Yelping in Wonderland Yelper Party @ Marbles Kids Museum

When I walked into through the doors I could not believe my eyes. It was the biggest, baddest, and most elaborate Unilocal party I have ever seen with my own eyes. I know every year it has gotten bigger, but this year, it was the size of all of the past events combined.
There was plenty to see at this event as all of them. They had great entertainment from the AcroEntertainment. They will never cease to amaze you as they come up with new performances all the time. The DJ was great and provided good music for the entire night.
As far as food, they had food as far as the stomach could see. Many of the local restaurants from around town that were participating in Triangle Restaurant Week came out to showcase their goods. There was everything from appetizers, entrees, all the way to dessert. There was soo much food the hardest time was trying to figure out what to eat before your stomach exploded.
Once you finished eating, there was different choices of tasty beverages to choose from. Trust me, there was no way you would end up parched from thirst at this event.
I really did enjoy the photo booth event also. They had props to go along your photos so that everybody would have a unique picture.
This was also a food drive, so everybody brought some canned goods, and there were tons of food collected.
I keep telling my friends that they have to start Unilocaling and come out to the events. This was the Unilocal event of the year. It was so great, I can’t wait to see what happens next year.

What a beautiful sight in the parking garage: dozens of folks dressed to the nines in funny hats toting canned goods! People driving by didn’t have a clue as to what was happening. Non-​yelper guests didn’t either. Curiouser and curiouser.
Knowing the caliber of Unilocal parties, I walked in expecting to be blown away. Mission accomplished. The turnout of the restaurants was excellent. When Sullivan’s ran out of steak, they gave us a card for a complimentary burger… just for waiting in line! There were opportunities to sign up to win free food or get info on restaurants I didn’t even know existed. If you had the watermelon finger sandwich with poprocks, you know what I mean when I say, «Damn. That was so weird. I feel so alive right now.»
That DJ was tighter than the spandex on those amazing acro entertainers. I definitely felt like I was in wonderland. I wasn’t planning on going out for restaurant week, but I am now! ( Unilocal makes boys ask girls to eat good food. Thanks Unilocal!) I also got a couple non-​yelpers to join the Unilocalside so that they can be on the know side of «how we do.» Don’t even get me started on the photo booth…
Christina, my dear, you’ve done it again. ;) Great work, team Unilocal

Great Time at the Unilocal party! Our first event. Bring me free food and drinks and that is what I call a party. Met some of my fellow elite Unilocaling friends for the first time. It was great to meet you and if we aren’t friends yet be sure to friend me now! YOU know who you are out there.
The organizers did a wonderful job and I want to thank you for all you do. And thanks to all who provided food! It was excellent.

Oh what merry makin’ fun was had at this my very first Unilocal event! I don’t know what could have made it any better than it was as it seemed like every detail was thought of and taken care of by Christina and her staff — a million thank you’s, we really had such a memorable time!
The food — was excellent! What a fantastic variety to choose from and such friendly vendors! Now I have a new list of local restauarants to visit that I’d not heard of before and others that were on the list already! Sullivan’s was so generous with their portions of melt in your mouth surf and turf that it’s left me dreaming of it ever since!
The music was rockin’ and so was the DJ. If you weren’t having fun yet you only had to take a glacé at him to remind you it was party time!
The drinks — great variety and thanks for even having something sugar free!
The desserts — OMG so many delectible delights to choose from! Chocolate fountains make me scream, but even peanut butter — who knew??!
I even learned (well sort of) how to play roulette with the help of a very patient instructor and even won a pile of chips!
Loved all the Unilocal swag too! Cool variety and the lip balm tastes like PEZ!
We didn’t make it to the photo booth, but loved seeing all the pictures that captured the entire event so well. We can’t wait to join in the fun again!
Thank you again — you did an amazing job!

