Gold Badge Elite Event

Marc Murphy of New York’s Landmarc Restaurants regarding online reviews — especially those on Unilocal — which he called «a lot of noise.»
«If I start worrying about that stuff, then that’s another $ 40,000 employee I have to hire to monitor it,» he explained. «I figure if you don’t respond to them, they’re just gonna go away.»
Sidney Reviews a Unilocal Event Part I (Controversial review ahead)
A serious quote I know to start my first Gold Elite event review, but, you will understand for me choosing this one by the end.
The occasion for my first Gold Only Unilocal elite event was a 4 course meal (I guess it was 5 courses but I left before dessert because the dinner dragged on longer than expected) overseen by Proprietor Enzo Rosano, Chef Consultant George Morrone and Executive Chef Ernie Haversack plus their efficient and friendly staff who kept the Prosecco and water flowing. Starting time was 6:30, I was early even from South County, but true starting time was more like 6:45 as others hit the horrible 101 traffic. More on the time factor of this dinner later.
The meal was excellent. My version was:
+ George’s Timeless Tuna Tartare: pine nuts, Asian pear, chiles, sesame oil
+ Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup: with fried sage
+ Gusto Seasonal Salad: red & green romaine, satsumas, cara cara orages, almonds, feta cheese, blood orange vinaigrette
+ Sea Scallop «Spiedini»: cipollini onions, smoked bacon, trumpet mushrooms
+ Nutellino: oven baked Nutella calzone (I missed this part)
You will notice if you read the reviews for this event that some people will review one entrée, others will review all three. That’s because rather then accept an entrée choice and then pass around plates, several Unilocalers actually asked the Chef to make three small plates of each entrée for them. Mind you, with 3 types of wine this is already a $ 70-​$ 80 dollar meal that all we had to do is provide a tip for. But I guess I misunderstood that plates and forks were invented in part to share food ;)
Imagine you are a kitchen set up for a large party of 12. You carefully plan the evening, arrival of plates, oh, and you only have 2 people in the kitchen! Then this request comes through. Predictably, it causes a back-​up. But not for our charmed Must Have All Three Entrees Group! Nope! That back-​up occurs for everyone else who ordered a single entrée. The lovely people with multiple entrees got to eat several main courses before anyone else just because the kitchen had to rearrange their schedule (while serving other diners). If I had made that request, and affected my fellow Unilocalers like that, I would be embarrassed over my actions. To have Gold Elites pull this stunt I’m flabbergasted. I have shared this story with other Unilocalers and not one person has supported asking a small kitchen to do this during a FREE event. Especially if it delays others receiving their meals.
The Chef consultant though handled the request with aplomb (of course he knew he had no choice given his desire to get positive feedback and repeat customers). I just shook my head and drank the very nice Prosecco and very drinkable Milestone Cabernet provided while waiting a bit longer than expected (because of these «Gold» Unilocalers) for my main course. Again, not blaming staff, they were magnificent! I will definitely visit this restaurant in the future and enjoyed my brief engagement with George who clearly has earned his obvious skepticism and distrust of Unilocalers (and now incredibly has another example to share). But with the delays in receiving entrees, I left before dessert because it was now almost 9 (instead of an expected end time of 8:30) and I had to drive back to San Jose.
My table apparently though had all the cool adults. I enjoyed my conversation with Abby, Renae H, Jessica W and our photographer Laurie and we all ordered individual entrees and guess what, if you wanted some of Laurie’s Salmon or Abby’s Lamb they cut it up and gave you some. I stuck with my lovely scallops and appreciated the evening while admiring the staff’s obvious skill and passion.
This was another wonderful evening put on by the interesting and talented Abby! Because of my travels, I am truly blessed to be able to share in the events of two great Unilocal territories (Bay Area & Orange County).

Such a fancy Tuesday night! I was fortunate enough to be the event photographer, so not only did I get to enjoy a beautiful meal, but I had pictures to commemorate it (soon to be shared with all of you)!
I jumped the gun and wrote a detailed review of the restaurant on their page, see here:
However, here I’ll leave a brief overview:
Order the salmon.
Beyond that? All the dishes were prepared well and flavors blended when they were supposed to, stood out when they were meant to, and complimented each other throughout. The meal was also well balanced — rich, but not so much so that I left feeling heavy and bloated. Four courses (excluding wine, dessert, or tax/​tip) will run you about $ 60 – 75. And don’t forget, order the salmon.
The décor was classy and the staff was so charming with their accents and friendly attitudes. I can’t wait to go back and try some other delicious dishes!
Thanks Unilocal!You’ve outdone yourself.

