Elite Event: Yelp's Soft Takeover At La Puerta

5+ stars!! (and not just because I actually won something in the raffle -- a tequila set :P)

Between the OUTSTANDING service from La Puerta's staff, catching up with old friends and meeting new friends, the intimate setting, the tequila tasting (reposado all the way!), and the spontaneous dance party (ok, maybe that was the tequila talking), this event was one of my favorite in recent memory!

And this is the first time I can say that at a YEE, we had *too much* food. Whaaaat??? Yeah, that's right. Between the potato taquitos, guac and chips, carne asada fries, and street tacos, this fat kid finally met her match. The food kept on coming, which is evidence of the top notch hospitality.

A big thanks to Brad, La Puerta, and Yelp for making this happen!!

Super fun event for my first time out as San Diego Elite! WOOHOO! Thanks to:
Brad B for all the laughs.
Darren (the owner) for showing me the finer side of tequila, or better yet, giving me the challenge of trying to not show my disgusted face during each tasting. ;)
Shanel S, my beautiful yelpy date.
and Nathan at the bar for making the BEST MARGARITAS OF MY LIFE.

Good tunes, good company, good drinks. Coulldn't have been any better!

After hearing such rave reviews about La Puerta from friends and coworkers, I was excited to check this place out for the first time for the mini mixer series!

I really enjoyed this intimate setting and getting to meet new fellow Yelp Elites! Shout out to Dan D. and Jennifer N!! It was also exciting to spend a night with Yvonne V. and Veronica E. for their first Elite event ever so many thanks to Brad always for making this happen! =)

Throughout the night the staff were very helpful and accommodating. I learned quite a bit about the process of making tequila during our casa robles tequila tasting session with the owner Darren and his bartenders. The margaritas were very tasty and I also got to try the sangria. The sangria was good the only thing I was hoping for was some fresh fruit.

I devoured the carne fries plate. The guacamole was good but I didn't care too much for the chunks of cheese although some people enjoyed it. I love the chips....thick and freshly made. Yum! The flautitas or taquitos were tasty also. However by the time we got the street tacos I was already full!!

Great event! Wouldn't mind coming back to La Puerta in the future for some food and drinks!

Being that I had two, now four of my favorite Yelpers there.. I'd say it was AWESOME!

Had delicious carne asada fries and flautas coming through as easy as a hooker on El Cajon BLVD
Drinks flowing all night and the honorable mention goes to the best margarita of my life, Whole Lotta Love. (refer to my full review of La Puerta)
And had the best arm candy, Lisa H., by my side at all times.

I'd say it was the best cherry poppin' Yelp event ever.

When I heard there were going to be some elite events happening during my visit to SD, I just HAD to figure out how to get on the guest list for one of them. I was honored to be able to attend this event as a guest of your fair city! San Diego Yelp really knows how to throw a delightful party! Once we were ushered into the roped-off back area of this place, there were all kinds of things to partake in. Drinks, tequila tastings, a bitchin DJ and the food just kept being brought out! I have to say my favorite part was the tequila tasting. Grouping up 6-8 people in a booth for the tasting was genius. The camaraderie found over taking shots of tequila with a few strangers (let's just call them new friends!) brought the experience to a whole new level.

San Diego Yelpers know how to have a good time. Thanks to you and HUGE thanks to Brad and La Puerta for welcoming a Portlander into your fold! I had an amazing time and left with a feeling of the warm fuzzies (I'm sure the tequila played a part here).

Usually I tend to keep it mellow on Sunday nights since Mondays are fucking terrible to begin with. But, knowing what a good time B-Rad can throw at us, I could not resist.
This buzzing in my head this morning was definitely worth it. (Its a short week).
The minute Jen J and I walked in we were quickly handed the new cocktail made special just for last night. Created by a friend of mine, the "Whole Lot of Love" drink kicked me into party mode. It was a tasty variation of the Margarita with flavors that reminded me of Scotch.
Next, we were quickly whisked away to a table for Tequila tasting with Darren.
We sampled three different flavors from Casa Noble. The Crystal, The Anejo, and my favorite, the Reposado.
Darren obviously knows his stuff and answered all of our questions.

The servers were relentless, there was no way you were not eating last night. They made sure you had a plate of food in front of you at all times.
The Flautitas with Cotija cheese and pico were really good. I hope they are part of the regular menu because I will destroy them again next visit.
The Carne Asada fries, again with Cotija cheese, were delicious and probably saved me from a very possible hang over today.

Unfortunately we did not stick around late enough to try the street tacos. Damn Mondays always get in the way of my weekends.

Thank you to La Puerta and Yelp for another bitchen event...Chingado!

Having a small, cozy affair is different for a yelp event...but I like it!

La Puerta and Brad hosted an awesome event where the food and drinks kept flowing. The waiters were attentive. All in all, it was wonderful to escape the scavengers that assault the poor waiters at every event. I even had the opportunity to talk to new yelpers.

Even though it was rough to wake up the next day (Monday), I am glad I went. We should have more of these events in the future :D

Good times, Good food, and Great tequila!

I had fun mingling with all the people in my group! The owner (Darren), the hosts/bartenders, and the food were all amazing. I love that fact that Darren took the time to meet 1 on 1 with all his customers and share his knowledge of tequila.

I loved meeting our new intern (Cat)! She is as awesome as Brad. Can't wait to hangout with them all again for some good times!

Till next time San Diego!

Awesome awesome awesome. It helps that I LOVE La Puerta at baseline...but even if I had never heard of this place the event would have surpassed my five-star hurdle by a landslide. Copious amounts of delicious food, all the tequilla tastings anyone could want, and excellent service from the bartenders, waitstaff, and Darren the manager who personally welcomed everyone and then spent time explaining food and drink to us. He was amazing.

Thank you Brad!! What a great event! Need more tacos and panela...

Hazing, initiation, forced drinking until extreme inebriation and puking ensues, whatever you want to call it, is not a foreign concept in the life of an athlete who has been the newbie to a team over and over.

This team, this incredible Yelp team, did none of this outlandish, nightmare inducing scare tactics to this little freshie. They opened there arms, err threw them in the air with the help of some tequila tasting, and brought me into the group like family. What says welcome more genuinely than a Sunday night dance party?

So, I'd say for my first event as the new Yelp intern, this was a huge success. I only munched on the potato rolled tacos (which were perfectly crunchy and salty and awesome), but have a few glasses of the Sangria (which was also perfect-- sweet and fruity, but not headache the next day type).

Mucho gracias to Brad and all the elites for having me. And a definite thank you to Darren and everyone at La Puerta for making my first night at the restaurant AND a Yelper a blast. Can't wait for more to come!