I was REALLY surprised! This was my first «official» Unilocaler party, so i had no idea what to expect. I prepared by eating half a sandwich (yes, I’m guilty of being a pre-​eater) because I thought there would be tiny hors d’oeuvres — and I am a ravaging, angry monster when I’m hungry. The party did not let me down!
My boyfriend and I entered in our «silly» hats, and were warmly greeted by Unilocaler staff. Let me tell you, it was so AWESOME to have an hour of exclusivity before the public bombarded the food and booze lines.
We entered the «food cave» and scouted out Mantra to try out the local Indian cuisine. I tried almost everything, but the Chicken Tikka Masala took the cake! It was so delicious that my mouth was watering while I was frantically drowning my naan in its scrumptious sauce. The tomato & goat cheese crostinis from Little Hen were OUT of this WORLD! I’m traditionally not a fan of goat cheese, but I gobbled that crostini down like there was no tomorrow! The medium-​rare slices of steak from Sullivan’s were DELISH, as well as the GIANT shrimp! It was such a treat to try their food! I shared a bacon, chicken, and blue cheese sandwich from The Market with my boyfriend. According to him, it was the most simple and well-​executed appetizer at the event — especially due to the local ingredients.
The New Belgium bartender was awesome and suggested the seasonal «Somersault» beer to accompany our loaded plates of Indian cuisine — it did not disappoint! The «Mad Housewife» wine reps were especially warm and the lady rep was SO cute in her vintage dress (she was a self-​proclaimed «housewife», but without the madness).
The duo chocolate/​peanut butter fountain was fantabulous! My first «fondue» experience — believe me, I properly coated my marshmallow in liquid peanut butter. I also sampled a mini cheesecake from Sugar Buzz, and it was melt-​in-​your-​mouth, sinful good. Yum!
The DJ was on par and the photo booth was a cool touch — especially for the souvenir pictures! Sadly, I couldn’t convince my boyfriend to get his face painted — lame! The acrobat entertainers were a blast to watch, and I absolutely loved seeing all of the costumes & pretty sundresses!
Kudos to Christina and the fellow Unilocal staff for putting together SUCH a WONDERFUL event! Y’all are awesome!

From the delicious food and tasty drinks to the impressive performers and the gorgeous crowd, this was an amazing night on the town.
Hats off to Christina and all of the vendors for an absolutely WONDERful event!

Wonderful event for Unilocal Elite and the other Unilocal «commoners». The food and entertainment were top-​notch, even exceeding my already high expectations.
In particular my Alice in Wonderland hat goes off to Sullivan’s for bringing their A-​Game spread with the steak, potato salad and shrimp. Also a big thanks to Christina G. for organizing such a splendid event! I know it wasn’t easy putting this together, but it was well worth the effort as all of these 5-​star reviews will attest to!

Children’s Museums are fun. While we weren’t able to partake in the museum’s wares, we were able to have a lot of fun.
The vendors were excellent: Mantra pretty much offered dinner in one fell swoop, I learned how to play craps (not play well mind you, just play), the chocolate fountain place had a chocolate fountain, and the acrobats were amazing.
This was an awesome event, and Christina et. al did an excellent job putting everything together.

This party was beyond amazing. Christina once again you have outdone yourself. This was my first annual Unilocaler party and I’d already like to fast forward to next year’s.
My first thought walking in was how blown away I was with all of the food vendors who came out for the occasion. Everything was incredible and I was in way over my head and couldn’t even think where to start. The Somersault IPA was amazing, and so was the Crispin original cider. I seemed to forget it was a Sunday night as I visited each booth twice…
The food was incredible as well, so much to choose from and everything I had was so delicious, I definitely found restaurants I will now be visiting thanks to their samples. My two favorites were the tikka massala from Mantra, the general tso’s chicken from Five Star, but everything was so great and the samples were a complete meal in itself.
The desserts were the most sensational of all. The Chocolate Boutique brought the most beautiful chocolate and peanut butter fountain, complete with pretzels, strawberries and marshmallows, the red velvet cupcakes from Sugarbuzz were to die for. I also had some cake balls, champagne chocolate truffles, and cream puffs to make for a very satisfied sweet tooth.
The entertainment was top notch. The DJ played a great mix of top 40s and throwbacks, the performers from Acro Entertainment totally rocked, and the photo booth was so much fun, I visited it several times and totally rocked different props each time.
Many came out and supported this great event, and it was awesome to help out such a great cause as the Food Bank of NC. I mean seriously two cans of food for that amazing party? I’ll take it. I was happy to see so many sporting festive hats and having a great time. I cannot wait until next year! Thanks again Christina for an amazing party!
The only downside, narrowing down where to actually go for TRW. sigh…

