Living La Vida Locavore @ Borgne

What a great party this was!
I still have fond memories of the amazing food and my first ‘Dark & Stormy’. The duck wrapped jalapenos, the little meat pie things and that cheese board were all wonderful! The oysters were absolutely beautiful.
It was great to see some familiar Unilocalers and meet some of the newer ones, too.
Thanks for the delightful kick-​off to my Jazz Fest season!

I had been to Borgne once before for lunch and was not super wowed by the food, but this event made me a believer. The food was absolutely fantastic — as everyone knows, I usually eschew the food at elite events because there is way too much drinking to be done in way too little time, but this time the food got me. The oysters were hands down the BEST oysters I have ever had since I was a wee lass living in Florida. They were absolutely massive and so fresh and so clean. So fresh and so clean clean. The shrimp balls were also ballin’. I usually don’t rave about cheese plates (even though I f*cking love cheese), but the cheese and prosciutto were superb. While I did enjoy the duck poppers, I found the other items better. What can I say? I am a die hard oyster girl.

Fun times, good peoples.
The food was plentiful (although I missed the poppers everyone was raving about), the booze was flowing and the company was dynamite as always. Love, love, love the raw bivalve — they were so large I kept wishing they were fried for maximum pleasure.

I loved, loved Living La Vida Locavore @ Borgne. I’m going to put my thank you up front in this review and start by giving props to Joi & the Unilocalterns for another FANTASTIC event. From the moment I unlocked the invitation with my prestigious Elite badge I was looking forward to an evening at Borgne. I’ve been thoroughly satisfied by every John Besh restaurant and one that highlights local seafood sounded like a dream come true. I’ve got to say, upon arrival I was a little doubtful about the event when I noticed that the presumed food table was– EMPTY! Well, well, well Kelley, Borgne sure showed you. Once the food started it did not stop and it was all absolutely delicious. I tasted things that I never would have ordered off of the menu and I absolutely loved it all. The jalapeño-​bacon duck poppers? My favorite! The meat and cheese platter, the broiled Louisiana oysters, the goat cheese crackers, the pork empanadas– all DELICIOUS! The selection of drinks was also fun and unique. I love the venue and someday want my living room to have that same modern-​minimalist look, minus the oyster shells. And finally, nice addition with the Apples to Apples. I have the tendency to keep to myself at these events, thus in part defeating the purpose of attending, so I really appreciated having kind of an ice breaker for interaction. I do, however, apologize for winning round after round :) As always, looking very forward to the next Unilocal Elite event! That’s all I have time to write because I need to be on my way to dinner at Borgne…

And we’ll have fun, fun, fun until Joi kicks out the door. Oh, wait I’m supposed to be singing Ricky Martin. Darn it.
What a fun time! The staff was kind and speedy. The food and drink were plentiful. The company was terrific as usual. So glad to meet a few new folks when I wasn’t busy being dwarfed by the super tall Unilocaler club (John, Anita, Larissa, Scott).
As always thanks to Joi, Emily and Rene for planning and pulling off such a fun event.

This was my first Unilocal Elite event, and both I and my companion had a marvelous time. I was quite enamored of the complimentary Dark N’ Stormy and Icepick cocktails; my companion had nothing but good things to say about the fresh Strawberry Mojito. The gaint gulf oysters on the half-​shell were delicious, the crawfish croquettes were tantalizing, and the charcuterie board was irresistible. I also tried an amuse bouche of seared tuna and pickled vegetables that was all kinds of amazing. The gratineed oyster was also a fine example of the breed. The only thing I didn’t care for was the stuffed artichoke, not because it was bad, but because it made for poor party food, difficult to portion out and enjoy, and lacking any kind of aioli or vinaigrette with which such a dish would customarily be served. It was great meeting other Unilocalers, including the amazing and multi-​talented Joi B. and the charming Jackie A. Also found out that someone I already knew, the incomparable Sonya Z., was a Unilocal Elite! Small world, small restaurant, awesome event. I’ll be back for the full Borgne experience very soon.

Man, I hate to have to be the lone turd burglar here! Then again, I am a necessary Evil, sooooo…
Thanks Joi for organizing the event. Lots of new faces and all the better I am for it. Got to meet an eclectic group of warm and joyous Humans. Got to catch up with others and hang out very late with yet another crew. Good times.
The food was worthy and did the place justice. The Crawfish Coquettes were my favorite. The Oysters looked outstanding, if only I could abide Oysters. Best still was the food was plentiful, no one went hungry and there was no need to bumrush the servers to assure yourself a few precious morsels.
The Bar and atmosphere I found subpar. The Dark and Stormy’s were not that, Light and Blustery yes. The Barmaids were lacking. Lacking in knowledge, humor and skill. $ 8.50 for a shot of Jameson’s? After paying I looked around for the redhead that was going to kiss me, but she never materialized. Can you imagine how much a shot of Single Malt is? I shudder to think. A few taps of boring beers and another dozen canned beers, no bottles. The place was all white and super sterile. Huge flat screen monitors hover over the bar. I was looking for Nurse Ratchit to give all of us our meds and off to the padded rooms. I digress.
Whats important is the socializing and company. And for that it was delightful. And the lovely hostess Alexandra gets 10 stars.

