Elite Event: Bootlegger

holy crap, I forget to write a review for this event!
I love that +1s were allowed for this YEE. The music was popping, atmosphere was awesome and the food was good. Unfortunately I have never met so many vultures at a Unilocal Event. I swear 50% of the food trays never made it past the kitchen door because lots of people were hovering around the kitchen exit. My +1 was displeased with the attitude of some of the people here and even asked a waitress if she could pay for a personal order for one of the appetizers being served.
The food service organization could have been better arranged but this YEE was a good experience of simple eats, yummy alcoholic drinks and meeting new Unilocalers. I liked Bootlegger so much, I went back once more two months later to try out some of their own menu selections.

When tia asked me to be her +1, it dawned on me that in have been here prior for the Unilocal Prohibition Repeal Party. Where did those reviews and pictures go?
I was glad to return back to Unilocal!It was great to meet with new faces– Diego and Jazz! It was awesome to hang out once again with Mari, Steph, Danielz, Amanda and countless others that make what Unilocal is all about!
Brad, this was a great event. The drinks kept on coming, the samples were great and the event couldn’t come at a better time during the week. Looking forward to more events soon.
The fat: It’s a cool and chilling place to have a great olé’ time.
The skinny: Go hide in the back to avoid any attention.

I procrastinated on reviewing this event because i wrestled with myself on the rating.. Finally, i decided… This was a good event, but it would be unfair to the stellar events if I have this 4 or 5 stars.
The good:
Very nice servers
Great mixed drinks!
Nice ‘concept’ of food offerings
Props for community shout or to the east village community
Chill and comfortable atmosphere
The so so:
My plus one and I never got the nachos we ordered but once I told someone we had been there for 1 hour and still didn’t have any food, they brought us two plates of pre made nacho dishes.
It was a little too crowded to get around and mingle but I was able to find a seat:)
I had a great time, but my raving to my plus one about Unilocal elite events and the actually experience, left a disconnect… I’m not sure if she believes me how mind blowing they usually are.
This was fun and very good, but alas, I might be spoiled from the other events, that waiting an hour to get any food made me rate 3 stars. Don’t hate me. I still love Unilocal San Diego!!! And Id go back to bootlegger one day since they were so nice and the drinks were great in a chill location.

One of the last events I may go to this year and I had a great time! Food was pretty tasty. I had the opportunity to try everything on the menu that night. Although it did take a while to get the food, I really can’t complain. The deep fried deviled eggs were the best! I also really enjoyed the custom made nachos.
My plus one had an awesome time as well. We enjoyed drinking the broken butterfly cocktail. It wasn’t too sweet (I don’t like fruity sweet drinks) and it was rather refreshing. Bartenders were on top of things while trying to get everyone’s orders in.
Had the opportunity to meet new people, catch up with the fellow Unilocalers I already knew and chop it up with Brad for a few minutes. Always a good time!

Another amazing event thanks to the one and only Brad and the SD ELITE TEAM!!! Surprisingly, I didn’t see the «other» Brad at this event haha.
Also thanks to Bootlegger!
The ambiance was cool, set like an old school speakeasy.
I didn’t get to try much food but the Build Your Own Nachos was a pretty cool idea. I didn’t make mine all too crazy but the roasted peppers on the nachos really made the dish! They had a whole assortment of meat to choose from: pulled pork, ground turkey, bacon, carne asada, and like 10 more meats.
The Gouda Mac and Cheese was awesome too. It wasn’t overflowing with cheese which gave it that perfect amount of Cheese to the Mac. It’s not called Cheesey Cheese Cheese Mac and Cheese for a reason! Had a great blend of Spiral Macaroni to Cheese ratio haha.
I’d definitely come here again. The staff was super nice and awesome too!
It did get pretty crazy with the food though. I was sitting near the bar and the food never made it to the bar area because the food was gone as soon as it came out the kitchen door haha.