This was definitely not like the regular YEEs, not when it’s a sit down x-​courses style dinner! It was quite a trek after work but glad I made it!
Choosing Gusto for the event was a nice touch as the place was really nice, and the foods was excellent. We wanted to try more than one entrée — a little bit of each — so I said sure, why not. Surprisingly, the chef agreed though we thought it would be three smaller portions on a plate — but out came three different plates! Alas, so unnecessarily bending-​backwards for us, mann.
Really, but all items served were fantastic: Tuna Tartare, Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup, Roast Loch Duart Salmon, Sea Scallop «Spiedini» (my favorite if had to choose one item), Lamb T-​bone Chops, Nutellino dessert. I would return, maybe even as soon as the grand opening, on 21-​JAN. For real!
Other «intimate» YEEs had a few dozen Unilocalers but this was truly small — just a dozen of us! I can get used to these types of YEEs that’s for sure. Of course, we were Elites of at least five years or more, which meant maintaining Elite status does mean something.
Thanks Gusto owner Enzo, chefs George and Ernie, plus Abby and Unilocal

Gusto: palate, savor, taste, relish, enjoy, zest, spice, enjoyment, liking
I don’t know how I got lucky enough to get into this deluxe and very intimate event, but I’m thrilled that I got to try out my shiny new Gold Badge in such a delicious way. We were treated to a full four course sit-​down meal with prosecco and wine with plenty of time to hobnob with Gusto’s owner Enzo Rosano, chef consultant George Morrone and executive chef Ernie Haversack. The meal was wonderful and it really added to the experience to be able to discuss the menu and how it was developed with George and Ernie. Since George was equally as curious about how Unilocal works, it made for a good exchange of information.
I love sparkly things and have a little bit of chandelier lust, so I was immediately captivated by the décor. This would be a perfect restaurant for a date or to take a customer or client — impressive but not stuffy.
Our menu included the tuna tartare, gusto salad, mushroom soup, choice of scallops, salmon or lamb, and dessert. Indecision led to some wheeling and dealing in my area of the table, with three of us deciding to order one each of the entrees and share them so we could try a bit of everything. The request to plate the shares separately must have caused some mayhem in the kitchen, but George was a good sport about it and the result was that we all got a tremendous amount of food — like the good Unilocalers we are, we rose to the occasion. I was glad I paced myself on the appetizer, soup and salad.
There have already been been some detailed rundowns of each of the menu items so I won’t repeat them here. It was really difficult to choose favorites because everything was so good (kalamata butter on the lamb, ARE YOU KIDDING ME?) but after serious consideration I’ve concluded that my two favorites were George’s Timeless Tuna Tartare and the Sea Scallop «Spiedini». Served with toast, the tuna was rich, buttery and tender, mingled with pear, chilies, sesame oil and pine nuts. I loved the complex mix of sweet/​hot/​savory/​tender/​crunchy and would order this again in a heartbeat. I wish I had some right now! Between the two tables, I don’t think there was a scrap of leftover tuna tartare. All the entrees were so delicious and beautifully executed that it was difficult to choose a favorite, but finally I’ve settled on the scallops. Scallop lovers know that it’s easy for scallops to go wrong with just a bit of overcooking. Cooked to perfection, our scallops were skewered with bacon, trumpet mushrooms, cipollini onions and roasted red and gold beets, then served over brussels sprouts. Delicious and satisfying in every way.
I was surprised to hear that Gusto is not officially open yet — their grand opening is next Tuesday. My expectation of soft opening periods is that it’s a time when bugs are being worked out, while the restaurant works out their flow. Gusto was firing on all cylinders in my opinion, with nothing in the food, service or overall experience to hint that they are just starting out.
Many thanks to Enzo, George, Ernie and Abby for orchestrating this dinner. I can’t wait to return to Gusto!

There is nothing wrong with a free meal. But when it’s a free meal at the expense of being a shiny brand new Gold Elite remember in a fancy restaurant, then hell yeah.
Thanks to Abby and Enzo, I was able to try some of the awesome food that was provided at Gusto. Due to my stupidity in giving up raw fish, I tried really hard to not partake in the Tuna Tartare which I heard was mighty delicious. I opted for the toast instead, which wasn’t too bad.
The highlight, in my opinion, was the skewer of scallop, mushroom, and bacon with assorted veggies like beets and brussels sprouts. Though I’m not a fan of the latter, I actually did enjoy the beets and sprouts.
It was quite amusing to see the other Unilocalers in our table go through three consecutive entrees while everyone else had one entrée. I was barely able to get through my scallop dish, though I still don’t understand how they could get through the scallops, the salmon, and the lamb. Truly I’m not at their level (yet).
All in all, it was a great experience and coming to Gusto has introduced me to the scene around San Carlos, one that I’ve definitely overlooked for the longest time. I’ll be sure to check out Gusto and the other places around Laurel St more often. Again, thanks to Abby, Enzo, George, Ernie, and the rest of the Unilocal Gold Elite crew for making this an awesome experience!

