Elite Event: Puttin’ On The Swank: A Holiday Soirée @ Batch

Yes, I know. I am a month late in reviewing this AWESOME party. Seriously, the best food and the best alcohol selection we’ve had at an event. The staff was lovely and efficient. The décor was snazzy. And the company was the best.
Thanks, Joi for putting on a great event. Those shrimp slider thingys were delish!

I attended a # Unilocal event here & while this was my first time at Batch, I can say it won’t be my last. I’ve seen this hotel several times before, however I was unaware of this quaint little piece of heaven inside.
The staff are UBER friendly & are on top of their jobs, as empty plates were always cleared for sight & drink glasses remained FULL.
The ambience is relaxing, elegant & suited for mixers (such as the one I attended). I have spread the word about Batch.
I can’t comment on the prices, as this was a # Unilocal sponsored event and drinks and food was provided. I can comment on the fact that servers & bartenders weren’t tipwhores & the service rendered was genuine.

I got an excuse to dress up and go to a bar I would never have gone to otherwise, so that’s pretty cool…
The food was good (the crab claws where my favorite, but I was also impressed with the sliders… those things almost always suck, but they did ‘em right!) The chocolate was really damn good too… in small doses. That stuff was heavy!
The bourbon was also good… and I finally got to meet some Unilocal folks.
I’m still using the little tin of Unilocal mints too… that’s definitely my favorite piece of S.W.A.G.
I’ll definitely go back next time there’s an event on my side of town…

I totally felt underdressed for this thanks to the words «soirée», «swank», and «valet parking» flying over my head like halos on the myrhh-​powdered bottom of Uptown baby Jesus. Everyone was so fancy and there I was distinctly lacking in top hat and candy cane like an undressed Christmas ham.
Suffice to say the event as put together, fit the theme perfectly. Swank bar was swank, complete with cheeses with cheese honey, baby shrimp sandwiches (that’s baby shrimp-​sandwiches not baby-​shrimp sandwiches or tiny sandwiches made of baby, shrimp), chocolate bourbon bark, and a fine selection of mixed cocktails along with nice beers and wines to proletariat-​shined boot. There was even more than one bartender!
The free valet parking was sublime and really took the time and stress out of finding a parking spot for my stretch Nissan. Unilocalers were dressed to the nine-​point-​nines, and even though it was kind of confusing with all the new Unilocalers homogeneously mixed within the standard Batch crowd, the name tags helped draw attention to who needed attention and who needed to be blatantly ignored with extreme prejudice for being Unilocal-​free crumb bums entirely unworthy of a fancy holiday soirée. How dare they even look upon all of thee! Just kidding of course. Hopefully a few of them are even newly christened Unilocalers themselves now.
Joi did another wonderful job (and looked especially swank in her lovely evening gown might I add). Her helper elves did soirée swimmingly. And the Unilocal elites looked especially elite in their leet eliteness.
Another successful YEE for the NOLA Unilocal books!

I love a reason to get dressed up swanky, especially on a Tuesday! The free valet parking set the swank tone to a pretty high level from the beginning! Overall, the party was a great time, surrounded by great folks. I was happy to meet some new Unilocalers and had a great time visiting with some old ones as well.
The food spread was wonderful! The bar options were too! I especially loved the sliders, that amazing cheese board and the fried crab claws, YUM! Is this their regular bar food? Of course, my partner was ALL over those cookies and chocolates!
I was happy to participate in the fund-​raising efforts, and even happier when that effort won us a free pair of tickets to the Tales of the Toddy later this month! Thank Unilocal for another delightful Elite party!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! New Orleans in December is packed full of events and holiday parties to attend and the Unilocal Christmas Party is always a must. This year was no exception and what an amazing event! The venue, Batch inside the Hyatt French Quarter, was just the swanky place for this special occasion. I will be back to check out this bar again. Valet parking was a huge bonus for a French Quarter event. The bar was perfect; offering domestic beers, two whites and two reds, well drinks and three specialty cocktails on the house. The food display was one of the best I have seen at an Elite event; offering sliders, mini po-​boys, dips, fruit, cheese, passed hors d’oeuvres, and desserts! There was a wonderful showing from the staff of Batch who were welcoming, helpful, and courteous. As always the company was great and I tried to catch up with all my old Unilocalers as well as meet some unfamiliar faces. It was very cool to be able to donate to Hurricane Sandy relief and win something in the process (tickets to Tales of the Toddy for this lady!). It was a whirlwind evening, but another sophisticated and well planned event put together by Joi and her staff. New Orleans is so lucky to have such a wonderful CM!