Okay that was a pretty fun event for my first SD Elite experience!
Fortunately the imposing block-​long, line died down to just a few people once we parked.
Two guys seemed to be holding me and my +1 seats at the bar and when they walked away with their drinks, bam! So that rocked. Being mostly veggie, this one could have been a little difficult as I never eat pork, but with the Build Your Own Nachos, no way! We quickly got an order of those in and were the envy of all my fellow Unilocalers. Also, they were some of the best nachos I’ve ever had, the toppings were perfectly integrated with chips. More of a meal than we expected, but absolutely no complaints.
It seemed like people were having a hard time knowing how to order/​staff were confused on where to deliver lots of orders. So Bootlegger could have definitely staffed up a bit more for the event. If they were packed like this on a regular night, it seems like they could have issues (especially when more than just tips are at stake).
We leisurely ate our nachos, enjoyed the free flowing beverages and headed over to the photo booth, which they’d closed down early… a bit of a bummer. But it happens.
Overall a great first event, and if I ever want some nachos again, I know where to go!

First of all — THANK GOD THERE WASN’T A PIE EATING CONTEST HERE. My poor stomach (and face) is still in recovery from the one last week at Great Maple!
That said…
I was looking forward to this Unilocal Elite event at Bootlegger — I was doing my civic duty as a juror downtown this week, and after three days of jury selection, testimony, and deliberations, I REALLY needed to unwind.
This event helped me loosen up a bit — I hung out with my pals Mel J. and her hubby Vin, and were fortunate to grab a table. Just as well, as it was VERY crowded at Bootlegger that night. I started with a Dos Equis, but just as I wanted to try the Broken Butterfly, I was informed that they were out. And the food situation… I was damned lucky to get one of the Fried Deviled Eggs (Melanio is right, it is reminiscent of a Scotch egg, minus the sausage coating), as well as the Gouda Mac and Cheese. Once I got my hands on a pen, I was able to put my order in for the Build Your Own Nachos — and my order almost came out the way I liked it. I say almost, as I wanted carne asada and TJ Dog as my protein selection, and I got the carne asada instead. Given how busy the staff were (more on that in a bit), I let it slide.
I’d like to see what Bootlegger is like when it isn’t as crowded as it was that night. I liked the DJ booth in the back of the room (his mix was rather eclectic; mad respect for playing James Brown in a room full of mostly 20-​somethings), and the 50s-​style pinup wallpaper in the men’s room was actually kinda cool.
Although I felt claustrophobic due to how crowded the event was, I still had a great time as I got to see more of my pals (and even got into a group shot, courtesy of Nette & Maria!), scored a pair of the Unilocal Life mittens, and got a pic taken at the Connect booth (quick note: where are those photos? I can’t find them on FB). Also, got to hang out with my peeps, and meet up with some new ones as well. They know who they are!
Plus, I found parking at Park It At Market — $ 1 per hour!
Now for my rant *steps on soapbox*:
I don’t know if people were spoiled due to the quality of the last couple of events where we got to eat quite a bit, or if there were plenty of first-​time Elites (and +1s) here at the event, or even if people forgot to eat something before coming here. But the amount of people descending on the servers was INSANE… I felt bad for the servers being accosted by the partygoers whenever they came out with orders (in fact, I was lucky I got to sample what I did — I didn’t get to try the pretzel bites, the corn chip chili, the pork sliders, and even the salad). And the fact that they ran out of the free cocktails within half an hour or so… not cool. Look, I know that for a bunch of Elites, the prospect of free food and drinks is very enticing — but show a bit more restraint next time, please? As Unilocal Elites, we’re representative of the community; let’s act like it.
*steps off soapbox*
That said, the five star rating I’m giving is for the staff of Bootlegger for being so patient with us Unilocal Elites that night, and for keeping us entertained throughout the evening.
To Brad, Estephany, and the Bootlegger staff — THANK YOU! To my fellow Elites, see you all at the next event (hopefully)!

Thank you Brad and the staff at Bootlegger for a great event.
Here’s my two cents…
So granted everyone didn’t get to taste the food that was being distributed, ummm read your email and eat before. It’s not suppose to be a dinner. Yes, I also understand that Unilocalers can be vultures big deal this is a time to hangout, mingle and meet new people.
My date and I Maria C, decided to eat first at J-​WOK just in case the food would be limited and I would rather have flowing drinks than food.
I did get to take a bite off of Maria’s salad and that tasted yummy.
I had a couple or more of the cocktails (which was refreshing) but I also PAID for drinks I wanted. Yes, I PAID FOR MY CROWN AND COKE. I’m not all about FREE Drinks or Food. It was more about the atmosphere and hanging out with other friends /​Yelpers.
Bootlegger is a nice and chill spot and I will definitely visit them again to try the food.
For the other Unilocalers who didn’t have a great experience, hopefully it’ll be better next time.

