Elite Event At Soyka

How did I forget to review this?! It has been a few months, but this event definitely sticks out in my mind. It was my last Elite event before a hiatus due to my first semester of law school (probably explains why I forgot to review it soon after the event).
The evening was spectacular! I’ve been a fan of Soyka for years, so it was great to see the Unilocalers come together at a spot that I was really familiar with. I remember lots of love for Maria that night as we wished her well in new endeavors, and I got the chance to meet our new fearless leader, Monica S. As usual, the Unilocal Miami fam were all in attendance and mingling with glasses of wine, tasty bites, and Unilocal swag in hand amounted to one hell of a party.

Awwww, one of the last Elite Events under our former CM Maria. *sniff* It was an excellent way to go out, I tell you that much!
Soyka’s Secret Dining Room was a beautiful location to host a sendoff. I love a dimly lit dining room. It just sets a special mood. For such a special occasion, it was just perfect. Coupled with the musicians playing their beautiful melodies? Wow.
I arrived at the very start and was SO happy that water was coming around on trays! That had to be the first time I’ve ever been to an event and looked at water as the perfect starter item. Well, with all the wine and prosecco available, what could have been more apropos?
Speaking of Prosecco, the winetender was so friendly! She made it a point to check out nametags and call folks by name, which was like, the best touch. After 3 Proseccos, I thought we’d known each other forever.
The. food. never. stopped. at. this. event. Seriously. Everything was so fresh and soooooo good! There were Turkey Meatballs in Marinara Sauce; Pork Belly w/​Chocolate Sauce; Tuna Tartare; Ceviche; Jerk Chicken Wings; Crab Cakes… And the evening ended on a sweet note with Brownies. All so truly scrumptious. Can’t wait to go back and try some of these items on Soyka’s new menu!
It was nice to see Mark Soyka & Co. come out to meet and greet us Unilocalers. It let us know how much they value our opinion and look forward to having us return.
Oh yeah, Unilocal Watches AND Sunglasses!!! Be jealous! And I was SO happy to be in the place to watch Sergio F. be crowned an overwhelmingly deserved Unilocal Elite!!!
It was a night of moments to remember. Thanks Maria A. & Soyka for putting together a hell of a sendoff!

It was another epic Unilocal event. Soyka and Maria collaborated to put on a first rate event. Soyka’s new room reminded me of a wine cellar with the dark corners and grayish walls. It was a very nice touch to have a two man band rocking it with some cool Jazz in the background.
The first thing I noticed was I better hit up that wine bar because that line piled up fast. I started with the Prosecco and after a few of those I graduated myself to the Cabernet. My lovely +1, Angela R., and I were a constant presence in the wine line. Just as my buzz started to kick in, Natasha and I smiled with glee to see the food started to roll out.
Just like what you want as a Nascar driver, we had the inside position on the rest of the crowd. The ceviche was somewhat bland. The crab cakes were tasty and hit home right in my belly, but the «Top Snack» award goes to my friend the pork belly.
Soon thereafter Maria gave out these awesome Unilocal watches and, of course, within minutes I put my watch down to guzzle more wine down. When I returned, it pulled a Houdini act and vanished. Sadness had befallen upon me or it might have been the affects of alcohol, but after buying a shot with Maria I was back in happy spirits and ready to join maria in «Don’t Stop Believin».
When she said sing the Unilocal anthem, I was truly confused. Then the humming began, I was even more confused what song was being hummed by the rest. Finally, the words came out and I was ready to sing my heart out.
Soon thereafter, Angela R found me and was sporting her goofy smile. She asked me to guess what she found. I am baffled and wildly guessed the Unilocal watch. Sure enough, she had found me an extra one and all was good…
till I became a sloppy mess from drinking too much at News Lounge, but that is a story for another time.

Another Elite Event of epic proportions! Soyka totally pulled out all the stops for us with this one. Of course, Maria knocked it out of the park, yet again! And it was all on a Monday night — crazy!
I mean, prosecco flowing freely, crazy delicious bites being passed around by friendly servers, and tons of cool Unilocal schwag — if that’s not 5-​star worthy, I don’t know what is!
It was so great to see so many Unilocalers, both new and old, including many who’d been laying low for quite a while! Sure, the room was a little warm, but hey, it’s summer in the MIA, and we’re being plied with free booze & food, so what’s a little sweat between friends?
The impromptu karaōke session of «Don’t Stop Believin’» was an awesome bonus! Plus, I don’t think my terrible voice busted anyone’s eardrums — yay!