I tip my hat to our CM who in working with all the vendors and Marbles Kids Museum put together an AWESOME annual Unilocal Open party, wonderful! A Unilocal party of truly an amazing stature, you always bring it!
A lot of people seems to enjoy the theme by wearing their festive (some very festive) hatwear as well as dressing up to match. I’m glad we helped such a wonderful cause as the Food Bank, nearly a ton of canned goods collected and donations as well… that rocks. A small donation for some Unilocal swag? Yes, please.
The food, beer, wine, and drink vendors were great. Sampling all the food and drink was a meal unto itself, I dare say no one left unsatisfied with all the food types represented from steakhouse to Indian fare to cajun and all in between. The dessert samples, wow, phenomenal. The photo booth and face painting were busy with lines all night, sure indicators of hits with the crowd. The DJ, he was awesome, great tunes all night to enjoy with our food and drink! The entertaining performers kept the crowds attention as well, good job. And casino night fun kept a good part of the party goers engaged all night.
Bottom line: Party was A++, thank you again for a wonderful event to share!

Ahh, the annual Unilocal Open Party and can you imagine a better location than the Marbles Kids Museum? Jingle Ball, a holiday party run by a committee is thrown at Marbles and Christina’s Unilocal Open Party was equally impressive. And handled all by our singular and lovely CM (insert applause).
Up front, enjoyed all the booths and tables full of Unilocal shwag and more. Loved the fact that we could donate a bit of food and do some good in addition to enjoying ourselves. Further in the dessert and drink tables began. Loved the cream-​filled mini cupcakes and the chocolate fountain from the chocolate Factory and oh yeah, the cake pops from Sugar Buzz. Beer from Fat Tire and vino from the ever-​present, Mad Housewife (thanks Keri!) And inside my favorites were the tenderloin sandwiches from Sullivans and of course, ALL the food from Mantra Indian (thanks Gamer!)
Michael Casey again, dazzled Unilocalers with his sleight of hand, damn he is good. And fast… The Acro-​dance company twirled their way around the crowd and suspended in the air. And the whole of Marbles Kid Museum was perfect for the silly hats worn by the Unilocal crowd. Overall an awesome and impressive event by the Triangle Unilocal team! I hope you’re getting some well-​earned rest this week because you put on one helluva party Sunday night.

What a fun, well-​thought-​out event! We thoroughly enjoyed our Mad Hatter/​White Rabbit selves. Especially loved meeting fellow Unilocalers! Big thanks to all the hard-​working folks and the generous vendors. The food was fabulous! We were happy to donate a couple bags of food, and to make a monetary donation (which we were generously rewarded by Unilocal for with cool swag) Hope the Food Bank benefited well from this fun event!

This event was amazing and went above and beyond my expectations! I got to try Crispin Cider for the first time, Mad Housewife Wine, Five Star Crab Rangoon and FINALLY learned how to play Craps thanks to Absolute Casino Live! I was KILLING IT too! Too bad it wasn’t real $$$. ;)
Thank you, Christina G., for putting together an awesome event! You rock!

My first Unilocal event was an affair to remember, delighting all of my senses (even my spider sense). Waiting outside of marbles, the crowd was enveloped by a steady stream of bubbles as ladies in fascinators and fellows in jaunty chapeaus gathered… I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Royal Wedding seeing all the folks in their finery.
We were some of the first Unilocalers through the door, so my buddy and I were lucky enough to miss out on most of the lines that a few folks faced later in the evening. Even if there hadn’t been signs by the cupcakes and cake balls suggesting «Eat Me», I would’ve been happy to do so. The margarita cake ball from Jenny’s, my first nibble of the evening, set the night off right (almost as good as a real margarita!) When we entered the casino and food room, we were overwhelmed with the aromas of Indian, Cajun, American, Chinese, and Farm-​to-​Fork foods from all over the Triangle.
Standouts included: Succulent shrimp from Sullivan’s, warm naan and chicken tikka masala from Mantra, savory red beans & rice from The Big Easy, and (the MVP of my night) the crostini with organic goat cheese, tomato, and bacon from The Little Hen. If the rest of their menu is anything like that bite, Holly Springs has a major contender in their midst! The chocolate fountain from The Chocolate Boutique made for the perfect ending to the meal (is it really an ending if you keep going back for one more peanut butter covered strawberry or dark chocolate covered pretzel?)
The ladies from AcroEntertainment were some of the most entertaining entertainment I could imagine, and mine wasn’t the only mouth agape watching their bodies twist and turn as they supported each other in mind boggling manners. We didn’t have a chance to partake in the photobooth and face painting, but I was very impressed by both, having seen the fruits of their labor on my friends’ faces and in their hands.
The DJ rocked Marbles more than I imagine it’s been rocked in the past, and kept our toes tapping and booties shaking all evening. I wish we could’ve stayed into the wee hours of the night. Bravo to the Unilocal team, and Christina especially, for a party well-​thrown.

