Komodo Launch Party Elite Event

Unilocal sure knows how to throw a party. Free flowing Komodo food, cupcakes, ice cream, photo station, raffles and of course awesome fellow Unilocalers.
Highlight conversation of the night:
Me: It’s pretty cool how they named the restaurant after a dragon.
Others: ??confused faces?
Me: You know… the Komodo dragon. The large lizard found in the Indonesian islands… mmm, aren’t these truffle fries delicious???
Anyway, my lame comment didn’t deter the new friends I made! We chatted over Komodo food (delicious truffle fries, dangerously good meatballs w/​a red bell pepper sauce kick) took jumping photos together, bonded over King Kone ice cream and even found out we have mutual friends which sealed our new found connection.
I even bumped into old friends from high school and we all giggled in the fancy of our first Unilocal Elite event. We even made handshakes to invite each other to a Komodo catered event if any one of us won the raffle prize. (None of us won, but we plan to meet up in the near future)
Shoutouts to Carmen and fellow Unilocalers Alan J. and Pathu S. !
Thanks Christina Y., Katie B. and Komodo for welcoming me to the Elite family. :) Love my Unilocal schwag too – I use my reusable tote bag for grocery shopping and daily errands all the time.

Fun elite event with no booze! whaattt? yea no booze and still had a great time!
No +1’s either but that wasn’t a problem since I met several new Unilocalers while waiting in line.
Food seemed to come out quite often. Enjoyed the bacon wrapped dates, shrimp and beef skewers!
Excellent work by the DJ and great seeing the projectphotobooth people again!
How about that grand prize for the raffle!!! Catered event by king kone! wow!
Thanks, Christina, Katie & Komodo for an awesome time!

Out of all the Unilocal events that I’ve been to, this one was more like a «taste of Unilocal elite» than a full scale, big venue event with all the fixin’s. Hey, with such a limited amount of space, you can only do so much, so thanks to Katie B. & Christina Y. for making it all possible. You pretty much can’t go wrong with free food, mingling with people who eat for sport, good music, honest tea and project photo booth!
Luckily, while waiting in line for the Komodo truck, I stood directly by the back door of Komodo, which is where the servers came out with the trays of food, giving me first dibs on the tasty morsels as they dispatched into the crowd. One of the servers became my FFF (food friend forever) and kept coming back to me to empty her tray after she realized I was the only one out of maybe 300 people there who ate the heirloom tomato & mozzarella skewers. Five a day, baby. Make that quota.
Oh, and I won 2 free movie tickets in the raffle drawing. Thank you, Unilocal drawing, for paying for a movie date for my man & I.
I heart your red black & white face.

«Wah wah wah, it’s so packed, it’s so crowded, there were soooooo many people at this event…»
I grow weary of people complaining about packed events. Would they rather have a few dozen people shuffling around, staring at their feet, feeling like they went to the nerdy kid’s birthday party?
I think not, unless they’re antisocial, and then Unilocal events probably aren’t for them anyway. Look at the title of this event, it was a «party», and where I come from when it comes to a party its «the more the merrier».
This event was dope as hell, the music was thumping and yes, it was awesome how many people were there. I loved it, and Komodo did a bitchin job keeping the food flowing. The NeoClassics shirts were so badass we snagged two and obviously, you can never go wrong with HonestTea.
Yes Komodo, I will again repeat that you did a FANTASTICAL job keeping the food going. That many people and I saw servers everywhere with all kinds of grub. A server’s plate would empty and she’d be back out in 5 minutes with another pile’o’delicous. Stellar work, really.
Everything was lightning quick. The food, the photos, the entry to the gig itself. If you can cram a shit ton of people in and keep it running like a well oiled machine which happened here then GO FOR IT! I liked the venue a lot. A little back alley partying, it was hot.
To those of you that were bummed at the crowd and just wanted a ton of cheap food, let me recommend you leave the elite events to the partiers, it sounds like you’d enjoy yourselves a bit more at the local Sizzler.
THANK YOU Unilocal

