Elite Event At East India Co: Yelpdog Millionaire!

I love the East India Co — this event made me realize why I should go there more often.
The chili fish dish was to die for. I could have poured the serving dish into my purse and left quietly but I restrained myself. Probably because I only had one small drink.

What a fantastic introduction to Indian food. As a virgin to Indian cuisine, this could not have been a better way to learn about the variety and deliciousness found here at the East India Co. I will no longer be hesitant about this style of food. Thanks Don for a wonderful experience.
From bartender to wait staff this was A+++++. The New Deal Gin intoxicating and of course A to Z wine is always top shelf.
Thanks to all the elites and Don for a great experience.

For one million Rupeeeees. I couldn’t tell you who the last Musketeer was. Unless, it was Don B.
Another perfect Unilocal Elite Event. The crew at East India really put their best foot forward. The service was friendly and quick. The bartender, man did he do some work. He was a one man wrecking crew, mixing up drink after drink. That drink of the night.err.day… was the No.3 Chill. It was a cocktail of Gin muddled with cucumber and jalapenos. I had mine made with extra peppers for that spicier kick. He was dedicated. He would let the other servers help and muddle the veggies, but he took pride in mixing them himself.
The owner did a great job of planning it. The best touch was when the food line opened. Most owners would be content for the «cattle» to line up and make their plate. The owner was not settling for this sigh of relief. He planned ahead and had servers come around to the line with little bites of some chicken. It was the spiciest dish of the night. So for me, it was the best dish of the night. The owner had the foresight and hospitality to have servers walk the floor with some apps, so his audience was always connected to his food, instead of the wait for the food. The entrees were milder as to appease a wider array of people. If I am eating Indian, I want spice, I want to sweat.
I hope to come back here for the great service and try some of their spicier dishes.
You know what was different? We didn’t run out of booze this time! No +1’s to drink us out of house and home!

Don, I really liked that there were no +1’s at this event. People made an effort to meet others and I met many people that I had seen or communicated with on the talk thread but not spoken to in person. We had an especially «spicy» conversation going at our table that digressed into talk of Lisa S. wearing a halo made of dildos with a candle in the middle. Don’t ask. ;-)
As one of the Anna’s mentioned, it was fun to see the Anna Swarma. 4 Anna’s and Tamara squared!
Oh, and lest I forget, the food and drinks were fabulous! I think I got drunk on just the cucumber slices alone!
Thanks Don and the staff and owner of East India Co. for throwing us a great party. I didn’t even know this place existed so now it is on my radar.

Wow, I could definitely get used to living the high life at these Elite Events! Thanks to Don B for another spectacular party. Seriously this guy can throw a party like Tamara C can put together an outfit, freakishly talented these people are!
From the moment I entered and was greeted warmly by the dynamic duo of Don and Hilary B and snagged some sweet new playing cards, it was non-​stop socializing with some wonderful Elites, all the while enjoying some delicious Indian food. I’m a huge Indian food fan and for my fourth Indian food meal that week, this one was truly tops. This place knows their Naan! If anyone says they were able to turn down that rosemary Naan or chicken skewers each time they circulated the room they were lying! Loved the buffet, all of it was devoured off my plate, the chicken Kerala and apricot rice are two dishes I won’t soon forget.
Thanks to the staff at East India Co, a more gracious group of people couldn’t be found and the facility is beautiful. Also thanks to Ninkasi, A to Z and New Deal. I can’t wait to try New Deal Gin No 3 on its own as a martini!
So glad I got another chance to find another great place to eat and meet more of the Elites, a group of people even cooler in person than they are online if that’s possible. And boy howdy do they know how to party! Thanks again Unilocal and Don!

