East Meets West Elite Event

nice

My first elite event and I was very surprised by how much fun it was. I’ll definitely have to do it again.
The fusion scene has blown up in recent years and this place served as another restaurant falling into that niche. I’m a big fan of fusion so this was right up my alley.
Some of my favorite things here: the Kobe Beef Roll, Lobster Ravioli (to be fair, anything lobster is good in my book but this was on another level of good), and the Shrimp Ceviche. I couldn’t believe the amount of food flowing in this place, I hope the left overs weren’t wasted! The drinks were top notch too. I personally enjoyed the Watermelon Mojito.
Props to Chaya/​Katie/​Brittany.

Thank You Brittany for the last minute add for this event.
Chaya Brasserie staff were very efficient with their service and the light bites were just endless. The cocktails were very tasty and refreshing. The Bahama Mama was my favorite and the nonalcoholic Pineapple Basil Lemonade.
It was nice meeting new Unilocalers and catching up with some I haven’t seen in awhile.
Thank you Brittany and Katie for an awesome event.

Great company + amazing food + drinks + DJ = AWESOME time!
I can’t believe I was feeling weary about going to an Unilocal event on a Monday night! This event was totally worth the drive: P.
Connie C and I started our night carpooling to the event together. After locating the restaurant we parked in valet for $ 5 which was really decent for the Beverly Hills area. Once we made our way into the restaurant we headed to the bar with our drink tickets. Since I don’t drink I ordered the only virgin drink (Pineapple Basil Lemonade) which was actually really refreshing. After meeting up with Eunice J. we found ourselves a seat and proceeded to the buffet style food area. We helped ourselves to four different types of sushi and a vegetable salad at one of the buffet lines and King Salmon Yukon Potato Cakes, Coffee Glazed Pork Ribs, Wood Grilled Dijon Chicken, Moroccan Lamb sliders and Lobster Ravioli at the second line.
I am usually very skeptical of Asian Fusion type food because I automatically think Americanized Asian food, and that usually doesn’t score high ratings from me, but this was so NOT the case with Chaya Brasserie. Everything was delicious and flavorful! My favorite was the Lobster Ravioli which I kept going back for. It was creamy and so flavorful! The ambiance of the restaurant is also very impressive. I especially loved the bamboo that reached all the up to the high glass ceiling!
Chaya Brasserie has definitely made my list of date spots in LA! :D

When the East and West of the best (LA) get together, you KNOW an unforgettably poppin’ night is about to go down!
Chaya Brasserie graciously opened their doors for the elites and showered us with amazing food while a DJ was spinning music the whole night. The kitchen kept sending out trays of hor d’ouevres (loved the shrimp ceviche and the watermelon mojitos!). On top of that, there were 2 buffet lines (one for sushi and one for hot food). I missed the sushi line because Andre N. tricked me into switching lines (jk!), but I loved the food I tried — salmon and yukon potato cake, coffee glazed pork spare ribs, wood grilled dijon chicken, lamb sliders, and lobster ravioli. My favorites were the lobster ravioli and the spare ribs! So flavorful and delicious! All of this was followed by a round of dessert. Yummay!
There were also some awesome drinks — loved the Bahama Mama! The pineapple basil lemonade was refreshing, but the Spicy Prickly Pear Margarita was a little too hot to handle for some of us, literally. It tasted like jalepenos so it had a kick, but it’s not a taste I prefer in my drink.
Saw many familiar faces and made some new friends (Cindy L., Steph C., Ed A., Anthony N.).
Definitely a night to remember! Great company, food, drinks, music, staff, venue, and CMs! Thank you Chaya Brasserie, Katie B., and Brittany B!

Monday was the perfect day for this wonderful Unilocal elite event! All cool Unilocalers gathered at Chaya Brasserie for a couple of drinks and delicious food.
I really like the atmosphere of this restaurant. The lighting is dimmed and there is a bar area right when you walk in the restaurant, which is convenient for everyone to get drinks. ^^ This restaurant also has an outdoor seating area, which is perfect for date nights.
This event began at 9pm. A lot of people waited in line to sign in in front of the restaurant where we received 2 tickets for mixed drinks and where we filled out our name tags.
As soon as I stepped in the restaurant, I headed to the bar area and ordered a Sweet Lychee mixed drink which has lychee juice, vodka, and fresh citrus. The drinks were pretty strong. After the drink I walked around the restaurant with my friends and saw the long line for the food. There were 2 buffet lines. On 1 side they served sushi and salad and another side they served some hot food. There was croquettes, pork ribs, sliders, chicken breast, and lobster ravioli. Besides the 2 buffet lines, there are people walking around serving hors d’oeuvres. So there was never a shortage on food!
My favorite was the lobster ravioli. The sauce was very creamy and and tasty. After grabbing a few bites of the delicious food, I went to the bar to order another drink. I tried the Spicy Prickly Pear Margarita. I thought it was a good twist from the traditional margaritas.
I had a really fun night! I look forward to future events!