Foodies like me, always study up to know whom they’re eating! I’m intrigued, enamored with inspired chefs who take the leap whether on wheels, or in brick and mortar, or vice versa.
Yes, I’d more than noticed Chef Erwin Tjahyadi’s Komodo truck
from time to time. How could anyone miss its black and white lizard skin? Did I stop? No. Did I want to? Sort of. You see, when I can eek out an hour for a real lunch I’d rather be waited on than wait in line; I spend enough time eating in my car. Bless you Chef Tjahyadi for making sit down dining possible! Thank you too for catering this Unilocal Elite event.
The storefront is clean, impressive.
The 5 star staff is young, gorgeous, hospitable, well trained and highly knowledgeable. Everything that came out of the kitchen was exquisitely plated and made sense for a party this size — Smoked Salmon Sushi with Crème Fraiche and Roe, Mini Grilled Cheese Bites with Olive Tapenade, Caprese on a toothpick, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Shrimp with Spicy Asian Sauce, Tuna Tartare on Cucumber, Pork Satay; 5 stars for execution.
But since I had never experienced Komodo truck food I was disappointed it wasn’t being served. Then after first bite of each finger food, I was equally so. Maybe it’s just my sodium sensitivity but all I could taste was salt; 3.75 stars for the food. My take here doesn’t mean I will not go back to Komodo for the food I had hoped to try. I will. Soon!
This 5 star event so meticulously planned and produced by the lovely, capable Christina Y. and Katie B. was a cool vehicle for me to reconnect with Unilocal friends and make new ones. Kudos ladies, take a bow! Thank you for all that you do!

This was my 2^nd LA East event of the year and I was really looking forward to it because I live within walking distance right around the corner.
I’ve always wanted to try the Komodo truck but never got around to it, so what a way to do it at a Unilocal party! I sampled pretty much everything 3 times — I know… fat ass much? My faves were the bacon wrapped dates and meatballs. I must say that the grilled cheese with olive tapenade tasted like a sponge. Weird because I’ve never eaten or attempted to eat one before. Other than that everything was pretty tasty and now I have to run 5 miles to burn everything off, so extra star for forcing me to get in shape.
Big shouts to all of the new and old people I got to hang with: Cathy N., Shulie L., Eduardo G., Nancy N., Shulie L., and the guy with the fedora who looked like Jason Mraz. Did anyone else think so too?
And a big thanks to Katie B and Christina Y. Always a pleasure. Until next time? Ask for the Moon… but keep on reaching for the stars! :P

Unilocal Elite events never disappoint! I was lucky enough to get on the list for this one, greeted by the very warm and friendly Christina Y, who remembered me from another event, and led to the back of the store, where a block party was taking place. Parking was very easy to find on the street.
Our options were a line for the Komodo truck, serving meatballs and fries, and the King Kone Truck, serving ice cream. The lines were LONG, but the key was to have some people wait in line, and other friends gather samples or other food for you. Komodo staff passing around trays of delicious food made the line seem to go by quickly.
My favorites were the tuna on cucumber slices, and the bacon-​wrapped dates. Others were grilled cheese toasts, salmon rice balls, crab cakes, and many more. Even after I had fries, meatballs, and a strawberry shortcake cone, I still kept taking the appetizers because they were so delicious. They never ran out the whole night, either! King Kone’s offerings were S. more Shakes, strawberry shortcake-​dipped cones, ice cream sandwiches, and mint shakes. I wish I could have kept going back!
Staff at Komodo were INCREDIBLY nice and welcoming, asking each individual guest how they were doing, and happily offering samples. They seem to have a great team and I’m looking forward to their grand opening.
Great event, and thank you to Komodo, King Kone, and the Unilocal staff for making it happen!

Thanks Katie & Christina for another great event! I’ve never had Komodo or King Kone before and glad I got the chance. Here is a rundown of the food that was served:
–meatballs & truffle fries
–bruschetta
–smoked salmon rolls
–grilled shrimp with asian cocktail sauce
–bacon wrapped dates
–cucumber topped with tartare
–olive tapenade on bread
–milkshakes
–strawberry shortcake cone (my favorite!)
–red velvet cupcakes
–cookies
I’m sure I might be missing a few items, but I think I got most of it. I really loved the asian cocktail sauce. I think they should bottle this and sell it! My FAVORITE thing I had, though, had to be the strawberry shortcake cone! It was delicious!
I loved the music (glad the DJ played Nate Dogg — RIP!). It was crowded as hell, but at least that kept us all warm. haha!
I wish there was alcohol… but i guess that’s just the alcoholic in me talking!
GREAT EVENT!