Damn, meant to give the event 5 stars but just found out I gave it 4. Guess I should pay more attention or stop drinking as much ;)
Here’s the rest of my previous (flawed) review:
Yum yum yum! I love me some Indian food!
This was my first elite-​only event (only previous event was the Bossanova Bash) and since there were no +1s allowed I knew everyone I was meeting was one of us. It was great to put real people behind the real reviews and have an actual 2-​way conversation with people I’ve «talked» to online, not to mention meeting others I’ve never encountered on Unilocal before. Everyone was great!
On to the food! I showed up with a raging hangover (oops!) and wasn’t sure how well I’d do with the eating part. My first stop was at the bar for a delicious glass of white wine, then I was ready to rock.
I probably should have done a better job of remembering the names of what I was eating, but it was all good. The little triangle snacks (samosas maybe?) were my favorite appetizer food, crunchy and bite size with great flavor. The veggie pakora was good though not as crunchy as I like it to be, that might have been the fact that it was on a buffet though. My favorite dish, hands down, was the chili fish. Nom nom nom!!! Could have eaten that all day. The rosemary naan was very tasty and very fresh, and the rosemary was used well and didn’t overpower the naan itself.
The staff were very personable, the atmosphere was upscale without feeling too fancy or snobby. I don’t want to have to feel like I should be in a ballgown when I go to dinner (not always anyway) and this hit that perfect middle ground. I wouldn’t say it’s my favorite Indian food in town, but it was quite delicious!
Of course the best part of the event was getting to mingle with all the other Unilocalers, can’t beat that. Don, you did it again. You are a pro at making the event fun while seeming effortless. Thanks for having me! I look forward to many more :)

Slumdog Millionaire, Monsoon Wedding, Indy Jones and Temple of Doom, Bend it Like Bekham — just some of my favorite movies featuring a great assembly of East Indian folk. I have been to East India Co. in the past for happy hour and I was amazed by the quality of food, atmosphere, and service. Those 3 ingredients certainly showed at this event to the max.
The chill cucumber cocktail concoction was spicy and refreshing. The Riesling complimented the expansive buffet that I drooled over when I was in line in anticipation. The apricot rice is probably some of the best Indian side dishes I’ve had in a long time. The chicken tikki samples had a nice little spice after each bite. The Naan, wow! Flaky, moist, flavorful, I was insisted by the friendly server I had to take 2 slices each time she came by. The dishes were well balanced and for someone who doesn’t like food too spicy, this is definitely the place to get people into Indian food.
Having the place to the Elites was nice to get to know and make new friends along with catching up with old school as well. Don has been on a roll this year with one excellent event after another. The servers were extremely friendly and the table service was an added bonus too. I’ll definitely be back again to this wonderful restaurant. Thanks again Don and keep up the great work!

I have heard that East India Co. has a lively happy hour, but had not yet visited. I haven’t visited India (yet); so I always asked my Indian friends how to determine the quality of an Indian restaurant. «If it tastes like my mother’s cooking», was their answer. Since I can’t use that method, let me just say it was good for me. As always, hope it’s good for you!
The staff was gracious, and the food above other restaurants in its preparation. The rice was flavored with a richer combination of dried fruits than I’ve encountered. The savory poached fish dish was sublime. Seriously. I’m looking forward to exploring the regular menu some time.
Thanks to the drink crew too, excellent choices for a Summer day. Great thanks to Don, Hillary and the Unilocal staff for a colorful and elegant theme. Always a pleasure to meet Portland’s interesting Unilocalers in such a stellar situation.

Another exceptional 5-​star elite event hosted by the best CM ever.
This restaurant space is lovely, and the staff superb. The bartender was totally in his element. I warned him that a solo act behind the bar at a Unilocal event can bury a guy neck deep and then some, but he was no joke behind the bar and kept up with our free-​booze swillin’ selves just fine.
The buffet was an unexpected surprise. I know Don keeps telling us not to come hungry, but after the past two events, we’re going to stop believing him! The food was delicious, and all that elite company was AbFab. I loved that there was so much room to easily move around, and it made mingling so much easier.
It’s summer time in Portland, which makes every weekend hour positively precious. So glad I was able to spend part of a beautiful afternoon with some of my favorite yeeps, and it was great to meet new ones as well at this event!

Another awesome event!
The food was awesome and more importantly it was great to meet some of the new Unilocalers! It was a great way to indoctrinate me into the Unilocal elitedom.

soooo appreciative of this event. It was my first time at East India Co. — how could I not know about this fabulous gem of a restaurant?! The food was astounding, the atmosphere perfect, waitstaff wonderful, Don’s planning was off the charts, natch… I’m bringing a group back next week and can’t wait to write a bona fide review

An elite event without the +1s? I wasn’t too sure about it at first, but I ended up having an absolute blast! I got to meet a lot of new great people and make a lot of new friends. The employees and bartenders there were so friendly and the buffet and drinks were fantastic, especially the fresh hot naans that the waiters would bring by our table. Thanks for another great event Don!