$ 5.50 Valet Service? Win! This is in Beverly Hills… so Thank you for this. I am SO glad to NOT have to look for parking.
Tons of food? Check!
Unilocal Swag? Check!
Drinks? Check!
Unilocalers? Check!
Great music: Check!
Ahhhh… the makings of a East/​West event. I love it. Both B’s (Katie B and Brttany B) working together on a Unilocal event for both teams to meet up! I love meeting new people and man I met a LOT. :D
Let’s start with:
FOOD:
I did not have the sushi because I had sushi before this event. Yes… I ate a big meal BEFORE this event — and it was sushi, So I was pretty full but for me, I HAVE to review something — so I ate some food… haha
* King Salmon and Yukon Potato Cake — it was good with the sauce, but a too creamy for my taste.
* Coffee Glazed Pork Spare Rib with Chipotle Sauce — YUMMY. This was my favorite. It came off the bone. SOOO GOOD. Rich flavor.
* Wood Grilled Dijon Chicken — I am not a chicken person
* Moroccan Lamb Sliders — I don’t eat red meat.
* Lobster Ravioli with Basil Pesto — WIN. This was sooo flavorful! Win!
* watermelon mojito cubes — yes. thank you. always a good choice.
DRINKS
* Lychee Martini — wasn’t strong — which I liked because it actually tasted like Lychee! I hate places that you can’t even taste the lychee but here — you can totally taste the lychee! I loved it! It’s refreshing and light! :D
* Bahama Mama — another favorite — I love fruity stuff but this was not too sweet at all and the alcohol was not overpowering! RUM! Yes! It had a citrus taste and I loved it.
SERVICE:
The servers at Chaya were SO friendly! The waitresses were GORGEOUS. I swear they are models. There was one that was mixed and she was stunning! She was also really friendly! They were quick to collect the plates and make sure everyone tried everything! I love it! They were just SO attentive. I love that!
AMBIANCE:
I loved the outside patio area! Damn! It was nice and cool. I loved the décor. It was high class and just classy! It;s Beverly Hills! I don’t expect less: D
MUSIC:
It was low but I loved low… because then I could actually have a conversation with people! It was such a chilled event. I loved it.
MINGLING:
Loved the mingling. So many people I read their reviews but never met them! Met some LA West and even some Easts I haven’t met! :D
SWAG:
Always good. My fiancé sat on my watch and it didn’t work. (tear). So I got a new watch to wear… and it’s staying away from his butt. :D
Pins! — Got some pins for my wedding WOOT!
SHOUTOUTS:
Bridget P, JR C, Andre N, Jen H, James S, Chuck S, Phillip N, Troy H, Anthony N, Michael S, Tiffany D, Jackson Y, Ellerton W, Ron N, Sharr K, Lisette C, Harmonie T, Clara K, Michael C, Adolfo N, Matt P, Nicole A, Monique K, Andrea V, Erin L, Rich G, Siqi, Neil G, James S, and everyone I met! So many people!
Thanks to Katie B and Brittany B for this awesome event! I loved the event and just mingling with our people haha
Thank you Chaya Brasserie for inviting us into your home and letting us try everything. My girlfriends and I are already out next outing here. :D
GO LA Unilocalers!

The dynamic duo of Katie and Brittany combined with Chaya Brassiere’s efficient staff and endless tasty food made for a lovely night! We started the night with two drink tickets to try the tasty cocktails of the night:
. The Bahama Mama was tropical and quite refreshing, and the non-​alcoholic Pineapple Basil Lemonade included some of my favorite ingredients and seemed to be quite popular with the crowd!
Speaking of crowds, this event had a decent number of people for a relatively small restaurant, but it never felt over crowded. The servers did a great job of bringing appetizers around throughout the night and the lines for the food were a little long at first, but stayed pretty short for most of the night. I didn’t count on vegetarian options, but was pleasantly surprised to discover an assortment of veggies being offered at the sushi table
as well as pita and hummus and mojito watermelon squares being passed. For the meat eaters, this event was full of bites to make a meal and I heard many people say they were stuffed
. Chaya Brassiere was very generous with the food options, offering lobster ravioli, sliders, sushi, and a whole lot more. There were even chocolate cookies for dessert
!
It was nice to catch up Unilocalers we haven’t seen for a while and to meet a lot of new people too. The combo of East and West may have made for some joking competition, but really meant everyone had the chance to get to know someone new. Thank you to Katie, Brittany and Chaya Brassiere; it was a great event!