First off, a serious thank you very much to Komodo, to Katie, and to Christina.
My life will never be the same. Why you ask? I’ve been introduced to the 8^th World Wonder.
Bacon-​wrapped dates are seriously life-​changing.
I don’t care what the others have told you, this stuff is magic. And Komodo did a great job of sending these my way, nonstop.
Komodo’s Launch Party was quite the splendid event. Although it took place in the back alley parking lot and all the guests were fenced in by two food trucks, this Elite Event was one of the better supplied ones in terms of food.
There were:
Caprese salads on a toothpick
Pork satays on a skewer
Deep-​Fried Crab Cake Balls
Meatballs with French Fries
Chocolate chip cookies
Garlic Shrimp
Bruschetta on toasted bread
Pink velvet cupcakes
BACON-​WRAPPED DATES!!!
TUNA TARTARE ON CUCUMBER SLICES!!!
zOMG! The last two items were SERIOUSLY some of the best things I’ve had in a while… but I guess anything outside of Jack in the Crack and In n Out is different from what I’ve had in a while.
There was also the King Kone truck, from which I had a Mint Everest Shake [Vanilla Ice Cream + Andes Mints + Oreo Cookies] and a chocolate chip cookie vanilla ice cream sandwich.
Indeed, I was the valedictorian of the Unilocal School of Fatassery that night.
I had a great time kickin’ it with Michelle F, Eugi H, and Bridget P, being their designated gopher and food supplier.
Of course, it didn’t hurt taking a few vanity pics with Project Photobooth, and being an absolute camel, inhaling some HonesTea teas and HonestAde Arnold Palmers.
So why did I only give it 4-​stars? I lost count as to how many times I elbowed someone in the face while trying to scratch my head or reaching to get food. The place was crowded. That, and the food was kind of salty. BUT STILL GREAT!
THe Komodo staff was extremely nice [and there were a few pieces of eye candy] and they certainly kept the food comin’ non-​stop.
Congrats to Ty D for winning the grand prize of catering from the Komodo Truck for 20 people. I was #007, he was #008 — you lucked out buddy!
All in all, the night was AWESOME!!!

I am appreciate of the folks at Komodo for arranging this event with Katie B. However, I was not impressed with the venue. I felt so claustrophobic in the back space.
So initially, we lined up to get our wristbands and our name tags at the front of the store. Then, we were directed to go to the back in the dark alley. There was an obnoxious bouncer who rudely asked us to show the wristband. He was so adamant about his lame job that he couldn’t read our ginormous name tags that say Unilocal!Elite on them.
The entrance of this launch party was defined by two lunch trucks. The people at Komodo were hanging out little bite snacks. I was able to try some bacon wrapped dates, some tomato basil cheese infusion, and a piece of shrimp. Those items were okay and cold. I was also able to same some Honest Tea which I have had before along with a shake from King Kone. (I thought that name was unique)
However, it was too crowded. Also, I am not going to wait in a ginormous line for fries and a small serving of meatballs.

Thanks Komodo, Katie and Christina
Komodo launch party was a lot of fun full of lots of Unilocalers, lots of food, prizes, music and good times. It was really great seeing people I haven’t seen sense last year.
All that was missing was some booze, unfortunately I left my flask at home.
Remember people its better to bring your flask and not need it then forget it and be screwed.