I had an awesome time at the Elite event. It was only my second so far and I know very few people so I was a little hesitant to go without a handy plus one, but it ended up being a ton of fun and I met some really cool Unilocalers.
The EIC itself was super adorable. I was digging the light fixtures a ton and the space was welcoming and intimate. The spread they had laid out for us was great. The fresh na’an and assortment of kabobs and other nibbles were awesome. I was kind of in love with the little veggie triangle things wrapped in phyllo.
I sampled someone’s New Deal #3 drink, and while it wasn’t my fav, I can appreciate how the flavors complimented the food. I stuck with the A-​Z Riesling which was very good. Almost too good, as the glasses were poured heavy and I caught myself leaving EIC a bit tipsy and happily congratulating myself for being that way at 2 in the afternoon.
Well done East India Co. and well done Unilocal and Don B. I’m looking foreward to more events.
Also, if I could add a sixth star for the sole fact that I got to wear a bindi jewel on my forehead all day and have a reason to get a cute little henna tattoo then I would because that was super fun.

If it was possible to do so, I would give this event and East India Co 10 stars!
Yum, yum, yum, yum, yum! Loved the smaller size of this event and the fact that it was all Elites, never thought I’d be an Elitist, but I am and damn, I’m going to own it!
I’ve been meaning to try this place, and on more than one occasion, I’ve missed the opportunity to dine with friends due to other commitments.
Now I’m going to have to do some inviting because I want to go back, and I mean soon!
Review of the food:
Veggie Samosas — good filling in a filo like wonton style wrap (not my favorite, but good)
Veggie Pakoras — first rate, really, can’t think of anything to make it better
Vegetable Korma — Luscious
Apricot Pulao — Amazing
Malabar Chili Fish — never thought of fish as something I’d eat at an Indian Place but this is worth going back for on it’s own, amazing flavor, cooked to perfection.
Chicken Kerala — wonderful, amazing, order it.
Tandoori Chicken — I could eat just this and be a very happy girl. A bit spicier than I’ve ever had it, but that made it even better.
Naan straight from the Tandoori oven — I didn’t try the plain but had to get up and leave the table so I would stop eating the Rosemary Naan, my mouth is watering ever so slightly as I write this.
The chutney’s were great, as were the veggies and other things I don’t recall the name of… I was way too full to try the dessert but everyone who tried it seemed to love it… some sort of sweet potato thing.
I heard rave reviews of the A to Z Riesling, I had the Gin drink, not my fave, a bit too «Gin» tasting for my uneducated taste buds. I’d stick to the New Deal 88 Vodka in future.

Whoa, I’m a bit late to this bandwagon but I gotta throw in my two cents.
Amazeballs, as usual. It was an event of a different flavor since there were no +1s to be had, but since our group of Eliters are super awesome anyway, no worries there!
I was really excited about this event since I’m new to Indian food & since I can never really tell what I may like. Well, turns out I like pretty much all of it. Especially that chicken they kept walking around with and thus forcing myself to much too much. And that naan? So good.
Now to the drinks & the service. Absolutely friendly, polite and the bartender was excellent and funny. I loved the bloody mary he mixed up — my second ever in life and I think I’m a convert for life.
Overall, fab event and I loved seeing people dressed up. Don, you did it again :)

I turned into a Greek Indian for this event. I biked 10 miles from the deep SE to attend and it was surely worth it. I was thirsty which was immediately remedied by a New Deal vodka Chill No. 3 = spicy and cool. I met up with some Unilocaler pals i.e. THE ANNA SWARM IN CASE YOU HAVEN’T HEARD and my new foodie/​drinking buddy Scott S. I also had the chance to meet the Tamaras. Plus 1 whaaaa???
My favorite foods were the raita and continually fresh out of the oven naan flecked with rosemary. And let’s not forget that marvelous apricot basmati rice.
I’d also like to mention Don «Maharaja» B. looked dashing in a kurta. Why not sport one more often?