What a decedent meal to make me forget I had the rest of the work week left!
The staff went truly over the top to accommodate us and serve an amazing 5-​course meal. The tuna tartare was on point! So good! Tuna was buttery and melt in your mouth. The portabello soup and cara cara orange salad were in perfect portion to tickle our tastebuds and get us ready for the main course. I selected the Lamb T-​Bone Chops and it was delicious! I was already so full that I only took a few bites but it was cooked perfectly and it was juicy.
As if it wasn’t enough they gave us Nutella calzone bites at the end of the meal.
What a great event to get to meet my fellow Gold Badgers and CM Abby (who looks like Zooey Deschanel btw!!) Special thanks to owner Enzo Rosano, Chef Consultant George Morrone and Executive Chef Ernie Haversack for making us feel so welcome!
Definitely will be coming back here to try out those Butterscotch Pot De Crème «Bites»

Gusto Gold!
This evening sent me home with a warm heart and a full belly. What a gorgeous location to host a celebration for 5 years of Elite Status and Gold Badge Receivers!
Abby never fails to surprise us with one incredible new place after another. This time, she counted on her pal Enzo to wine and dine us and WINE & DINE he DID!
What a fantastically orchestrated venue! I’m sure we’ll all be back there for date nights with our Loves and it sounds like a GNO was already brewing between the ladies’!
The prosecco and white blend wine gently accentuated every flavor that my tastebuds encountered and I enjoyed every sip and bite.
Always a unique and unforgettable experience when we have the pleasure of meeting the Owner and Chef at a great place such as this. Enzo’s partnership with George Morrone was clearly meant to be!
From the symphony of flavors in the roasted salmon with mandarin marmalade and paprika braised red cabbage to the mouth watering «SPIEDINI» with scallops, bacon, trumpet mushrooms all on a bed of perfectly steamed brussel sprouts… George Morrone and his FANTASTIC 2 man team in the kitchen have me hooked!
The lamb was so tender and juicy… the portions were utterly perfect and the presentation? Well, not only did I NEED to take a photo of what was in front of myself, but I demanded Abby to STAND DOWN with her fork a couple times so I could photo hers as well!
I am so happy to have been invited to the Elite Squad for my 1^st GOLD YEAR! Even happier to have had the opportunity to share a fine evening of tasty cuisine and wine as I get to know my fellow Gold Badgers! You’ve got my attention and I look forward to following you all and learning more about you as you write your way through 2014!
Way to KNOCK OUR SOCKS OFF (and send us home with new Unilocal ones), Abby & Enzo! Well done!
Looking forward to getting back to Gusto with Zak to try the Mussels with Chorizo Aioli and writing up my official Gusto Review!
Mmmmmmm! Fantastico!

Another successful and spectacular Unilocal event! Thank you Abby for setting this up for the select few who got to attend, Gusto is an amazing restaurant.
Special thanks to owner Enzo Rosano, Chef Consultant George Morrone and Executive Chef Ernie Haversack for having us Unilocal members sample a few of their menu items.
Moving onto the food:
George’s Timeless Tuna Tartare: Awesome and great blend of ingredients, really fresh tuna. I did not care for the toast, it was too hard and chewy to eat. Maybe something like a crispy wonton skin or a thinner sliced toast would work. The tartare was really heavy on the sesame oil which gave it a very oily texture.
Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup: Tasty and delicious, I’d have this for soup every meal if I could.
Sea Scallops: My favorite dish. The presentation was beautiful and the scallops were cooked perfect. The bacon, mushrooms, onions, and broccoli really went well together.
Lamb T-​bone Chops: Lamb was cooked perfectly and very very tasty. The butter was a bit strong for me. Overall a good dish with a nice portion size to fill my tummy.
Nutellino: Delicious… how can you go wring with nutella??? Perfect sweet ending.
Service: Terrific. attentive, and informative.
Décor: Trendy.
Overall a great cozy restaurant!