It’s hump day and what a better way to get through the next two days then with a Unilocal Elite Event! Oh yeah!
What a great turn out and what luck, I got front row seat. right at the bar! That’s a good and bad thing. Good, cause I was able to get all cozy, chatting it up with friends and anyone that surrounded me. Bad, cause I got sooo cozy that I barely got out of my seat except the few times I got up to give people a hug or when we took a group picture at the photo booth (always love those!). I had no idea what was happening on the other side of the room or who else was there unless they were within my view.
Oh, I do have to say the best part of getting that bar stool was Lilly, our awesome bartender. She was so good with making that quick eye contact whenever we were ready for a new round. She quickly got those glasses lined up and served! And when we asked to get a regular menu to see about ordering non-​complimentary food, she said that she would have someone come around with one of the passed trays, too. So soon enough, there came a platter of glutenous, tasty pretzels! She was just absolutely fantastic, watched out for us and didn’t crack a sweat with all the demands around her. Those house strawberry basil drinks were delish, btw! They crept up on me as the night progressed! Lol Thanks Lily!
There was also a server who later I was able to spot that got through the crowd nearing me. When the last little plate of those crunchy Frittos and salsa promptly vanished, he offered and said he’d get me one. He came back and made a special trip to hand me one personally. What a nice guy! The fact that he was a cutie was nice, too ;). Just each of the staff I interacted with were all wonderful! Thank you Bootlegger!
Brad’s been pumping these events out to us like pancakes, or whatever that expression maybe. Thank you, thank you, thank you! I know he puts in a ton of effort into executing these and that effort shows; making his rounds, taking his time to talk to us and just making sure we were enjoying ourselves. I know I did!
Brad, you are a beast at what you do! Love it!
My last thought:
If you come out solely to get a ton of FREE food and drinks, or are going to complain about not enough was coming your way,…yada, yada, yada. Please do ALL of us a favor, and do not bother RSVPing to any.
I will just leave it at that.
Thanks again, Bootlegger and Brad! Good times, good times! Xo

My last Elite event for 2013! WOOT!
I had a grand olé time being that Unilocaler that sat at the bar throughout the majority of the event. I may have slipped away to just use the restroom and take pictures at the photo section.
Our bartender Lily was totally AWESOME! She kept the drinks rolling for us and made sure we were taken care of.
This girl can never complain about getting free food and drinks. Thank you Bootlegger for giving us the time, place, food and drinks to get to know you better! I see several HHs in my 2014 future. And, as always, thank you CM Brad, for another great event!
See ya next year!

Another fun event!
Bootlegger is always a fun spot to grab a few drinks and apps so I was happy to hear that the latest Unilocal event was to be held here.
Food — we were pretty luck to try everything that was being served:
— Crispy Deviled Eggs: These little nuggets came out PIPING hot and crispy. Nice flavor with a great crunch. But let’s be honest… deep fried anything is wonderful.
— House Baked Pretzel: HUGE! The pretzels were tender and scrumptious but it was the dip that was the winner. A queso-​like cheese dip… SO GOOD!
— Corn Chip Chili: This app was the least fav for me of the night. It was all a bit too salty and the chili was a bit lack luster.
— BYO Nachos: DELISH! We were able to customize our own Nachos from a huge list of goodies. We opted for a selection that mirrored Carne Asada Fries smothered with the same queso-​like cheese from the pretzels.
— Lagunitas IPA Pulled Pork Sliders: Tender pork, balanced sauce with a great crunch from the slaw.
And since it was a Unilocal event, the beverages were flowing. We were ALL about their Broken Butterfly Cocktail that consisted of Rum, Lime Juice, Strawberry and Basil. Think of it like tart lemonade with a hint of strawberry. It was refreshingly lovely and I could have sipped on it all day – but it definitely packed a punch.
HUGE thanks to Bootlegger for the hospitality! And gratitude to their staff who were mobbed by us Unilocalers anytime pass trays of food came out. And of course, THANKS to the Unilocal team!