I haven’t been to a Unilocal Elite event in way too long (thanks to work enslaving me and taking me away from such awesome events like this one). Thankfully I put my foot down and hauled butt out here yesterday!
Yes, parking was redonk. At first I pondered buying an egg roll from Fu’s so I could park there without guilt. Eventually, after circling around for awhile, I just parked there anyway (shh…don’t tell and don’t try this unless you’re in a rush to get some free food into a grumbling tummy).
It was definitely crazy crowded. I’m sure I accidentally (and perhaps in some instances not so accidentally) groped someone. But hey when Unilocal calls… the Elite will come. I haven’t been to an event yet where the # of people far outnumber the actual allowed capacity so I figured par for the course (although it would be great if some of these events weren’t so sardine packed).
Food was flowing thanks to Komodo (the food itself was rather standard though in my opinion). People were hamming it up in the photo booth. Honest Tea kept the Peach Mango tea in full force. NeoClassics had some cool shirts up (albeit not free and at $ 15 a pop). And Big Kone gave out some delectable looking ice cream goodies… if you were lucky enough to get the early freebies. If you were like me you just stared at those massive ice cream sandwiches while cursing LA traffic and parking for making me miss out on imbibing a day’s worth of calories in one delicious scoop of ice cream.
At the end of the day — when you combine great people with a love of food with free food, music and drink… you get a 5 star event with a very excited me looking forward to the next one!

This review is for 03/​16/​2011 (Also a duplicate review which can be found at: (
). My second Unilocal Event EVER!!! I can now add Cirque Berzerk and Komodo Launch Party Elite Event to my Unilocal record books. Being a Unilocal Elitist means more than just having fun, it means you have to have passion to write about places you visit. This event felt like everyone was about writing stories to their reviews. I guess you can say this is the modern day critic. Komodo… TIME TO REVIEW YOU!
The Komodo Launch Party starts at 8pm, but with traffic on the 405, I decided to leave a bit earlier. Perhaps I came in too early, but I did find parking. Parking may be a little of a pain. There is paid parking in the back, but not a lot of spaces. If you park in the residential area, the streets are small and one car can pass through at a time. I found a perfect parking spot across Komodo in a residential street.
I arrived at 7pm and there were 3 Elitist in front of me. Brian, Lindsey, and Anna. Pleasure to meet more networks of Unilocal Elitists. We got along pretty well since its, technically, my first time meeting other Unilocal Elitists. Initially, I was thinking we were going to all be hanging out in the front of the store. The interior of the front would not fit ~150 Unilocal Elitists, but it was just for checking in. The front of the store is more of a pickup and go. I am not sure if there would be any tables, but the opening is not until next week.
Our Unilocal LA Boss, Katie B. came out and told us to register, get our wristbands, and head to the back. I was the fourth person in line, but I wish I was the eighth… Tell you reason later… When I walked to the back the Party just BEGUN!!! The infamous Komodo Truck and King Kone were there and a bunch of other VIPs. First thing, I did was get Lindsey, Anna, and Brian take some photos at the Project PhotoBooth before it got too crowded. Thanks Project PhotoBooth for coming by!
After that, I headed straight to the Komodo Truck. While waiting in line, the Komodo Servers were walking by with plates of food. The first thing I tried was the Tuna on Cucumber. It didn’t have any flavor, but it was nice and cold. Maybe my palette died somewhere in the past. As I got to the Komodo Truck, they were offering Spicy Meatballs and Truffle Fries. The wait for the food was about 7 – 8 minutes since there were a lot of guests. I got my 3 Spicy Meatballs and Truffle Fries. The Spicy Meatballs were good, but quite salty. The Truffle Fries were amazing. I was not sure what was on the Truffle Fries, but I, initially, thought it was Parmesan cheese.
I waited in another line with Brian for King Kone’s Ice Cream. I am not sure if King Kone capped how many scoops were free, but I got my Strawberry and Crème Ice Cream on a cone. The vanilla ice cream was great as usual, but the powder from the strawberry tasted like I was eating flavorful sand, but it took me awhile to finish. It took me awhile to finish it…(LOOK AT PHOTOS)…lol.
More FOOD kept coming out. My favorite food out of all of them was the Honey Bacon Wrapped Dates. I thought they were hot dogs, but the dates tasted even better. The one food I was a little mixed on was the Marinated Pork on Skewers. It was a bit chewy or what Ty said, «Gamey» I had two servings of it, but it took a little used to. My second favorite behind the Bacon Wrapped Dates was the crab cakes with the curry sauce. That was freaking HOT and DELICIOUS!
Food kept coming out like crazy… like I was in the Twilight Zone. I saw these hors d’oeuvres of tomato with mozzarella cheese. It almost reminded me of Caprese Salad, just on a toothpick. It was pretty dang good. More plates kept coming out and it was just CRAZY. I am on my diet and this was not helping, but it was worth it.
I think it was 9:30pm when our Boss Katie B. started the raffle. This is where I should have come in a little bit late comes in. The Grand Prize was inviting 20 Friends to a special catering done by Komodo. My number was #4. The first # they called was #9, but no one answered. My new FRIEND, Ty kept shouting out #8 and then they said #8. TY won the Grand Prize of the night. CONGRATULATIONS TY!!!
This event was amazing and I hope to meet more new friends and Elitists to start something new. What a night… met Katie B, met the Komodo owner, Eric, took photos with Project PhotoBooth, met with some guys from NeoClassic, but I forgot to try the Honest Tea. Sorry Honest Tea, I’ll try you next time. It was a great pleasure to meet with Brian, Lindsey, Anna, Ty, Philip, Unilocal Boss Katie, Eric, and everyone in between. We got more memories to make and this is just the beginning… Unilocal Elites will unite once again.
The Unilocal Universe. Where are you traveling today?

