Lou MC Yelps a Lot

In October, I hosted another meetup to invite Local Guides in Houston. I want to give LG another try on LocalGuideConnection.com website, which is changed to https://maps.google.com/localguides. They didn't tell me that. (this is usual with Google. I'm not surprised.) My event was called National Cookies Month  meetup in Houston TX. I limited 10 guests as I usually do. But I received a message from someone really wanted to attend but there was no more opening. That's odd. Among those 10, there were only 4 replied had reviews in Houston. Jawahir (Finland) - Level 2 - 109176936456734675648 Bunda Imoet (Indonesia) - Level 6 - 114393280060569328492 salvatore porru (Italy) Level 5 - 113940019571382231665 Ericka Flowers ( Houston ) Level 3 - 106689765669046657086 Vito Montanaro (Italy) Level 3 - 102425615440366601261 MrAHMED SAEID (Egypt) Level 4 - 101547467045030028617 William Daniel (Thailand) Level 3 - 115909375203005254472 ...

For those of you familiar with my #ChinatownCrawl UYE (Unofficial Yelp Event), there is a scenery change. You won't see my UYE on Yelp Event page at the beginning of my announcement. In a perfect world, my Yelper friends receive notification on the app when I create an event and interested in an event. But lately, I don't see any response after the UYE page sitting there for 2 weeks. I guess there are too many notifications on their app. You may not know this. It's very time consuming to use Yelp Event page to invite my Yelper Friends. On average, it takes about 2 to 3 hours to "share" my event to everyone lives in Houston from Event page. This share actually sends an email to their personal email address. But some people are invisible most of time or they don't check emails as often or get notified with incoming emails. Then, I have to use another method to get their attention - private message, compliments or check-in message. Other than that, they are ...

Past weekend was the final week of HAAPI Film Festival. It was my pleasure to attend the screening of MELE MURALS and meeting the film director Tadashi Nakamura. I'm a big fan of his work. I watched his earlier film Jake Shimabukuro: Life on Four Strings on Xfinity on Demand in April, when it was available from CAAMFest sponsorship . So glad to pose with my favorite Asian film director, Tad Nakamura I couldn't believe he is a fourth generation Japanese American lives in LA and never lived in Hawaii. But he was able to bring the best of his ability to help the audience to experience the actors' reality. Both movies are based on true stories with a documentary format. However, it requires more knowledge about Hawaii when you watch Mele Murals. I asked someone after the movie as if she knew certain cultural references. But without those Hawaiian terms, the movie will not make sense. Tad was at CAAMfest in SF. So...Same feeling with Kumu Hina from last year's sc...

Did you know my Chinatown Crawl UYE (Unofficial Yelp Event) made one year? It started with a trial last May during Asian Heritage Month Celebration . The response and popularity were increasing on Yelp and Facebook. Managing guests list has been a chore using Yelp Events. I am experimenting a new system by posting my meetup on more event sites like Google and invited Google Local Guides to attend. Extended my invitation to Local Guides The hardest part of hosting a popular meetup event is attendance headcount. It has always been above my original expectation. But by how much? Finding a suitable restaurant with enough seating is important. When my count of 18 guests at December's Night Market UYE grew to 22. Sherry at Yummy Kitchen was able to find solution at the last minute. Again at February's Hotpot UYE , 12 guests became 16. I had to rely on restaurant to accommodate expandable crowd. Speaking of accommodation, creating a good relationship to restaurant owner ...

This is for my guests at  Hotpot Year of the Rooster UYE @ 75 Yummy Kitchen .  Today’s menu is based on a popular hotpot style in Beijing with Sichuan spices. It’s only available at 75 Yummy Kitchen. In Chinese 羊蝎子火锅 literally means “Sheep Scorpion Hotpot”. No worry, there's no scorpion in our food. But the shape of goat spine resembles scorpion.  Sheep Scorpion hotpot menu at 75 Yummy Kitchen The chef at 75 Yummy Kitchen prepares the goat meat by the pound and cook up the soup with Sichuan spices. Our guests can indulge in a hot pot with the following ingredients: Fresh vegetables like: Napa cabbage, lettuce, shredded potatoes, chrysanthemum 茼蒿, cilantro, dried tofu skin, enokitake mushroom, youzai 油菜, black fungus 黑木耳, button mushroom, sweet potato slices, lotus root, konjac 魔芋, taro, lunch meat, kelp, tofu cubes, daikon,   We can order additional meats: duck's gizzard, intestine, shrimp, sheep, beef, fish ball, shrimp ball, pork blood pudding 猪血, fi...