This was our first Unilocal event and we had a great time! We got to try so much great food and I left with a full and happy stomach. I especially loved the food from Mantra (all of it that I tried) as well as the steak from Sullivan’s, the goat cheese bruschetta from Little Hen and the crab rangoon from Five Star! Unfortunately we were too full to try all of the restaurant offerings, but everything looked awesome as we walked around. We will definitely be making some future trips to try a few of the restaurants we sampled from tonight!
We did, however, make room for the sweets and absolutely loved the cake pops from Sugar Buzz bakery (Josh and I may have gotten more than one of these…). The chocolates from the Chocolate Boutique were amazing and the chocolate fountain was very cool also (although we did not sample from this).
Josh especially enjoyed the casino games and the free-​flowing New Belgium beers and Crispin Cider. I enjoyed my vitamin water and we both had a lot of fun with the fun accessories in the photo booth. There seemed to be fun entertainment for everyone, from the face painting to the magician to the acrobats. It was a great event and we truly appreciated the opportunity to attend. Marbles was a very fun venue for the event and everything went far beyond my expectations. I can’t wait for the next party!

‘Hats Off’ to Christina and Damon for putting on a twisted good time at Marbles! All of my senses were fully engaged at this event. The sights; the sounds. The only thing missing were the elephants. Wait, there might have been some. I could have missed it.
There was a fantastic selection of food and quite a few restaurants I hadn’t heard of before. I was tickled to be introduced to a few gluten-​free bakeries and some really yummy places to add to my dining bucket list in Durham. Go Dirty-​D!
The fabric aerobats and contortonists are always a hit and the DJ… he gave away all his business cards he was so good. I was dancing by myself and didn’t care who was watching.
I also half way learned how to play craps. Their was an especially patient dealer there who explained the rules to me at least 25 times. I think I have it… oh, I still don’t, but I loved trying to learn!
Oh, and the photobooth pics… for the kids at heart. Added a few choice pix of me and my +1 for my collection. Good times!
All of this… not just for my culinary enjoyment, but for a good cause. I look forward to hearing how much food was donated
This must be just like UnilocalING in Wonderland… and I didn’t want to go home.
Alas… back to reality.

«There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it: You need to be as mad as a hatter… [picks up his hat] which luckily I am.» — Mad Hatter, «Alice in Wonderland» 2010
Sure, you might have expected Johnny Depp to show up tonight, but only to get someone much less handsome/​mad (and much more Asian); in my defense, I did have an impressive outfit! Also, Cassandra from Character Paints showed up tonight to help everyone getting into the festive mode; my Mad Hatter appearance could not be perfect if it wasn’t for her brilliant artistic brush.
This is a party that everyone has been expected for months, both for Unilocalers and for general public, and what a great turn out for today. It is very reassuring to know I’m not the only one silly enough to get all worked out about theme parties and costumes.
You know what else impressed me the most? Those cupcakes! Did you see them? Oh, I did try to contain myself not to hog all of them; however, those little bites of marshmallow and strawberries from Chocolate Boutique? They put up valiant fight, but still I dipped them in the chocolate fountain bath and devoured whole. Thankfully Mad Housewife and New Belgium were easily accessible, because I wasn’t a fan of the wait to get some sustenance, even though some major heavy hitter restaurants showed up with their great offering. This watermelon wedge sandwich topped with poprock thing did have me going back for seconds.
Even though there was no contest, therefore no award, for being the best dresser tonight, I did however walked away with quite a few awesome items: The Cheshire Cat (fondant?) décor from Jenny’s Cupcakery (Thank you ladies!) The Tour de Fat poster from New Belgium (Thanks Ranger!) and a promotional poster for the Amazing Spider-​man, which screen here at IMAX Theater @ Marble *glee*