Woohoo! First official Unilocal elite event! This was a lot of fun! I came with Idy T. and met up with Caye B. and Allison Y. We also mingled and met more elite Unilocalers!
I tried their bourbon smash and margarita cocktails. They were both yummy and strong! As for the food, I really liked their ravioli and sushi! There were two places where people could line up for food. They also served croquettes, ribs, chicken, salad, burger, but I thought their ravioli was the best! They also had appetizers circling around the restaurant the whole night.
There was a live DJ and the service was awesome! I can’t wait to go to another Unilocal elite event so I can meet more elites!

One of the best perks of being part of the Unilocal community… is having the privilege to attend not just any event, but a Unilocal Elite Event.
The entire experience from the moment I pulled up to the valet, to sipping on Bahama Mama and sharing loads of laughter with Elite buddies… was an event to remember.
There are no +1’s for this event but I was not apprehensive about being there alone. The moment I stepped inside, my buddies were yelling my name from left and right. The hardest part was deciding which table to sit at because they’re everywhere!
Amongst everything that I ate and drank… the highlights for me were:
— watermelon mojito
— bahama mama (coconut rum, pineapple orange juice & fresh citrus)
— shrimp ceviche (on skewers)
— fresh vegetable crudités
— lobster ravioli
There was never any shortage of food. The staff at Chaya worked their butts off to make sure to keep rotating new batches of food the second they run out. Then there were waiters on h’orderve trays working the floor. Everyone got to taste EVERYTHING! I purposely did not eat lunch because I knew I’d be pigging out… and God bless me, I sure did!
This is not just any event… it was a family event. Seriously… how often can I go to an event where I did not know anyone and pig out as much as I want and take pics of the food as often as I want (without anyone thinking that I was strange)!!! All serious Unilocalers understand the importance of good food pictures. I was so comfortable being there and to be my goofy self.
I loved making new Unilocal buddies and connecting with great people like Michael S., Harmonie T. and Christine T. And finally a big KUDOS to Brittany B. & Katie B. for another memorable event!

One of the tastiest events Unilocal has put on and that’s saying a lot! Food and drink-​wise, it was delicious.
I sucked that lychee cocktail in about 3 minutes and was tipsy for 20 minutes drinking so fast. And the food was flowing from all corners of the room. I had to waive «no more» a few times.
That albacore tostada was heavenly (my favorite) followed by the shrimp ceviche and then all four sushi options. No soy sauce! I totally didn’t want to ruin the already lovely tastes of the sushi.
I’m such a fan of Chaya Brasserie now for it’s food/​drink and service. The meats and seafood was good-​quality! Usually I save seafood for Asian places but I’m converted to going here.
All this food and mingling made one great night! Thanks Katie B and Brittany B!

MAD PROPS TO KATIE B, BRITTANY B & THE CHAYA STAFF! SUCH AN AMAZING EVENT!!! Sorry for the caps, but I felt it was the best way to portray how impressed I was with this event.
The food was plentiful and so damn delicious! I consider myself a selective eater, but everything I tried (despite the influx of onions & veggies) was an orgasm in my mouth. The orgy of flavors (especially the blue cheese/​icecream/​tomatoes mix) produced reactions I had yet to experience. Thank you for that Chaya! My faves: the ceviche, the albacore tostadas in a yummy avocado sauce, the lobster ravioli with basil pesto, the coffee glazed pork spare rib with chipotle sauce, and the dragon rolls. The dranks were good too. Got my hand on a… on a… yup, I can’t remember their names. One of ‘em was rum & pineapple juice (simple, yet nice) and the other was a spicy prickly pear margarita thingy (this one had a kick!).
Super impressed with Chaya! Will most definitely be coming back!
Street parking after 8ish is plentiful and free!