AS GOOD AS THE FIRST TIME. I remember the very first time I visited the News Café on Ocean Drive in 1991. The understated cool, the casual urbanity, the people, the music, the lighting all working together to make you feel at home and maybe just a little impressed with yourself, too, because it’s all so very cool.
News, Van Dyke, Soyka– each one has that special vibe, and the private room at Soyka let’s you share it with an intimate group.
Great wine, tasty food, fun swag, and of course, amazing people made this a perfect evening to kick off Maria A’s epic farewell week. «The future’s so bright, you gotta wear shades.» Unilocal shades, that is!

My favorite event of «Maria’s leaving with a BANG» week Was able to sneak off with my homegirl and have a «thanks for all you have done» shot

Every Monday should be like this! Starting the work week off with such a bang just sets you on a course headed straight toward the weekend with barely any time to notice that you actually have to… well…work.
Soyka’s back room was so cozy and beautiful… Live jazz band playing, free flowing proscecco, tasty bites– particularly the turkey meatballs! I loved it!
It was also the perfect start to Maria’s farewell festivities week… especially with such a heartfelt speech and an a capella Journey sing along!
The staff at Soyka was all smiles, which made the event even better!
Love love loved it!

Great locale!
I really love this place… the inside is dark, rustic, yet sheek… never knew there was outdoor seating… looking something out of cobble stone streets of Europe & the event room was small & cute… seems great for a small event like a shower of some sort. Love it! The food was great especially the meatball & ceviche (except tuna a little fishy & the pork-​belly a little blah). Fun Unilocalers over crowded the room which made it cozy & quaint.

it was great to make a Unilocal comeback after an almost 6 month hiatus from elite events.
soyka is awesome. ive always loved that restaurant. that back room is awesome for private events, but it gets quite hot back there.
loved seeing familiar faces and catching up with some of the old-​timers. it was great to see how much Unilocal has changed, not recognizing more than half the people in attendance is a great thing — it means Unilocal is growing and moving fwd.
the passed food was awesome– meatballs, ceviche, wings, tuna, fiocchi, and wine, beer, and prosecco made for a nice night. (apparently i missed out on some delicious brownies)
got some new shades, but didnt see those watches everyone is talking about. and scored some of my Unilocal favorites — nail file and chap stick.
maria was a gracious host as always and gave a lovely full of emotion speech. bittersweet for sure. welcome (back) to miami monica, it was a pleasure meeting you as well.
thank you to soyka for hosting a memorable night.

Yet another Elite event that was so much fun! Maria is such a queen bee, knowing exactly how to put these incredible events together for all of us. The evening started with valet right beside the building, so easy and one of my previous valet girl’s who I adore, from my old condo.
When we walked into the private room that I had no clue even existed we were warmly greeted by such lovely ladies. Annabelle, who is the PR lady for this restaurant along with many other restaurants is one of the most talented nicest people ever. She does such a great job and makes you feel so welcome. The food was getting passed around and I was able to snag some tuna and ceviche which were both fabulous. The bar set up in the corner with endless amounts of Prosecco and wine was heavenly.
Seeing all the awesome people dressed so beautifully all mingling and damn we are some happy ass people. LOL, there is never ever a dull moment. The room was perfect for our group, the band, the food, the amazing service, the wine, and even the bartender inside who made us some strong shots. Yes, on empty stomach’s, duh not a great idea, cough Paul M. we snagged our wonderful CM Maria and was forcing her to do shots with us. She was such a trooper and wow surprised me the way she finished before any of us. ha ha Great times indeed.
Mark Soyka and Graziano were there which made it even more special. Never realizing there was a man named Mr. Soyka. Graziano has always been such an awesome talented owner of many fine restaurants. I am so thankful he is now part of Soyka. I know and believe anything he touches is successful. I can not wait to go back and sample their new menu as this night was a great start as to how great it will be.
Maria gave such a warm hearted speech that made my body have chills. Nice surprise for my plus one Sergio F. getting his elite badge, was such a nice touch. He was so surprised and happy.
As always such a fun evening at a great restaurant, the best coolest people in the world, so thankful to all who worked so hard to put this on for us. Much gratitude for another fantastic memory.
Maria, we love you, thank you, Graziano, Mr. Soyka and Annabelle, and the entire staff it was fabulous!