Round 2 of the December elite Events and its always a blast to hang out with my fellow elites and meeting new faces. I was fortunate enough to get there early and was able to actually try everything.
Crispy Deviled egg was nicely crisp but I could barely taste the deviled egg.
Pretzel was good with whatever cheese you could get but since the server held all the cheese, you couldn’t just stand there and it would be rude to double dip.
Smoked Gouda Mac came out a little cold, so it wasn’t really good.
Lagunitas IPA Pulled Pork Sliders were tasty but there was barely any pork in there.
Corn Chip Chili is what you would expect for typical bar food.
The best was the BYO Nachos. I did pulled pork with bacon, mexican cheddar, sour cream, lettuce, and pico de gallo. It went really well with my beer.
The cocktails were inconsistent from batch to batch.
I feel bad for some of the other tables that didn’t get any food and were forced to become vultures. To me, the food and drinks are only half the party. The other half is the people that make it fun. I think sometimes people forget that this isn’t a full on meal and we’re used to being spoiled by other events. I shared whatever food I got and try to make sure everyone gets to try some. Its the people who give off bad vibes that start to kill the party.
Props to Brad for putting together consecutive events and the staff at Bootlegger for trying to pump out food and booze to us.

I’m so glad that I finally got to go to an event where they allow +1s so I was finally able to spread the Unilocal wealth and bring one of my good friend. Thanks Brad! This event was pretty cool because it celebrated San Diego’s east village and local shops, so all the businesses at the event are local places from around east village.
My friend and I got out drinks and found a seat relatively fast after scouting for some Unilocal swag. The staff was quick and super nice and the dj really got the mood going. The only thing that was missing was the food! I think because the place was circular around the bar, and the amount of hungry people, or maybe my friend and I just sat in the wrong area, but the only plate that reached us was the pretzels (which were tasty and fresh from the oven). Regardless, we filled up on a few drinks and I forgot about my hunger and spent the time catching up and taking pictures. I wish we looked for the kitchen for cause then I would have stayed closer to there in order to try more appetizers.
Thanks Brad and co. and the entire staff at Bootlegger for a great time!

Late event means a late night AND on a school night! (I still pretend I’m still in school so that I say that I’m young! HA!)
Oh Bootlegger… This is our second date and, although it’s not as memorable as our first go around with our Prohibition themed party a couple years back, you are still a-​OK in my book. Luckily my beautiful date, Nette, and I ate beforehand, so we weren’t really expecting much with the exception of a drink or 2 and LOTS of photo ops!
I did notice a LOT of new Unilocalers — WELCOME ALL! I did meet some of you and I hope to see you at future YEE. I saw the usual suspects and I’m glad I was able to get around and mingle. It was hard to maneuver since it was crowded and HOT!
The only things I was able to try were the deviled eggs, a bite of the salad, a bite of the mac and cheese and the Butterfly cocktail. All were good, just bummed I missed out on the pretzel, sliders and nachos.
The DJ was happening bumpin’ some crazy beats, the bartenders were workin’ it, the photo area was fun, and the staff tried hard to get around with the food.
Brad and Stephanie were awesome putting this event together and kudos on such short notice. I’m amazed that we have another Unilocal event tomorrow AND next week! BRAD IS THE BEST!!!
Shout-​outs to my peeps of course. I can go on and on, but you know who you are.
P. S. Scored parking at Park It On Market for $ 1 an hour. HOLLAAA!!!

