice of a cocktail, beer, or wine… Bottomless! If only we were allowed +1 :(
The food also came quick and we were all literally full within the first 10 minutes!
Parking can be hard to find, but I was lucky 3 spots opened up when I came!
Lucky 30 that were chosen! I am very grateful! Thank you Ryan C. For organizing this fun event!