UYE Esteban’s Happy Hour- Sierra Gold

First off, I want to say that Michael T and Donna are both incredibly kind and welcoming people, and they are terrific representatives for our community. That said, they can’t be everywhere at once, and I think more needs to be done as a group to welcome in newcomers or visitors at events like these. At the last Happy Hour I attended I mentioned that I thought UYEs should use name tags, since at the time I wasn’t sure who was involved with our event, and nobody was introducing themselves, so I just kind of sat at the bar and watched. I saw this happening again at Sierra Gold. As one large group of regulars started forming around one table, others kept leaving the table they were at to join them until the gathering was basically one large table of talking friends with a few outliers wondering what to do. There were actually two brand new Unilocalers sitting behind me, and I didn’t even realize it until I heard Donna approach them to introduce herself. I wish I had just turned around and asked them… hey! are you here for Unilocal?so that we could have spent more time together, but I didn’t, because I am an introvert who becomes very uncomfortable in situations like this. I fully realize that this is my issue as an introvert, but look… we can’t all be extroverts who are comfortable in a party environment amongst people we don’t know that well, and in my experience, there seem to be a lot of introverts in our community. So maybe we could start being more careful to be inclusive? If somebody new shows up, maybe ask for everyone’s attention and introduce them to the group? Consider nametags, which makes it more comfortable to approach a stranger? Maybe make more of an effort not to clique up with the people we already know?
As for the venue, I liked it a lot. Their Happy Hour is generous, the service was friendly and on point, and the patio is a great place to hang out. I would be interested in coming back here during the winter to experience that huge fire pit! My junk food was filling and fun (Sloppy Tots), and overall I would definitely be willing to come back here again. Thanks, Donna, for bringing us here and for continuing Esteban’s legacy.

Thank you Donna for an AWESOME, fun filled UYE in honor of Esteban!
Donna was awesome enough to reserve the outdoor patio for our Unilocalers. It included a fire pit, high riser tables, as well as regular tables and chairs. It was the perfect place to accommodate everyone!
Once everyone had arrived, I was so excited how big this event had become! Several new faces came! I brought my sweet friend Rachel F, who in turn brought her friend Stacy and husband Brad!
Our waitress, Rebecca, was attentive, and thorough. She wrote down by name what everyone ordered and split everyone’s check.
Overall, it was so nice to catch up with everyone I hadn’t seen in awhile! What a great location to pick! 50% off pizzas drinks and select appetizers! Good job Donna!

Donna always throws the best events. Doesn’t matter if it’s something small, like a BBQ at her house, to a very cool UYE.
This event was held at Sierra Gold in South Reno. I worked til 5, and once I got there the outside patio was packed. There was plenty of room to allow everyone to sit and visit comfortably.
I ordered a drink, and our waitress (Rebecca) split everyone’s order by name. This was smart, otherwise it’s a shuffle when everyone tries to leave.
For food we ordered 2 pizzas to share. We got the gilroy, and the Italian. We had never ordered the Italian before but it was good. I would get it next time again.
Brad f decided to order the sloppy tots, which were also good. Tater tots with cheese, onion, bell pepper, and sauce.
Nice weather, nice atmosphere, good friends. Great Monday night. Thanks Donna for another great time.

It was a fun night meeting some new folks. Thanks to Donna S. for the invite. We hope to make it back to another event in the future. Sierra Gold did a good job at the event, service was prompt and sorry, but I loved their attire.

Ah! I had such a fun time at this event and not to mention it was my first ever Unilocal event! I got to see my friends and of course meet new ones that were so fun and interesting to talk to. I loved that right when I walked into the room I was greeted with open arms! I love happy hours so to be able to do it with great people is even better! Now I wasn’t around when Esteban was still here but I heard such great things about him and even got to take a picture with him!
The food at Sierra Gold is always good and we always get good service. We share the Gilroy pizza and the Italian which seemed to be a huge hit and I will order again next time! We also ordered the messy tots which looked and tasted amazing they were covered in cheese, onion, peppers and chili! YUMMY!
We sat out on the patio and talked for hours, learned about one another and networked. I really loved this event and can’t wait to attend many more!

Thank you Donna S. for a great event! You combined three of my favorite things into one evening: Happy Hours + Awesome People + Close to Home/​Work Venue = WIN!
We had a great time meeting fellow Unilocalers, enjoying ½ off drinks and the $ 5 appetizers on the patio. It was warm, but comfortable since we were out of the sun. Our server, Becca, was a rockstar. She not only kept the checks separate, but she remembered names and who was in each individual party. When my beer came out incorrect, she grabbed me the right one and comped it. I’m looking forward to more of Esteban’s Happy Hours and I wish we could have met him in person, but at least his events will continue!