Before I begin, let me first start by saying how comfortable I felt being in a crowd of ppl who were taking photos of their foods and the event:) So Unilocal Elites of you guys! :)
First and foremost, a BIG Thank You to Katie B. for organizing a great launch party for Komodo. Awesome sponsors as well– the DJ provided awesome sounds (felt like we were at a club and we was ready to dance! Holla for playing BBD!); Project PhotoBooth (but I still don’t like my picture because I had food inside my mouth!) & the King Kone truck.
Considering the limited amount of space, it was indeed a great turn out. Yes… It was packed! As we waited what felt like hours towards the Komodo truck, it was worth the wait to taste their parm fries & meatballs with romesco sauce. But before my gf & I parked our legs on this long a$$ line, we were able to grub some marinated pork on skewers (YUM) and grabbed some Honest Tea (Organic Peach flavored Tea was heaven).
There was also another food tray that came our way with salmon sushi & masago … UGH… :(one of my favs and I could not sample it since I am giving up rice for Lent :/​It looked really good tho. Anyway, before the nights end, I also tried their bacon wrapped dates (YUM) & bruschetta (super YUM). However, we were disappointed we were not able to sample King Kone’s ice cream:/
A great night for everyone Im sure. Thx to my gf who by the way, is a four years in a row Elite and came out tonight for her first Elite event! Whoot whoot! And awesome Komodo staff especially to one of their bouncers who kept us very well entertained. I don’t recall his name but he certainly gave me my non-​alcoholic buzz for the evening! hahaha…
Good luck to Komodo’s opening day next week. May you have great success!

This was a good event.
Parking wasn’t too hard for me to find since I knew the area… and knew where to park.
There wasn’t too long of a wait in line.
This event was held outdoors in the parking lot behind the restaurant. There were two trucks serving food, a booth for honest tea, and a booth with cookies and cupcake. Also, there were tons of servers walking around with plates of shrimp, satay, grilled cheese sandwiches, sushi, tuna tartar, and I forget what else.
Most of the food was okay. I liked the sushi rolls. I wish they would have had menus for the restaurant out so we could see what the prices were going to be.
The event was fun. The music was pretty good.
The photobooth was easy to get into. First time at an event, where there wasn’t a line at all. Although, I think most of the pictures came out blurry. And, depending on where you stood, you came out either too pink, or too purple.
But I had fun! Thanks for organizing a kick ass event Christina! Katie!

I’m probably the only one that wasn’t there for the food. (say wha!?!)
Yeah, I just wanted to hang out with Project Photobooth all evening because I figured that the guest list was smaller than most elite events, might as well take advantage while I can! Boy am I glad that I ran into familiar Unilocalers who would pose with me, as well as make new friends.
The «block party» concept behind Komodo was a fun idea! I didn’t experience the King Kone food truck but I got in the Komodo food truck line while it was still short. They were only offering meatballs and fries which meant french fries for me! Bonus points for the last piece of bruschetta that was passed around on the food trays. Btw, the Komodo staff was on it! Food trays were circulating abundantly!
The event seemed «crowded» but it was a smaller crowd for sure. I actually like that limited people were on the list and that we didn’t have +1’s. It gave me a chance to get to know other Unilocalers better. I arrived with Philip N. but I also got to spend time and ambush the photobooth with Emily S. and Jeanie C. among many others.
Speaking of, I photo crashed a group of TEN girls worshiping ONE guy. Sorry I didn’t get all of your names but thank you for letting me be in your photo. Jenny B. invited me :)
Quick shoutout to Honest Tea for keeping us hydrated and to the DJ for keeping a chill but dancey beat!
Thank you Komodo, Christina Y., Katie B., and Unilocal Interns for working so hard to organize these awesome gatherings! I’ll be back to Komodo for sure to try their Soi Tacos!