Delightful night to let the ‘Jets’ and ‘Sharks’ smooth things over with delicious and plentiful nibbles and creatively tasty drinks. The food and drink and peeps were awesome, and nobody had any rumble outside (that I know of).
I ran into Sara B of Chaya and thanked her, too, because I often forget about Chaya. Shame on me. And I look forward to checking out the other locations sometimes soon, too.
The Lychee Vodka drink was my favorite — in fact I liked it so much I didn’t try the others :)
Loved the ‘Lamburger’ slider, the chipoltle spare ribs, the lobster ravioli in pesto mmm mm mm mm mm mm !! I’m sure to be slighting something tasty — but it was all good. OH, I LOVED the Bleu Cheese Ice Cream with tomato. Sweet yet savory and very satisfying. Also, the simpler but still way-​lovely Watermelon CubeShots.
The food at Chaya really has been consistently awesome and I’m glad to be reacquainted. And it was great to see some familiar Unilocalers but meet some new Unilocalers, too. I think I took more photos of other people with their cameras than I recall. Whatevs. It was fun. Thanks Katie B, Brittany B., and of course, Chaya !

This was an awesome way to mix the two communities together and I really hope there are more to come!
I was able to hang out with a fellow Elitest Rachel A. and catch up over spicy cocktails and ceviche on a stick. The food was excellent, really enjoyed the lamb slider, lobster ravioli and the kobe beef sushi roll! I also had the lemonade, which was really tart at first but the mint came through, and it was delicious. I loved the swag on the tables — found some new things to add to the collection! Chaya is super tasty, and I’ve been to the one in DTLA at Happy Hour — so this was fun to go to another!
Katie & Brittany — thank you so much!

Its been awhile since I was able to stuff myself with food at an event!
Oh my goodness, thank you Chaya Brasserie for your generosity! There was so much food! Can’t say I loved them all, but most of the food was pretty good. Ones that was very good were the sushi rolls, albacore tostadas (musta had like 10 of these cuz they just kept on comin’!), the lamb slider. The blue cheese ice cream was interesting, but definitely not something I’d want to ask for seconds.
My bartender was awesome! Flashed my Abe Lincoln at my boy, and he was VERY generous with the vodka in my martini. So tip your bartenders well! Most of the cocktails were yummy, except the spicy one. I would drink it, but if I had a choice, I would rather not.
Big thanks to the Unilocal staff Katie, Brittany, and Nicole for making it possible. Very enjoyable event! I hope we have more of these! ;)
Special shout out to my boy Ellerton W. for being a BOSS. Mad props to brotha for being super down to score extra drinks! HAHAHA

This was my first Unilocal elite event and I must say, I think I’ve found where all the cool cats are hanging out nowadays! Katie B & Brittany B, this was a smash of an event and was really well organized. Also, thanks to Chaya for providing the food and drinks.
I couldn’t believe the amount of food flowing around … to my stomach that is. The lobster ravioli, tuna tartare, kobe beef roll and watermelon mojito cube were my favorites. Add that together with a bourbon smash and a spicy pear margarita and you have one dam good night =). I also got to meet lots of friendly faces here which made me feel a bit less of an introvert heh.
Awesome event!

This event was well-​organized, not overly-​crowded and even started early! The wait time for drinks and food was minimal. Plus there was plenty of food to sample between the passed trays and buffet lines and the Chaya Brasserie staff were both friendly and efficient at clearing away dirty plates and empty glasses.
I loved, loved the WATERMELON bites with salt and basil… or was that mint? Refreshing!
I redeemed my drink tickets for a BOURBON SMASH (whisky, passion fruit, orange juice, fresh citrus and pomegranate) which was still good despite being very light on the alcohol and heavy on the fruit and the non-​alcoholic PINEAPPLE BASIL LEMONADE (fresh pineapple basil juice, fresh lemon lime juice and agave) which was just awesome! Thank you John H for giving me an extra ticket so I could order another!
It was fun to see and chat with Anna W, John H, Harmonie T, Andrea V, Erin V, Jen H and others. Thank you Katie B, Brittany B and the rest of the Unilocal crew — plus Chaya Brasserie — for bringing both Elite Squads officially together for this event!