I don’t think I can give a fully accurate review since I didn’t go for dinner — all I had were the few appetizers that were passed around at the Unilocal Elite event I attended last night. Little interloper non-​Elite me — I was invitied by my dear friend Karina G. The place is super cute, I think it’s an old train station? IDK, it was super cute. We were situated in the Garden area which was a nice little spot to have a party or hold an event — live music, open bar, good times. The appetizers I tried rocked — the tuna tartare, the ceviche (the best!), the pork belly (one of the bites I had was a little fatty for my taste, but come on, PORK BELLY!), the meatballs and the wontons, all good. I plan to go back and have a full meal to write a better review.

I’ve been to Soyka many times but this was the first time I have been to their Special Events Room outside the Northeast corner of the restaurant. Graziano and Mark Soyka even made an appearance for this Unilocal Elite event. Their Kitchen served up an excellent variety of wines and appetizers. It was my first time sampling their Chicken Wings and Turkey Burger.
The Soyka Special Events Rooms is a great location for this type of event. There is Valet Parking in front, a separate parking lot North of the restaurant and Metered Parking in the street.

mmm, delish! I have to admit I may have been one of those people who attacks the food as it came out — all of it was so yummy! I didn’t know there was a way to make fiocchi better until a nice little plate of FRIED fiocchi (gorganzola and pear) made it’s way into my life. YUMM! And the turkey meatballs were soo good.
The service was spectacular, the sunglasses and watches made my night, and the company of rockstars belting out «don’t stop believin’» wraps up and incredible Elite Event at Soyka.
What a great start to a bittersweet week…

This is one of the many reasons I love Unilocal!I have been dying to come to Soyka but no one ever seemedup for the adventure. I got very excited to see my confirmation because I was able to kill 2 birds with 1 stone: try a new restaurant & hang with my lovely Unilocalers.
Food was fantastic! My favorites had to be the wontons, meatballs, and porkbelly! Hello!
I loved seeing familiar faces and making some long over due introductions, Im talking to you Vanessa S. ;)
So sad to see you leave Maria but I hope you enjoy the rest of the week!

Monday night elite events are the way to go from now on because there is no other way that i would like to start the week off than by seeing all the awesome Unilocalers and noshing down on some yummy food and drinks.
Another legendary event for the books. Thank you Maria yet again for putting this event together. The wine was flowing from the moment we walked in and so was the food. :D
I haven’t been to Soyka in a while and i had no idea they had a private room for these kind of events. Kudos to Soyka for letting us party on a Monday night. The tuna and ceviche look amazing but i stuck to the red wine. eheheheheheheheheh. It was cool seeing everyone out last night and i cannot wait to see the pics. Mine will be up soon also so get ready to start tagging. The party continued to The News Lounge as we took over the bar and i think we overwhelmed the bartender because she got a little snooty with some of us, but we didn’t care because we were to busy enjoying ourselves. It goes without saying that it was great seeing everyone and seeing some new faces that we only see online. This week is going to be legendary as there are a couple more events on the calendar.
See you at the Fountain Bleau!