This may very well have been my favorite event. I don’t know what was better, the incredible amount of food that kept streaming from the kitchen in steady supply, or the wonderful people I met.
I loved the duck poppers, in case you were wondering, that sauce was a Steen’s cane syrup reduction with cream cheese. I had to ask because it was so very good. Raw oysters? Thank you! Delicious, I like them a little saltier but damn, they were so creamy. The Dark and Stormys were tasty, although each one tasted totally different but I’m not complaining!
Often times I stick myself in the corner at these events, not so this time! I met many new people, even though it was hard to balance my cocktail, a plate of oysters and grab a tear-​inducing popper from the passing server while simultaneously engaging in witty conversation and shaking hands.
Special thanks to Joi, Emily and Rene, great job!

I’m going to go ahead & state that this is my first official Unilocal elite event. The very first one I went to doesn’t count because I had to leave early. And then I have no recollection of the first UYE I attended. Borgne was absolutely gorgeous! The chairs looked like fry baskets & the pillars were metal grates stuffed with oyster shells. Creative & swanky.
Speaking of oyster shells, I have never seen such large raw oysters in my life. My mouth couldn’t fit the whole thing (all dirty jokes aside). The cheese plate was delicious, anyone know what kind of spiced nut that was? Call me crazy but that was my favorite munchy of the evening, probably because it was both mysterious & tasty. The pork empenadas were a close second!
I thoroughly enjoyed putting a face to all the names but the highlight of my night here was the Apples to Apples game! I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard in a very long time. It was a fun way to get to know people, especially poor Emily who brought the game! Some of the blanks were still filled in from when she played with her friends & while she may have been embarrassed, I was still giggling long after the night was over. So thank you, Emily, and everyone else who played & donated the fun prizes!
I agree that the drinks were weak but they were so damn tasty, I was happy to drink a ton of dark n stormies & not feel like crap the next day. Christopher N had a clever way of putting it, he said, «I think I would actually call these „Light n Blusteries!“» All in all it was classy, delicious, and I can’t wait for the next one. Thanks to Joi & everyone who put it on, I needed to feel fancy again & y’all made this possible!

Hands down the best Unilocal event that I have had the honor of attending. What can I say that hasn’t been said already? Awesome food, awesome people and awesome venue. The staff at Borgne did a great job of keeping the food table adequately stashed and they kept dishing out some tasty hors d’oeuvres. Nothing kills a party faster than running out of food… except maybe running out of alcohol and we were in danger of neither. Fresh oysters, pork empanada’s and shrimp stuffed artichoke, oh my! Restoration Ale and a souped up Arnold Palmer, yes please! Borgne just moved up quite a few notches up my dining list. I have made it a point to return for the full John Besh experience next week.
If I had to gripe about something it might be the the semi-​awkward layout. Everyone wanted to congregate in the «kitchen», and not in the «living room». The small bar area was kind of tight and it was somewhat difficult to get drinks and mingle. That problem was solved when Emily broke out the Apples to Apples. Still jealous of the winner who took home that shrimp bobble head!
Many thanks to the talented and tireless Unilocal crew: Rene, Emily and Joi. You’ve set the bar pretty high with this one. I’m not sure how you can top it, but I know you will try!

I had such a wonderful time! I can’t wait for another event. Unilocalers are so cool online, but even cooler in person!
I was delighted with the selection of complimentary drinks — white wine, red wine, a something-​pick, a strawberry mojito, and a few others that I forgot. I tried the white wine and the «something”-pick. I can’t remember the name. That was quite tasty. I had one too many, and was very grateful I was being picked up!
Everyone was so kind and sweet. I was very much surprised that many people knew who I was! It showed me that people really do read what I have to say and it made me feel like my voice does matter.
Also, I want to comment on the food. WOW. John L. talked earlier about the duck wrapped around some kind of pepper. I have to agree, that was my absolute favorite. I don’t think there was anything that I did not like. The only thing I was not impressed with was the strawberry mojito — it was not minty enough and that’s what makes it a mojito! But everything else made up for it.
I also wanted to say thanks to Steve I. for inviting me and letting me be his +1. Joi did a spectacular job planning this and I look forward to more events. I hope everyone had as much fun or more fun than I did!

I was super excited to try Borgne via a Unilocal event. The happy hour munchies that we got to sample were fun and tasty especially the Oyster Bienville, shrimp poppers, and duck poppers. Yummm. Even-​though I couldn’t partake in the alcoholic beverages, I was pleased with the selection offered. However, I heard they were weak. No matter… I was fully satisfied with the ginger beer and kept going back for more. I definitely want to try dinner here after seeing a fried oyster plate walk by that looked divine.
Thank you for filling my belly and my glass.