Mike M has been hosting BOTM “Burger of the Month” UYE since last February. This was from a Talk thread when Rachel B returned from her ACRONYM meeting in 2015.  After a long gap in Houston, BOTM was born. First few months, they were hosted by Rachel B. Then, Belly G, Jamie A finally, Mike M. This mock up t-shirt was an idea to generate interest.  Here is a quick overview of his 12 successful BOTM's. The attendance has increased month after month. It has became a popular and well-known event in Houston. UYE Page in… Event Page February 2017 UYE: February Burger of the Month @ Rachels Cafe January 2017 UYE: January Burger of the Month@Stanton's City Bites December 2016 UYE: December BOTM @ Bernie's Burger Bus November 2016 UYE: November BOTM @ Killen's Burgers October 2016 UYE: Burger of the Month@Little Bigs September 2016 UYE: September Burge...

Yummy Kitchen 柒伍龙虾 as known as 75 Yummy Kitchen is our featured restaurant of #ChinatownCrawl UYE on Friday, December 9, 2016 . The following is the menu items we selected to fit the #NightMarket style street vendor dishes. Red doodles are the selected menu items. I first discovered Yummy Kitchen was when it changed ownership. That was when I met Sherry, the owner. I told her about Yelp. And, I quickly wrote a review and posted photos on Instagram. Initially, they only serve Malatang, all-you-can-eat buffet and crawfish in 4 different flavors. Then, she found a different way to attract customers. She hired two reputable chefs "flown" in from Sichuan in June. She invited me to try the new menu but I was travelling. I met her last Friday to discuss my idea of night market 夜市 food crawl. I want my guests to try their trademark item Sichuan Grilled Fish 四川烤鱼 with Spicy Garlic Sauce as a centerpiece. She said they use striped bass 鱸魚, not tilapia because they want the int...

Do you have people in your office doesn't celebrate holiday the way you do? How about celebrate Festivus this year? It's not just from TV Sitcom Seinfeld , it's real life to celebrate in style. Not the same when you experience a Festivus. Festivus Feast : Have   your feast could be a potluck to   feature spaghetti, meat loaf with red sauce, salad, fried chicken and stuff you want to be festive.  Airing of Appreciation:  Instead of Airing of Grievances on the show, you want to write "thank you" note cards about your coworkers and post them at a central location. Festivus Tree : Instead of Festivus Pole on the show, decorate a tree of any kind. To me, it's very unsightly. Make sure the decorations do not contain Santa Claus and any greeting words with religious tone. Festivus Greetings : Instead of Feats of Strength on the show, share your Festivus by sending cards without religious greetings to bosses, bosses' boss and suppliers. Simply "Happy...

As much as I love Yelping with my app, I have to slow down on checking in everywhere. Because check-in slows me down with my daily routine. First, I have to take time to pull out my phone. Second, the moment I turn it on, it started to use cell phone data. Third, I don't mind using phone data much but some apps start to synchronize to their servers (such as Google Maps app), which slowing me down. Moreover, I'd rather spend time enjoying life than getting distracted with the apps. I can live without technology when I really don't have the time. This was captured a year ago.  As you may have seen I claimed so many baronies before. At one time, I had 8. Now, I only want to focus on Baron of Chinatown. It's the neighborhood I know best and the area I explore often on my days off. I want to be the go-to person or the Local Guide in Chinatown. If Yelp offered an ambassador position in Houston, I would apply. Starting 2017, I have a few projects lined up to help ...

