My first Yelp event was a definitely a night to remember! It was a night of food and fun with bites and brews from some of Jacksonville’s best local businesses, and of course a soiree wouldn’t be complete without a fancy dress code! Keeping with the literary theme of the night, guests were encouraged to dress as their favorite literary figure. I’m happy to say, attendees were quite in character.

The Soiree filled all 3 floors of the Jacksonville library with vendors, food, music, and fun to explore. The night flew by but here are a few of my favorites.

Food
Bento cafe
You can never go wrong with sushi but there’s something special about Bento Cafe. Spicy tuna was a favorite, but that vegetarian roll- Wow. I never would have thought it would have so much flavor!

Blue Bamboo offered a chilled noodle cup with a light vinaigrette and shredded vegetable topping with satisfied my noodle cravings.

Here’s a storybook made of actual cake! Sweet by Holly were there to satisfy our sweet tooth!

I’ve never been to 4 Rivers Smokehouse, but after trying their 6 Shooter, I know they are with a visit. This bite layer cheese grits, pulled pork, pickles, jalapenos and topped with their BBQ sauce. Yum!

My favorite bite of the night was Jaguars Eats who stole the show with fresh cut tuna poke bowls. Who knew football players ate so well?! They’re cooking up a menu that’s always winning.

Vagabond Coffee was brewing up sunbathing social with a mini cocktail of bourbon, coffee, and a chili coffee rim. 10 points to Gryffindor!

Still sporting those Gryffindor colors, we had two cocktails with Manifest Distilling.

Next magical potion comes from Aardwolf with their new peach IPA and their violet colored, shimmery sour.

After all those drinks, Thea and I got friendship tattoos 😱 but no worries, they are temporary art designs by real tattoo artist Myra Oh

What an amazing time to experience my first Yelp event which coincidentally was their largest fundraiser of the year. Not only was it a blast, but they were able to raise over $7000 for the Jacksonville Public Library! That I can get behind!

Thank you to Thea for some of the above pictures! Check out my fellow Food Adventure Team member at https://adventuresofthea.wordpress.com/ for her experience at the Soiree!