The brand new venue is a little on the small side, but very contemporary and clean. I attended the private grand opening party of theirs and I was happy to see so many excited and happy faces in line trying to get in.
It’s near the corner of Clark and Pico so parking is a little touch and go… I’d try the «you wait in the car while I order» concept… imo.
The food was just as delicious as the cuisine found on the truck. Lots of quirky new items and flavors to try. If you’re in the area, you must stop by!

Even though my Unilocal Elite Buds were wait listed for this event and didn’t make it in (and no plus ones allowed), I still had a blast flying solo for the night.
Glad I got there early since I hit the Komodo and King Kone truck lines before the line got humongous. The parm fries and meatballs were great. Loved the Chocolate Oreo Mint shake from King Kone.
Komodo servers with the appetizer trays kept coming from Komodo’s kitchen, which was awesome. My fav appetizers (in order of best) were the bacon wrapped dates, spicy ahi tuna on cucumbers, crab cakes, parm fries and meatballs. The Komodo servers were great. Very nice and friendly.
Ran into a couple of my LBC friends Andrea and Erin V, which was great. And met several new Buds like Ryan M., Brian (from the Miracle Mile), Philip N (from SD), Andrew, Olivia and her friend… I apologize for not remembering your name. Always great to see the YEA with the mostest… Katie B and Christina Y… missed seeing Hazel Q at this event.
This was the first YEE that I attended that was a «dry» event. Yup that’s right, no alcohol. I have to admit, at first I missed having an alcoholic beverage… but once I had a milk shake from King Kone, I didn’t miss it at all.
And to top it off… I won the Grand Prize for the evening! Thank you ticket #9 for not being there! And believe it or not… my ticket #8 was called next! Woohoo! Thanks YEBFF Debbie W (who didn’t make the cut for tonight’s event) for mentioning to me that I had to stay for the raffle! My Grand Prize… Catered Komodo event for 20 guests! So can’t wait!
A big Thank You shout out to Komodo and King Cone… and Christina Y and Katie B for putting on this fun event!

*** Ugh, I hate to be the party pooper but … ***
Komodo’s offerings really ain’t all that. (0_​o)
I sampled four items tonite at their launch:
1. Salmon sushi … 1
2. Fried mushrooms … 2
3. Bacon wrapped dates … 4
4. Grilled cheese concoction … 4
It is hard to go wrong w/​cheese & bacon.
Asian fusion is a very difficult to do well imo.
*** Komodo is more like Asian Con-​Fusion. ***

While Harmonie T and I are perfecting our Beyonce poses behind the scenes before we unleash it on the Unilocal world, we did some spontaneous Reno 911 and Mr Potato head posing today at the fun Project Photobooth with help from Jeanie C (
).
And yes, even though this was a dry event, I still love it. I’m a fan of Honest Tea and now a fan of Komodo. So much food! I rarely say ‘no’ to food but after having two to three go at everything, I couldn’t take more yummy (especially you skewers and tuna tartar).
What did I love most about this event?
Meeting all the Unilocal Elite Event virgins. I met like 6 of you. Two years of being Elite and not having gone to any events? I gasped. My old, but Olay-​youthed-​out butt drove from SD. Okay, maybe it’s not so bad you weren’t addicted before today.
But I’m glad you finally came to one and are looking forward to more! I’m up for a friendly RSVP battle.
Thank you Christina Y, Katie B and all staff, DJ, volunteers/​sponsors, and King Kone.
PS
Glad the interns got the night off. Only 4 more nights until their IYE. Good luck!