For many year, I was a champion in fundraising for United Way at work. I decided to share my idea on how to manage a coffee stand to raise money. The idea is to "bring the cafe to your desk" - save your colleagues' time from going to the break room to get coffee and cookies. To further your profit, you may use supplies from your break room. For the most part, I go to  JKS Houston Restaurant & Equipment Supplies  for serving stuff and Kroger Store in Spring Branch for baked goods. I have used this logo on all communications. Supplies Needed: Ground coffee about $5 per bag; Cookies from local bakery ($10 per dozen); Foam cups and lids from restaurant supply store ($5); Containers of sugar, creamer and sugar alternatives ($5); Hot chocolate package ($1.75/box per 10 bags) Hot cider packages ($2.00/box per 10 bags) Energy bars ($3/box per 18 piece value pack) Napkins ($2/ pack store brand) Stirrers ($2/pack from dollar store) Material Needed: ...

After weeks of searching and conversations, my passion for meeting Yelpers in SF Bay Area has diminished. I have reached out to CM in San Francisco, East Bay and South Bay. There isn't any UYE or OYE or YEE during my visit. That's okay. I'll find another way to meet Yelpers - go virtual. Thanks for a fellow Yelper John D of San Jose. I followed his specialty in poke - Hawaiian fish salad. I had no idea the concept of "California-style poke bowl" is in. No wonder we don't have any in Houston, unless someone come up with the idea of "Texas poke bowl". Ah, I don't think so. We may get away with Texas BBQ. Not sure we can get fresh ahi tuna and salmon in sashimi quality in Houston. My goal of one poke a day has met. This " Let's Catch some Poké, man! " was a note-to-self event. I was not intended to invite anyone to join me like an UYE, but I wanted to be able to share locations on the fly. My goal was to have a daily dose of r...

Here is a collection of all of my Time for Taiwan experiences in 2016. In order to appreciate Time for Taiwan Restaurant Month, I created events on Yelp in Houston and Dallas . I carefully edited out incorrect information and add what I know to post. Making it easier for Yelpers to simply click on the restaurant link and proceed to check-in or whatever they want. This is my 2nd year promoting Time for Taiwan on Yelp.  I didn't have enough time to recruit my Yelper friends to do the same in their cities. It's a very time consuming process and organizer made the announcement so late. They used last year's date to be the special promo day. It should be July 17, not July 11. There are so many restaurants in Houston, but not many serve Taiwanese food. Every weekend I visit one restaurant: 7/16 - Boba Lounge  - I tried Guaboa 割包 and Oden 關東煮. 7/23 -  Star Snow Ice & Teriyaki - I tried tofu soup 豆花 and braised pork over rice 滷肉飯. 7/29 -...

One day, I wanted to produce a photo collage from all Around the World UYE's. I came across this page - Best Unofficial Yelp Events in Houston . Wow. I'm so honored.  UYE: Asian Heritage Celebration @ Strings Noodle made on the list. This is why we need to get in the culture of attending UYE's and writing reviews on the UYE biz pages. We promote each other's events when it comes to event planning. Another benefit is to use reviews as a feedback. This is only seen on desktop version. I believe reviews posed on UYE (unofficial Yelp event) or OYE (official Yelp event) are not eligible for ROTD (review of the day). So you can write anything to your desire, just don't be rude.

I would love to nominate Belly G as Yelper of the Year in Houston, if there is a place for it. We've been to Indonesia, Peru, Bosnia, Poland, Ethiopia & Belgium. This brilliant man with plenty of ideas started the World Travel UYE since January 2016. Every month, the world travelers went from one country to another trying different cuisines without leaving Houston. Check out the chart below for the places we've been to so far. Event Page Reviews 01/16/16 UYE: Around The World @ Rice Bowl II - Indonesia 02/06/16 UYE: Around The World @ La Guitarra Con Sazon - Peru 03/09/16 UYE: Around The World @ Cafe Pita - Bosnian 04/20/16 UYE: Around The World @ Polonia Restaurant - Poland 05/18/16 UYE: Around The World @ Lucy Restaurant - Ethiopia 06/15/16 UYE: Around The World @ Cafe Brussels - Belgium 07/21/16 UYE: Around The World @ Emporio Brazilian Cafe Stay tuned w...