So Wednesday started off quiet and with a lovely beach run. Looked down at my phone which I don’t normally do and I see a text from Amanda M. Inviting me to the Unilocal event!!!
Yes kids my horrendous work schedule let the RSVP slip passed me. Unilocalers to the rescue! Thank you so much Amanda M. *hugs*
So on to the goods… Bootlegger was an awesome venue, our Brad B. would not have it any other way. The music was spinning, drinks were flowing and food trickling out here and there.
The staff was so sweet and helpful even while being bombarded with so many of us. Could have been the fat tips, but I think they are just awesome ;-)
Mac and cheese! Mac and cheese! Mac and cheese! Yes I got some it was warm and tasty! I also made my own nachos! Yes I was on a cheesy high and Mayne a little tipsy from the never ending beers .
Thank you Bootlegger for having us. Thank you Brad for making my night off excellent once again. This is one appreciative momma ;-)

Unilocal Elites are not easy pleasers. I totally get it. In some cases, as a whole we have horde-​like tendencies and can be a BIT overwhelming when tempted with smoked Mac ‘N Cheese and pub style pretzels…
But dang… I guess i’ll be the first to say it… STOP BUM RUSHING THE WAIT STAFF!!! I saw several displays of «hanger» (the act of being so hungry you are angry or severely irritated) which resulted in mad dashes directly AT the staff (who i’m sure temporarily feared for their lives.) Uncool guys… So uncool.
Now, aside from that, and my nacho fall out situation where I sat patiently at the bar with the ever kind and fellow Unilocaler, Ben S. for more than 45 minutes… I enjoyed every OTHER minute I spent meeting my favorite Unilocal talkers and elites. Shout out to Ace, Rossi, Maricela and Diego ! :)
Brad B, my good man… You never cease to out do yourself. Trish, a woman after my own heart… Your hard work is greatly appreciated! While this event had its moments here and there, it still flowed smoothly and as always, was Unilocal-​tastic. Great location, good staff, good eats /​drinks. Fun was had by all. Best send off to a great cause. See y’all friday, it’ll be so Bazaar!

Yet another fun event! We had tons of trouble getting parking though. There was a huge line at the entrance as we drove by but 20 minutes later after we found parking, the line was gone. Yay for not waiting in the cold! When we actually arrived inside, it was around 7:25pm and it was packed! The venue was a bit small and seats were very limited compared to the amount of people actually there so my +1 and I had to stand the entire time. But that was fine because we were drinking wine and socializing the whole time. The Broken Butterfly cocktail was amazing! Not too strong and very refreshing.
Food was a bit limited, but I was lucky to try everything once aside from the pork sliders and corn chili. My favorite was definitely the build your own nachos! Since my +1 and I didn’t have a seat, we had to ask a server to check if our order was coming out because how would they know where to find us? It was definitely chaotic. The server was very nice and went inside to the kitchen to look for our order because we had been waiting for a while. 5 minutes later he came out with our plate. I felt bad for our servers and bartenders because they were working very hard. I’m very thankful for their wonderful hospitality. A lot of them tried their best to get the food out to the farther areas of the venue.
We met some friendly Unilocalers at this event so we hope to meet them again!

It sucks that I have to give this event a 3 stars and it has nothing to do with the planning. Brad, as always, did an amazing job planning the party!
But why the 3 stars? Although the event was great, the food was very limited. And when they did come out, there were tons of Unilocalers preying at the entrance and the staff could not get further then 5 feet. Sometimes I wonder do they not eat for days before the event? I know in Brad’s email he always mention «sharing is caring», but recently I’ve noticed that this is not the case. It makes me sad because how did Unilocalers turn in vultures? We we not able to try any food at all, not even a crumb and when we tried to get some, people who had food all night long took whatever came out. We talked to other Unilocalers who experience the same thing! We were so discouraged and left during halfway.
My plus one who is not an elite does not have a good image of elites so far because of what he saw at these events. Every plus one event he witnessed what I just described. And it seems some Unilocalers lost their way and take that elite badge to the extreme. Also Unilocalers writing reviews before the actual event even started just to increase their first to review status, not tipping bartenders, food vultures, it’s just not who elites are and they have lost their way.
I’ve notice many other elites are seeing the same thing, and it saddens me because I love Unilocal