Yay, I’m so glad I went to this and met some of y’all. Batch was a great place for this event, and I really enjoyed the cocktails (heavy pours! bartenders who didn’t make fun of me when I asked idiotic questions! yeah!). Plus the food was excellent.
I’d like to make a suggestion for future Unilocal events — as a newb (and on my own, no less!) it was a bit intimidating to try to meet a bunch of folks in what felt, at times, to be That Party Where Everyone Knows Each Other But You’re The New Girl So It’s Gonna Be Awkward Anyway. Big BIG love to everyone who introduced themselves to me and made me feel a part of the event. That said, I wonder if there could be some sort of «Yelp mentor» thing set up, where new Elites who don’t know anyone get matched up with someone who will help them meet lots of new people (I have a pretty good idea of who to nominate for Grand Unilocal Elite Mentor!)
‘Fraid I can’t make the next event, but I definitely look forward to future ones and meeting the rest of y’all.

**Please play the Christmas carol of your choice while reading this. Apologies to the poetry police in advance!**
‘Twas the Hour before the soirée, and behind the wheel
Was the swearing of an Elite, cursing her time-​management skill.
The outfit was meh, the hair and makeup was NO-​GO,
How on Earth could she enjoy herself attending such a show?
The streets were wet, but the rain had ceased,
The fingers were crossed that she encountered no beasts,
Southern or Wild enroute to the shindig,
Swanky or naught, proof will be in the pudding.
The twist and turns through the French Quarter,
Missing drunks & tourists walking in front of the car,
The Elite was gripping the wheel,
Gnashing her teeth, pulling hair.
She finds the hotel and such a relief!
«Valet Parking? Hell yeah!» she yelled
And poof! Stress was no longer her bitch.
Inside were the crew, headed by Joi, née of New York,
Pleasant smiles and cries of validation were shared.
Oh, you mean parking?
Well, that too was a subject we cared.
The Lounge was lit so everyone was a beauty,
The staff so attentive, the bathrooms aplenty.
I looked to the bar, and to my happy surprise,
Craft cocktails gratis and friends, even Josh of Booty.
Oh, cheese board! Oh, Shrimp!
Passed apps and Sliders,
The Elite was happy, gripping
Dark Chocolate and Pinot.
Not everything must rhyme,
But prizes abounded,
Thank goodness for those
who won and well, not so won.
Time is up! We must leave,
My chariot promptly arrived,
I got in and happily sighed,
«Damn, that was lovely; can we do this again?»
2013 is neigh, the Mayans no longer reign!
Good night, good night,
I had such a ball!
See you all next year,
Happy RamaHanaKwanzaaMas to you all!

Great event at a great spot! I’ve been to Batch twice and really enjoyed it both times. The wine selection is solid, the bar is quiet and the food is great too. I loved the shrimp remoulade po-​boys and the sliders. Thanks so much Joi, et al for a really enjoyable holiday kick-​off!

Thank you so much to Joi and everyone in attendance for a lovely evening! The Hyatt sure has been pouring a lot of money int its New Orleans properties! I had no idea they took over the old Château Sonesta, in addition to their awesome renovation on Loyola.
Batch was appropriately swank for the holiday party and the food display was really beautiful. I don’t think it tasted quite as good as it looked but presentation counts for a lot. The crab claws with the spicy dipping sauce were my favorite. I had the fancy cocktail with Bols Genever and thought it was very good. The best part though was the company. I saw old friends, made some new ones and was just overall impressed with everyone being so outgoing.
Thanks again! My holiday season is never complete without the Unilocal Christmas party!

There was no shortage of swank last night at Batch. The fabulous hotel bar played host to a gathering of elites that would make Taco jealous.
Batch is a lovely bar attached to the Hyatt Hotel in the French Quarter. It’s a large space with plenty of seating and room for a ginormous spread of food. Unlike other elite events, the food wasn’t wiped out in the first half hour. There was plenty burgers, crab claws, spring rolls, and crawfish dip to go around. My personal favorite were the mini shrimp po-​boys. As a bonus, there was a platter of different types of chocolates and cookies. The wait for drinks was surprisingly short compared to other events. Several good beers available on tap as well as some tasty cocktail options.
What are the holidays without a little gift giving? A raffle was held to benefit Hurricane Sandy victims in the New York area. Some lucky Unilocalers won tickets to the up-​coming (but sold out) Tales of the Toddy. Clearly a win win.
P. S. Parking was a definite plus. Free valet makes a French Quarter event MUCH more appealing to those who have to drive.