Well I think that glorious son of a bitch John L. H. pretty much summed up this one sufficiently already, but I’ll add my two bacon bits.
I’m placing this in the top 3 of all Unilocal Elite events I’ve attended. That’s right, top 3! And there wasn’t even a theme! I’m certain it’s not BECAUSE there wasn’t a theme though, so don’t get any ideas, Joi. If it’s one thing I love about YEEs, it’s the opportunity to throw something weird on. Apparently other people have noticed this, because I kept getting questioned about my lack of hat? Okay, you win Unilocal.Hats from here on out for my windowless brain van at Elite events.
Above all I have to say it made me very happy to be able to bring along such an old friend to introduce to so many of my new friends, and thank you all for being so great and fun as always. She actually enjoyed the event so much she plans to force her husband to write Unilocal reviews. Victory is yours! Truly, always a pleasure to spend time with friends and even make new ones. There were some I missed not being there, but still I think it was one of the bigger more impressive showings.
The food offered to us on platters was fittingly delicious as were the drinks. I’d say my favorite vittle was the bacon-​wrapped one, and my favorite drink was probably the Dark and Stormy. But the Strawberry Mojito and Icepick were also both quite notable too. I’ll need to come back here at some point to enjoy the place further.
Great choice of venue, Joi! And again, great job throwing another fantastic event! When John L. H. says don’t ever leave us, I’m standing next to him with the ropes and chloroform to restrain you if it comes to that.
There is no escape, Joi.
Quick tip: Validated parking requires not parking in the wrong parking structure.

It seems like each Unilocal event I attend gets better and better. Or maybe it was that I let my hair down (literally) and socialized more. Either way, it was the Best Unilocal event yet for us. Really enjoyed the company, Harry, Rene, and Marissa among others. Even finally met John.
The restaurant was great. First time I had been here. It won’t be the last. I liked how it was sort of split up so we were not interfering with their dinner business. And that is an impressive bar running the length of the restaurant.
The food was great! If I had to pick just two of the dishes, the jalapeño and duck wrapped in bacon and pork empanadas stood out the most. Usually I stick with beer, but tonight I ventured out to try the mixed drinks. I liked the Dark and Stormy cocktail, much more than I should have for mid week. I think it was the ginger beer that did it for me. The red wine my wife was drinking was a grenache. Didn’t catch the winery or country. She liked it well enough to ask for seconds.
All totaled, Joi, Rene, and Emily put on another fantastic event.

Before I start my actual review, I must thank the people who make these events possible. Joi, you are an incredible CM. The dedication you show to our community is amazing. Your love for the city, and for Unilocal is evident in all that you do. We don’t tell you this enough, but we appreciate your hard work and dedication. Please don’t ever leave.
Emily and Rene, You two are also awesome. I know that you two work very hard to make sure we are able to eat, drink, and act like fools. It does not go unnoticed.
Now for my review:
For an event to be great there must be a good venue, good food, good drinks, and most importantly, good people. This event was great.
The venue:
When I heard the event was going to be at Borgne, I was excited. I am a huge John Besh fan boy, and this is his newest restaurant. The space was very attractive. Large columns filled with discarded oyster shells gave the restaurant a coastal feel. The bar was giant and ran almost the entire length of the wall. Our party was held at one end of the bar in an area somewhat segregated from the diners in the open restaurant.
The food:
I normally don’t eat the food at elite events. I figure it interferes with the intake of alcohol, but this time I am glad I did. While I don’t remember everything they brought out, several items stood out. The duck poppers (small pieces of duck breast wrapped in bacon with some sort of spicy sauce) were my favorite. There were also raw oysters. This was only the second time I have eaten raw oysters since I was six, but wow wee wow, they were good. They were also giant. One Unilocaler said they were so big that they resembled catfish.
The drinks:
When I arrived I saw fellow beer drinker Shannon sipping a fancy cocktail from a metal cup. I figured this was a requirement since I have only seen him drink Abita Amber, so I gave in and ordered one. It was some sort of strawberry mojito and was loaded with fresh strawberries. I was not a fan, but then again, I don’t really like fru fru drinks. Abita Restoration Ale was also available, but after one in a very small glass, I settled on red wine. If anyone knows what type and brand the wine was, please let me know. It was great. Since wine is like truth serum to me, it is a good thing no one asked me any probing questions.
The people:
The people are what always makes an event. This event was no exception, and there was a stellar cast of elite Unilocalers on hand. It was great getting to finally meet Todd, Roger, Laila and Cristy. All were super cool so if you haven’t met them yet, make sure you do at the next event.
I was also so glad to get to see so many familiar faces, including some I hadn’t seen in a while.
I highly recommend working the room at these events. If you do, you will meet the coolest people in the city. I do regret not getting to talk to everyone so I will make a better effort next time.
I loved this event. I can’t wait to see what Joi has up her sleeve for the next one.

The food was AMAZING. Wow. Seriously double-​wow. Great wine, great drinks. Oh, and the company was pretty fly as well. Joi, this was a good one. Shrimp poppers were awesome and the bacon duck jalapeño thingys were olfactory and edible dreams. I love this place and I love Unilocal

In total agreement with Todd. Would add to the food selections the meat pies.
So happy with meeting all the Unilocalers I have been communicating with recently.
And thanks to Joi for the affair and helping me pass a grand time.
SYOY