This event is going to be great, Brad is setting up. It’s cold and kind of rainy outside. Things are going heat up inside. I can’t wait to start grubbing.
More to come.
P. S. this is just to protect the review from «1^st to review» looters.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Sorry, I just had to to the first review thing in order to smite those that do it at every single event just to be the first even though the event hasn’t even started. I won’t give them the privilege, muahahah. …anyway.
Now that we have that out of the way, this was another pretty great event. Mostly because I was in the company of great people. The venue is cool, I loved the ambiance of the place and the staff that I encountered seemed pretty cool. There was constant music going, great view of the street and some pretty cool artwork. I’m a big fan of the Johnny Cash flippin’ the bird picture on the bathroom door. Totally cool. Plus, all the prohibition and «roaring 20s» artwork all over the place definitely gives it that cool vibe.
The food, from what I actually got to try was pretty good too. The deviled eggs were delicious, a little hint of spice and just delicious. The gouda mac & cheese was delicious, really, really good. The Frito chili was about what you would expect, pretty decent bar food but nothing that I’d really consider mind blowing. It would probably be good for nacho toppings.
That’s all I got a chance to try. Unilocalers were swarming the servers like birds in an Alfred Hitchcock movie so most of the food never made it to my group’s table. Luckily I was accompanied by some cool Unilocalers and conversed with a lot of regulars and that was just about enough to keep my mind off not getting to indulge in many of the food offerings. I missed out on the sliders, the pretzels, & salad.
The build your own nachos was an awesome idea, tons of options my party and I checked off our selections to make an epic nacho plate. We handed the paper to our server and were anxiously awaiting the nachos. Too bad none of the 3 group’s orders ever made it to our table. I’ll probably leave it to some logistics mix up or somebody ganking our stuff shortly after it left the kitchen. I’d be upset but it was a free event and I went there to have fun and mingle with the peeps so I’m going to let it slide. Plus I’m pretty chill. It was little disappointing though, I would have loved to give that a try. It would get pricey but you could definitely build a really killer nacho plate. I guess I’ll have to come back for that one.
Overall was fun, it was a great night to be Downtown. Brad did an awesome job just as he always does, Bootlegger was a cool host, their bar and bartenders rock. I got to see a whole bunch of the regulars as well as a couple new faces. It’s always good talking with the Unilocal crew. Can’t believe we’re getting close to closing out the year already. Only a few more events to go…
Anyway, I’ll see you guys at the next.

Disclaimer: this paragraph is just for fun! It’s a joke, guys! It’s OPPOSITE Day today! So when the servers at Bootlegger came out bearing trays of pork sliders, we Elites leaped on them and gobbled like piglets. I ate my Jalapeño nachos, and then sneaked around stealing nachos from other tables while Elites were distracted by their I-​phones. (not really! LOL!). I especially enjoyed the nachos I sneaked from Jeff S. We were all so thirsty that several of us, including Vin, and Steve, the famous pie eater, leaped behind the bar and drank beers directly on tap! We didn’t even wait for glasses! And there was no tipping at all going on the whole night. Just kidding! LOL!
So here is the true version of the Elite event at Bootlegger: The hard-​working staff at Bootlegger brought out the nachos, pork sliders, and salads as efficiently as they could, and we waited like ladies and gentlemen. I heard rumors there were deviled eggs and pretzels, but they never came near me. The hard-​working staff earned every tip that they received. The shape of the room made it more challenging for the servers to move the snacks around the room, but by the end of the evening, everybody sampled some of the snacks and drinks. We enjoyed the order form which allowed us to «build your own nachos». Many thanks to the staff of the Bootlegger for their patience in dealing with the crowd.
«Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Liquid Spirits» is the motto on the window of the Bootlegger. This is a fun pub which draws a lot of locals and regulars to the happy hour, and they have a lot of specials for good prices. (See photos.) This is definitely a good place to hang out with friends. (-;
I enjoy making new Elite & Unilocaler friends. I met Staci R, and her Plus 1, Chris. Staci is cool and enthusiastic, and she is excited about how much more active our San Diego Elite Unilocalers are, compared to her previous location back east. BRAD B, AND TRISH, thanks so much for all of your hard work and pride, which are the secret ingredients that make San Diego such a fantastic place to be an Elite Unilocaler!
It was fun to finally meet Amanda M and Jazmin. (-;
Many thanks to the staff of the Bootlegger! We enjoyed a wonderful evening in the Pursuit of Life, Liberty, & Liquid Spirits! I look forward to visiting again in the future. (-;