You guys rock !!! You all made my night!
Last year when Esteban started the Happy Hours I was so excited. They were always places I had never tried, and the drinks and company were always fabulous. Then Esteban moves to Costa Rica– NO !!! Thankfully he left me a list and said go for it. Tonight reminded me of the huge crowd Esteban had at Singer Social Club. We just about filled the entire patio at Sierra Gold. And there were at least 6 Unilocalers I had never met before, and a couple of Unilocalers who just opened their accounts this weekend. Even Karen from Phoenix joined us. It’s all about hanging out with all you great people, thanks to you all for coming.
Sierra Gold’s patio turned out to be a nice choice– very roomy and tremendous weather. Becca, our server was fantastic– separate checks for so many, juggling drinks and food orders. Huge thanks to Becca for making the evening go so smoothly. Sierra Gold has a killer long happy hour and great food and drinks specials. I really recommend you give them a try. All drinks were ½ price, as were the pizzas and there was also a special $ 5 menu that wasn’t small on portions.
Keep an eye out in August for the next spot on Esteban’s list. Come join Esteban and the rest of us… cheers!

I am in Reno for an opera program and boy, it was refreshing to hang out with non-​operatic types tonight! I really enjoyed meeting some Reno Unilocalers and checking out another local establishment. My sliders and fries were really yummy ($ 5 during HH for a large amount of food — I couldn’t finish it all), the patio seating was comfortable and cool, and the company was entertaining. Our server (Rebecca, I believe?) was super sweet and accommodating. While I did not have the privilege of meeting Esteban in person, several Unilocalers introduced me to his photo stand-​in and I must say that this crowd misses you, Esteban! Thanks to Donna for inviting me and organizing this UYE and to all the Unilocalers for making me feel so welcome. :)

July 13, 2015 Monday — 5:00 PM for dinner & drinks
Lots of Unilocalers
Atmosphere — 5 stars
Food — 5 stars
Service — 5 stars
Background — Another Esteban’s Happy Hour and I can make it this one finally. It was pretty close to the office which made it easy.
Atmosphere — We sat on the patio, which is closed off on the three sides. A breeze would have been great.
Food
Drinks — I had the New Belgium Ranger IPA for $ 2.75, which was the price for 16 ounce beer during happy hour.
Dinner — I had the sloppy tots, and that was a meal, okay it was an appetizer. $ 5 was a great happy hour price. I could not eat another bite after that. That was pure bar food and loved every bite.
Service — The waitress worked the area! They did a great job. Splitting bills was not even complicated as they took our names in the beginning.
Future — Love to!

I love the Unilocal Reno community! No seriously, the people are just so fantastic and the events they create for each other are just as amazing. Just take a look at the reviews for Robert’s MBC, Paul’s Beer Club, or Ly’s Coffee Break and you’ll see just how tight this crew is and how wonderful it is to be a Unilocaler in Reno. The genuine relationships are what make it so truly incredible.
And no event exemplifies this genuine bond better than Esteban’s Happy Hour! For those that don’t know, Esteban P, sometimes known as «The Ban», was a big part of the Unilocal Reno community for the past year. Right from the get go Esteban truly embraced the community, and he created this UYE to get out and explore the local scene with the new friends he’d made on Unilocal.
Esteban’s Happy Hours became a traveling circus of sorts, leaving Unilocalers wondering where it would pop up next. Esteban had a knack for picking great local bars for these events, which were always well attended and extremely entertaining, and you can count on Esteban and his GF Sojin to be incredible hosts, greeting everyone with a smile and a big hug.
Unfortunately earlier this year Esteban and Sojin both moved out of the country, leaving a definite void in the community. Donna S and Kemp S were so nice to host the final farewell Happy Hour event at their home, and at the end of the night Donna vowed to carry on the legacy. And carry it on she has!
Tonight was amazing. In true Esteban fashion, this was an event all about getting everyone together, reconnecting old friends and acquainting newcomers with some of the regular faces too! There were almost 30 people there tonight, and stories of The Ban were flowing around the room. To say we miss the guy is an understatement!
It would be easy to think that there’s no way Esteban’s Happy Hour could be the same without Esteban, but Donna has done an absurdly amazing job continuing on this legacy event! She has even found a fun way for us all to be greeted by The Ban’s infectious smile! I credit all of this to the fact that Donna really loves the Unilocal community, much like The Ban and other Unilocalers in Reno.
It’s what makes Unilocal Reno so special, and why I love this community so much! Thank you Donna for carrying this on, thank you Esteban for starting the madness, and thank you to all of the Unilocalers who make this such an amazing community to be a part of!