Who knew that a simple cube of watermelon could be so wonderful!
Ahhh, these weren’t your average cubes of watermelon. No, these were perfectly identical in size and shape. Once the refreshing fruit hit your tastebuds, you realize these have been lightly sprinkled with a sort of «basil salt.» Ohhhhhmyyyyygawddddd! Watermelon by itself is already amazing but this Watermelon Mojito as they liked to call it was magical!
I pretty much snacked on the Watermelon Mojito cubes and pita chips w/​hummus for the evening. I attended this event with a very specific mission. Well, two specific missions: the Sweet Lychee drink and the Spicy Prickly Pear Margarita. The latter had a nice kick to it (
) but I favored the Sweet Lychee with its lychee juice, citrus juice and vodka. I’m a sucker for martini glasses: D
Chaya Brasserie rocked it with the drinks and abundant light bites for sure. Chill atmosphere, good music, great company. I haven’t been in the Unilocal loop as much as I used to and I was a little nervous coming into this event without a +1. But I was happy to see a lot of familiar faces, share lots of hugs, and catch up. It was also nice to meet new people too.
LA East and LA West under one roof, awesome collaboration from the lovely CM’s Katie and Brittany for an excellent Monday night event! :)
**UPDATE 7/​26/​12**
I just found out that those watermelon cubes were booze infused. That explains SO MUCH… lol ;D

I am not sure that 5 stars does this event justice. First off having an event from 9 to 11 during the week was a welcomed change and at Chaya, no less! I have been a fan of Chaya THE place that pioneered the whole asian fusion movement in LA for a very long time.
It goes without saying that both Katie and Brittany the East and West LA Unilocal managers are to be commended for teaming up with such a great venue. They were doing a great job with their hosting duties as usual.
Me thinks Chaya’s marketing coordinator, Sara B,. really understands Unilocal and what throwing a true foodie focused event was all about. She made sure everyone was having a great time and was bouncing from table to table like a real pro.
At many YEE’s food is scarce, lines are long, seating is limited and forget about the
cocktail service. The endless stream of quality Chaya bites was impressive. Chaya was armed ready with a full staff and the service level was what you would expect from such a high end establishment.
So how were the Chaya bites? Simply amazing with something for everyone.
Lobster raviolis in pesto, salmon potato cakes, short ribs, sliders and chicken Dijon were served at one station and the line was perfectly staffed.
They even had wait staff bring peeps in line, shrimp chevice skewers, nice touch!
Two types of sushi roles one wrapped in albacore, yum!
The chocolate, chocolate chip raisin cookies with fresh whipped cream took the place of the sushi station as the night wound down. I almost forgot to mention the two drink tickets providing for a choice of several libations. The lychee martini was my pick, not too sweet with a nice kick. Plus, plus, plus… in house DJ.
The best part about these events aside from the great food at a great location is meeting fellow Unilocaler’s in the flesh. Anthony N, Michael and Olivia S, Lizz K. nice hanging out. Super event, can’s wait for the next one!!!

The East Meets the Best (yep, Best) party at Chaya Brasserie was another extraordinary Elite Event hosted by L.A.‘s own version of Laverne & Shirley. Like that classic TV duo, Brittany & Katie work and play together to do whatever it takes to make an event succeed while having an absolute ball in the process.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see them skipping down the street, arm in arm, belting out «5, 6, 7, 8 Schlemiel! Schlimazel! Unilocalinfeffer Incorporated,» while preparing Chaya Brasserie for «Making Our Dreams Come True.»
Valet parking was a breeze for drop off. Within minutes, I was redeeming 1 of 2 drink tickets for a Bourbon Smash with Jim Beam Bourbon Whiskey, Passion Fruit, Orange Juice, Fresh Citrus, and Pomegranate. The Sweet Lychee was too sweet, so, this was the drink of the night for me. Sadly, this event was limited to two drink tickets, so, forking over $ 15 for a 3^rd round was a bummer. Elite Events should be open bar. Just sayin…
The most impressive part of the night was the never ending flow of food. Huge props to Chaya Brasserie for rolling out an endless buffet of Asian Fusion creations. I never caught half the names of the dishes, but the creative takes on sushi, meats, sliders, and more was interesting.
At the end, no one wanted to stop talking or leave. Maybe it was a good thing there was a drink limit for this event, otherwise, we might of stayed till morn. Also a good thing we weren’t in a hurry to leave either because the valet line to pick-​up gave one last chance to chat with Lenny, Squiggy, and Carmine.
Give us any chance, we’ll take it.
Give us any rule, we’ll break it.
We’re gonna make our dreams come true.
Doin’ it our way.“
Thanks to Katie & Brittany for Unilocalin’ it the elite way!