OMG. Unilocal has outdone themselves. A 5+ year Gold Badge Elite Event in my backyard? Yes, sign me up!
Thank you Abby for setting this up. Thank you owner Enzo Rosano, you have some of the best restaurants on Laurel! Thank you Chef Consultant George Morrone and Executive Chef Ernie Haversack for the amazing food!
And… now, more on the food…
+ George’s Timeless Tuna Tartare: pine nuts, Asian pear, chiles, sesame oil
Tasty. I think I would have preferred it to have a tad bit more salt and less sesame oil, and thinner toasts. At $ 22 price tag, this would probably be a skip for me on a normal night.
+ Cream of Portobello Mushroom Soup: with fried sage
Yummy! Just the right seasoning and super mushroom-​y. Really love this. Would totally get this again, and again!
+ Seasonal Salad: with lots of different types of citrus bites
Refreshing. A great palate cleanser and the oranges were delicious. Very cute presentation of whole heads of lettuce.
+ Roast Loch Duart Salmon: mandarin marmalade, smoked paprika braised red cabbage
Wow, Chef George described this as a symphony, and it really was. You wouldn’t think that a mandarin marmalade would work with salmon, but it does! I usually don’t order salmons but I may have to order this next time. BTW, the cook was absolutely perfect.
+ Sea Scallop «Spiedini»: cipollini onions, smoked bacon, trumpet mushrooms
WOW, this was an amazing dish. The bacon strips were huge. And the scallops, perfectly cooked and flavorful. Great presentation, and quite filling with the bacon, mushrooms, onions, brussel sprouts, beats, but, do note that this is normally a $ 27 dish with 2 scallops.
+ Lamb T-​bone Chops: kalamata olive butter, fall ratatouille
Yummy! The olive butter is a bit too strong, but lamb is one of my favorite proteins when cooked right, so, yes, I ate the whole thing and would totally eat more. Two large chops per order.
+ Horseradish mash
Spicy but so noms.
+ Nutellino: oven baked Nutella calzone
How can you go wrong with nutella?
Service is AMAZING.
I’m not a fan of the long/​skinny restaurant layout. The tables right by the front doors seem a bit weird for me and I rather see that as a lounge area for cocktails or wine.
Super great spot for a date.

Does anyone else get as excited as I do when a new spot opens in their neighborhood? In Gusto, Laurel Street has a bright new star among it’s culinary offerings.
This event was truly special, it’s small size lent itself to great conversation, and the full four course meal was an incredible treat indeed. George Morrone is the Chef Consultant, but it’s Chef Ernie Haversack and his sous chef who are responsible for every delicious morsel that leaves this kitchen.
They started us off right with delicious, crisp glasses of prosecco, never let it be said that they don’t know how to get a party started at Gusto! This was followed by George’s Timeless Tuna Tartare, it was some of the best I’ve ever eaten, combination of tuna, asian pear, pine nuts and sesame oil was perfectly complimented by a hint of chili that sent us all diving in for seconds.
Next up was the Gusto salad, I really liked the combination of three different kinds of citrus, it was a great little light bite, well presented, visually pleasing and tasty.
The cream of portobello soup was delicious, I would’ve gladly eaten that as my whole meal! It was earthy and mushroomy and satisfying, with none of the heavy dullness you sometimes find in mushroom soup. Give me this soup and a glass of red wine on a cold winter’s evening and I’ll be a very happy girl indeed!
For my entrée I decided on the Sea Scallop Spiedini with smoked bacon. DIVINE! I love scallops, so this dish wasn’t exactly a hard sell for me, but none the less, it was a real homerun. And miracle of miracles, somehow Ernie managed to make brussles sprouts that I not only ate, but enjoyed! Somebody alert the media, this man is a magician! My dining companions were so kind as to share bites of their lamb (fantastic!) and salmon (that sauce! OMG!) which were also excellent. The meal was accompanied by a really lovely white wine (primarily chardonnay) blend that complemented my scallops very nicely.
Dessert was a decadent nuttela caneloni, a sweet treat to end a meal that was in itself a perfect treat.
Sometimes when a place is new they suffer little hiccups in service as they get up to speed, but this is not proprietor Enzo Rosano’s first foray into the restaurant business and it shows. Service was warm and attentive without being intrusive, they know how to get the little things right here and that matters.
I’m already planning a work-​team dinner here for the future, I really NEED to try the duck cassulett ravioli. NEED I tell you!
Thanks Abby for another wonderful event, and of course Enzo, George, Ernie and team for wining and dining us and making us feel truly special. What an awesome way to kick off my 2014 Unilocal year!