My very first Unilocal Elite event and I have to say I couldn’t feel more lucky to have been invited as a +1. It was great to see some familiar faces and wonderful to meet some new friends. The function room at Soyka is just lovely and would make for the perfect spot for a cozy get together or for a more festive party. It’s got kind of a cozy intimate feel while being the oxymoron of casual/​upscale. All the staff were incredibly helpful, attentive and kind.
As for the food and drink… Lots of prosecco (along with red and white wines and beer) and some truly delicious snacks too. From chewy pork belly with a sweet drizzle to fried fiocchi gorgonzola (so YUMMY), everything was delicious! The tuna tartare and ceviche were fresh and the meatballs made the perfect savory bite. Just when you thought you couldn’t eat any more, waiters came out bearing trays of moist chocolate brownie squares. You could tell they were made from scratch and nothing like the dry, bland rubbish you find at some other restaurants. I have to confess I’d been to Soyka before for lunch and had left a bit underwhelmed, but now I can’t wait to come back and try some other items as clearly my first experience was not indicative of their amazing-​ness!
The giveaways were lots of fun too, with buttons, chapstick, nail files, watches and sunglasses making for plenty of fun photo props. Loved the impromptu (or maybe it was pre-​planned) karaōke and the heartfelt speech from Maria. While that was my first night meeting her, you can tell she genuinely put a lot of love and preparation into making this event a reality and into her job as Miami’s CM. Also thought it was really heartwarming that it all feels like on big Unilocal family and even after the event ended everyone went out together next door at News Lounge (where the drink specials are good but the bartender did NOT seem to appreciate the large crowd).
All in all the perfect Monday night with some truly incredible people at a wonderful venue!

Glad to have been a part of the first leg of Maria’s farewell tour. I can honestly say it is the most fun I have had on a MONDAY night for as long as I can remember.
There was Unilocal flair galore, and somehow I ended up with a Unilocal elite watch on my hand and sunglasses on my head.
The back room at Soyka is a great place to have a private dinner or party. The items from the new menu are great with the cerviche and tuna tartare being my favorites. Really excited about changing it up at Soyka. Very thankful for the free booze as well.
Awesome seeing all the elites we haven’t seen in a while and meeting some new ones. Best moments of the night were Maria’s speech and Sergio getting tapped elite. I think that Mark Soyka wanted to bang my wife, but I guess I can’t blame him.
Wifey and I had to check out early as a couple of rounds of shots on an empty stomach are a bad idea. What A$@hole had that idea? Oh yeah, it was me…
See everyone at the Fountainbleu (with a full stomach) for more farewell madness!

(to the tune of Last Friday Night by Katy Perry)
There’s a secret garden room,
that I got invited to,
sunglasses were everywhere,
and Unilocal buttons galore
the wine it flowed,
the food was fierce
Everybody looked so good,
and it wasn’t just the booze
Im glad I wore comfy shoes.
Pictures of us might,
End up online,
it’s cool,
Oh well
It’s a wine induced blur
But I’m pretty sure it ruled
Damn
Last Monday night
Yeah we had tuna tartare
And we took too many shots
had ceviche, sang some rock
Last Monday night,
Maria got up and we cheered,
and when she spoke there were some tears,
and we love her, she’s so dear,
Last Monday night,
it was hot but we kept cool,
went next door, like drunken fools,
and then we started dancing too
Last Monday Night,
was the beginning, not the end,
oh I’d like to start a trend,
let’s do it again this weekend
This Monday Night,
do it allllll again!

So I get a text from the Wine Goddess saying that I was going as her +1 to last nights Elite Event. Why would I say no? I get to socialize with some of my favorite people, I get to savor some yummy grub and get to know or reacquaint with a cool place. The clouds of routine stayed behind as I drive east to pick her up. First nice surprise: we were fashionably coordinated!
I got to see many of the Unilocal family, have fun conversations such as the one with Paul M about the birthdays of us water signs, meet both new Unilocalers and veterans like Jordan N who was among my first friends on Unilocal.I even got to meet our new CM Monica.
The food: the chewy, warm chocolate brownies pass the Dessert Snob test. that is all! Well not quite as I’m also loving the pork bellies with chocolate sauce. Turkey meatballs were delicious in the spicy marinara sauce, as were the fried pear fiocci. mangia mangia delicioso. The Soyka /​Graziano staff was friendly, attentive and I liked their recommendation of the prosecco.
It was toward the end of the evening where I found out the urgency of the invitation. When our lovely CM Maria talked to our group, and introducing us to Monica, I found out I was awarded a Unilocal lunchbox and what it entails;) It was a great honor being called out like that and I sincerely thank Maria for her friendship and the wonderful years as our CM!
After all the salutations and our Unilocal karaōke anthem, a lot of us headed next door to News Lounge refusing to let an Epic Monday end.