We Elites are a lucky bunch.
East India Co. sure is an elegant and cozy setting, perfect for meeting new Elites and catching up with folks that I haven’t had the opportunity to chat with at other more bustling events.
The buffet was fantastic. I loved everything they prepared. Everything! Indian food is inherently fantastic and East India Co. rocked it. I really loved that spicy, tender chicken that they walked around feeding us. How awesome was that? I was over the moon for that rosemary naan, hot and fresh… oh my. I can not wait to go back to East India Co.
As always, it was great to see folks dressing up in the spirit of the brilliant theme. I loved Jeannie’s beautiful henna tattoos. I have always wanted to get a henna tattoo. It was a blast to wear a bindi! Many thanks to our fabulous Don, Unilocal and again, to East India Co., for being such gracious hosts.
Shukriyaa.

Being an Indian food lover, when I saw this event pop up, I soooo cleared my Saturday lunchtime schedule and fast! The food was delicious from the naan bread to the creamy vegetable korma, to the tender tandoori chicken, to the crispy samosas. Only three Indian restaurants in Portland make good Chai and this was one of them for sure, not bitter like other places, just the right amount of spice and creaminess.
I am glad that Don did an Elite events only party. It forces people to get out of their comfort zone to meet new peeps! This is never a bad thing. Last time I brought my best friend of 8 years and I really only was able to get to know him some more lol.
Don and Hillary looked great in their Indian attire as did a few people who dressed up for the theme too :) Dressing up for me is one of my favorite parts of the Elite events. Though it’s a challenge with my very limited basic wardrobe. You know, you just keep buying the same thing over and over with just the slightest variations. Enough change to justify buying another one in your mind hahaha. Forces me to be creative each month but I’m up for the challenge :)
The staff was incredibly friendly and the atmosphere cozy and perfect. I look forward to coming back to this wonderful place for lunch or dinner, or perhaps lunch AND dinner! A big thank you once again to Don who organizes these fun events each month. A lot goes into event planning for these events to run so smoothly, more than people realize sometimes.

Such a lovely way to spend a weekend afternoon, sippin’ super spicy cucumber gimlets, poppin’ fantastic samosas, and rubbin’ elbows with all my besties plus lots of new folks. An (n)as of Unilocal United again, and thanks to several assistant photographers, there was a series of photos taken, but I have deemed them Too Hot for Unilocal.Sorry.
Bartender Brice mixed up super cocktails with New Deal gin and vodka, the No. 3 Chill cucumber drink packing a surprising punch, after I’d initially declared that it smelled «too healthy». A to Z vinos, crisp and light as always.
There was a generous buffet available, and also staff was walking around handing out a chicken tiki something and naan fresh out of the tandoor. I really liked the apricot rice, vegetable korma, samosas, and pappadums were especially good.
Thank you kindly, East India Co and Maharaja Don B for another great party. Also, kudos to everyone who went all out with awesome outfits, especially Jeannie J with her henna!

Jumpin’ Jackrabbits! We’re going to India? Noooooooooo, Just down SW 11^th Ave in Portland to East India Co.
I have never been to East India Co. (EIC) until today and had a wonderful time at the Elite Only event. Unfortunately there weren’t any plus 1’s to tag along, but on the brighter side, it was great to meet and greet other Unilocal Elite’s who are in the mix.
Alcohol that was available: Ninkasi Beer, New Deal Vodka infused into Indian-​esque cocktails and a choices of white wines (Riesling or Chardonnay).
Another buffet table at an Elite event!!! What?! Yes there was a buffet table of their Indian cuisine: from veggies, fried yummy dishes of assorted veggies, fish, chicken (which was quite tender and packed a lot of heat), as well as their naan bread (plain, rosemary and garlic).
Thank you East India Co. for allowing Unilocal Elites like me to dine and gather amongst the other Unilocalers. You guys gave wonderful service and were very helpful!
Thank you Don «Maharaja» B. for another Unilocal Elite Event, not to mention the Unilocal playing cards were a great grab bag! Thanks for another lovely event, good food and good times! SYOY!