It's been in my wildest dream to host a Cross+Cities UYE with a road trip. I always want to try something exotic, exciting and unique to link Yelpers across the Lone Star state. From Houston to San Antonio takes about 3 hours. After reading a blog  Seattle & Portland Yelpers Swap Cities Road Trip , I posted my idea on a  Talk thread . I found Phillip B of Austin hosted a BBQ Crawl UYE in Lockhart on July 26, 2014. Yelpers from Houston, San Antonio and Austin (maybe Dallas) met at the center of these major cities. That was an epic. ( Reviews ) I am not able to pull something like his scale without Yelpers from other cities. In November 2015, I hosted a  Cross+Cities UYE - Austin Edition . Since I didn't have many Yelper friends in Austin, we had a small party. ( Reviews ) After my recent trip to San Antonio, I saw the city's beauty and tourism opportunity. I want to revisit the idea. I am hoping the Yelpers in San Antonio could help me put to...

Hana Hou! Can you imagine a spectacular Polynesian dance performance with a luau dinner without leaving Houston? Perfect facility for a Polynesian Venue That's my way to show my appreciation by attending a well-coordinated event at  Seabrook Community House  last night. Happy Hula Polynesian Dance Group of Provo Utah took the stage. The delicious luau-style lunch plates were prepared by their connections locally. The room was packed with a hungry crowd. We were hungry for an island-style entertainment. It started with dinner and live music. Sorry, I arrived late. I didn't catch the gentlemen's names. Then, the show started promptly at 7:30. My favorite part of the evening was the fire dance. Everyone concentrated on the twirling fire while the room was peach black. This was my first time seeing it live. I first noticed this event posted on  Aloha TexFest Houston  on Facebook in mid-May. I was thrilled by the idea. So, I posted it...

As part of the Chinatown Crawl UYE, I want everyone to have a list of dessert vendors while we crawl through Dun Huang Plaza. Thanks to Dun Huang Plaza website for this aerial map. Building A Suite 101  Cafe 101 Suite 108 Gelato Cup Suite 109 Juice Box Suite 112  Nu Cafe Suite 113  Star Snow Ice Suite 107  King Bakery Building B None (Supermarket) Building C Suite 317 Frozen Cafe Suite 318 Gong Cha Building D Suite 228 Boba Lounge Suite 222  Kung Fu Tea Suite 220 Class 502 Suite 246  Six Ping Suite 227 Wsup Cafe Building E Suite 207  Royalty Tea  (got a new name 2017) Suite 207  Miss Dessert Suite 211 Tea Bar & Organics Suite 213 Sharetea Suite 217  patisserie Jungle Cafe Suite 219  Kamalan Bakery Let me know if you find incorrect information.

This is the beginning of a new concept to event planning. I welcome your comments and suggestions to make this Chinatown Crawl UYE possible. Please post your reply here or on the Talk thread . I have been the Baron of Chinatown on Yelp for over a year. I can't say I'm the expert with restaurants, but I could help you discover the best of Chinatown. Even if I don't know, I can try to find the answer for you. Where's Chinatown? Most people refer to just the businesses on Bellaire Blvd, from Gessner to Beltway. But in reality, it covers one huge area being the most diverse Super-neighborhoods in Houston. Yelp defined this Chinatown neighborhood On the Chinatown Crawl UYE, I want to take you one strip mall at a time. You can experience different Chinese regional cuisine, popular dessert items and a show-n-tell of what you can find at a grocery store. The following is a list of existing strip malls: Welcome Center 惠康廣場 - 9180 Bellaire Blvd Diho Plaza  頂好廣場 ...

My Mr Magoo look Do you like my UYE's? These Unofficial Yelp Events are uniquely designed. I welcome your feedback. As usual, I incorporate cultural events and local businesses to interact with the guests. There is always trinkets offering at my UYE. 2016 is going to be a busy year for me. I'd like to plan my UYE far in advance. It is very time consuming to send invitations on Yelp. So, please pay attention to your friends' feeds on mobile app, Talk posts or Events page for the latest announcement. Remember, it takes 2 to have an UYE. If no one replied "I'm in", the event is likely to be cancelled. I need your support to promote my events by your "Sounds Cool" votes. Date Name Purpose Sun, 1/31 Year of the Monkey UYE Celebrating Lunar New Year at Jinya Ramen on Louisiana (moved due to schedule) Early March Cross+Cities UYE – Dallas Edition Similar to my Austin Edition March ...