What makes a better party than a glamorous spread of the finest food and drink in Raleigh, acrobats flipping from the ceiling on yards of fabric ribbons, elaborate face painting, a comical photo booth and the queen of hearts sweeping through the crowd batting her outrageously fabulous eyelashes? Nothing, I tell you. And Unilocaling in Wonderland was one heck of a party!
The kickoff of Triangle Restaurant week was a hit with the best of the best restaurants and bakeries sharing their delectable delights. The music was hopping, free popcorn was popping, and the costumed Unilocalers were in fine form!
Best of all, the event benefited the Food Bank! Unilocalers brought 2 cans for admission and were more than happy to give $ 5 for unlimited Unilocal Swag.
Two thumbs up to Unilocaling in Wonderland — truly a fun and delicious evening! Looking forward to trying some fabulous restaurants this week…

Bf and I had a blast attending our first Unilocal party! We are always looking for a rocking good time in downtown Raleigh full of swag, good food, and (free) drinks! It was also a bonus that we could dress up because costumes are fun.
As soon as we walked in the door, we dropped off our cans for the NC Food Bank and donated $ 5 to get ourselves some sweet Unilocal gear! Love the sunglasses, but LOVE the Koozies the most since we immediately put them to use holding our New Belgium Shift and Somersault. Adam was a great rep from New Belgium and was a blast to talk to.
The only thing I was looking out for the entire time was recycling. There were so many beer cans going straight into the trash. I did an entire lap around before finally throwing our cans away. Of course, when we headed out the door, we found the one bin by the museum entrance. Please provide more bins for recycling, Unilocal!:)
We were lucky to hit up the food without having to wait in a single line, which was nice because we could spend most of the party walking around, taking it all in. Bf loved Sullivan’s and Blue Mango while I partook in Mantra’s Indian Cuisine. We also both went back for seconds to Little Hen for the mozzarella and tomato bruschetta with candied bacon (the chef did a better job describing it than I just did). Chocolate covered strawberries from The Melting Pot were a delicious treat. AND I won their raffle for free dinner for 2 during Triangle Restaurant Week, so I have to throw in an extra shout-​out to them. Thanks Melting Pot!
Other great treats included Laugh Out Loud’s photo booth (never had pictures printed from one, so that was a new thing for me), cheesecake and cream puff bites from Sugar Buzz Bakery Café, and $ 2-​off coupons from IMAX @ Marbles. I almost forgot about the casino tables. We had the best guy because he gave us an excellent tutorial for how to play roulette (with fake moolah, but that’s OK because we lost eventually anyways).
All in all, this was a fabulous Wonderland bash, and we were so happy to attend. Thanks Christina!

Hats off to all the fantastic Unilocal Mad Hatters! Glad to see so many choose to participate with the theme. Lots of great and creative fashions using the Alice in Wonderland themes — and a few other creative hats and fashion choices. (I was the «Political Mad Hatter»!)
Now this was a party! Face painting, a photo booth, and some fabulous entertainment! Enjoyed my lesson in how to play roulette, where I left after winning over $ 500 in imaginary money. (Where is this luck when I visit Vegas?)
Shall we talk FOOD? First I indulged in desserts from cupcakes to crème puffs to the chocolate fountain. Then after the sugar buzz died down a little a went to the other room and drooled over all the wonderful selections. I went with those great selections presented by Sullivan’s Steakhouse.
My only regret is that I didn’t bring my Nikon and had to rely on my phone camera to capture images of the event.
I appreciate all those that had a hand in putting together such a great event. Everything ran flawlessly, which could not have happened without a lot of planning and hard work by many people. Christina, you created a wonderful event and were once again the most pleasant and gracious hostess. We are fortunate to have you as our Unilocal leader here in the Triangle.