This was a great elite event. From the free valet (to add to your Swank), to the rustic cheese display, artfully crafted with figs, dried apricots, raw honey, and bright orange satsumas. Large butcher block type tables in the center of the room, or low profile, sleek couches on the other side of the room — the space itself has quite the swanky vibe. At the bar, the staff was attentive and quick.
The cocktails were creative, although I hate bitters so I wasn’t a fan. The food would have been better if it were warm. At first the staff was walking around with trays. Servers! Swanky… but they didn’t really offer up their products and shortly after, just put the trays on the table. The fried crab legs, eaten cold, were like eating day old fried chicken. The pork won ton things sounded good, but they too were cold, dry, and unpleasing. It seemed like the food was premade and not even reheated. The smoky crawfish dip was thankfully, kept warm on the table, and was very good.
This is my favorite elite event so far. Joi did a great job!

This was a fun event with great drinks and plentiful food all in a great location that generated a fun environment. I really wish I could still be in bed sleeping off all the feasting, drinking, and making merry right now but tis the season to just suck it up and get ready for more parties. This was among the best and largest quantity of food yet at an event and they actually had more burgers, mini po boys, crab claws and other great treats than even I could eat! I’m still lusting after more of the tasty chocolate dessert they brought out at the end… actually I’m still lusting after lots of things from that event and I would love to engage in more gluttony and I do want to apologize for not adding a lot more debauchery to the mix and I will do better at the next party. I also have a vague memory of winning something… Bad Santa’s magical lucky powers seem to be growing stronger!
I was a bit sad to hear that Josh and his couch got into a fight so the couch didn’t make the party this time but I’m sure they will make up and we will see the couch again soon!
A big HO HO HO to all the folks that made this event great and thanks for putting together a fantastically fun event Joi!

This event was awesome!
When I finished up my 899^th review yesterday I figured it would be a while before I figured out what I should review for my 900^th. After this great event my decision was quite easy.
This was one of my favorite elite events in recent memory. It combined all of the factors that make the events worth attending. With great food, drinks and people, you can’t go wrong.
The venue was very cool. Despite being a hotel bar, Batch had a very upscale feel. When I used to think of hotel bars I always envisioned sad cheesy bars for business travelers. This bar has a very intimate and classy feel, which made it perfect for our group.
The food:
This was some of the best food I have had at an elite event. The shrimp remoulade sandwiches were my favorite item.
The drinks:
This event had a great selection of beer, booze and wine. There were actually three different cocktails, three different beers and two wines to choose from.
The people:
One of my complaints about the last few events is that I didn’t do enough to meet new people. I did a little more working the room at this event and had some really great conversations. The Unilocal community is definitely better off now that these new elites have joined and become more active. If I didn’t meet you, I will do better next time. Better yet, just look for the tall guy with the beer and say hello.
Joi, Jeanne and Emily did a great job with this one. I can’t wait to see what they do next.

Congrats to John L H for his 900^th review! What a fantastic milestone in his Unilocaling prowess. This event totally rocked!
The food was great (especially the homemade chocolate and macaroons — nom nom), the drinks were tasty (3 cocktails and several choices of beer/​wine), and the ambiance of the bar was really cool. I hadn’t been to Batch before, but am likely to go back now, perhaps on a nice date. Great idea with fundraising raffle as well. Also many kudos to the team for getting us valet parking (it would have been at least $ 20 prior to tip otherwise).
My friend and I had a wonderful time. He really enjoyed the new gloves and I picked up a pair as well to sport around town. I’m excited to see the professional pics.
Thanks to Joi and the rest of the team for a great event!

Another great Elite event. The free valet parking to start the evening was nice. It was even better at the end of the party. And I’m doing better mingling with the crowd. The food was great. I liked the medium rare Angus beef slider and the shrimp remoulade poorboy. I was a hit when I came back to the table with word of dark and white chocolate at the bar. I didn’t quite get round down in the rush… What was really amazing was the pan of fried crab claws left over at the end of the evening. That’s something I hadn’t seen before at one of these events, leftovers…
The Hyatt and Batch did a fantastic job hosting us. And I liked the bar. Who would imagine something like this was just a short walk from Bourbon Street? Intimate, comfortable, and cozy, yet with plenty of room to wander around.
Joi and her people did a great job putting this party on.

This was my first event as a Unilocal elite. I rarely have a good reason to dress up fancy on a weeknight so this was fun! The food table was artfully delicious in appearance and the cheese display/​selection was creative and well chosen. I had to cut out early as I had dinner reservations elsewhere but I do believe I’ll be attending more events in the future.
I think I need to make more elite friends in this city though, because I didn’t know anyone there besides my date!

Great time… very mellow and enjoyable… most fun I’ve had with a suit on in quite awhile!
The folks at Batch really made us Unilocalers feel welcome… from the service of the waitstaff to the excellent noshes they had spread out (the Angus sliders to the Shrimp Remoulade mini sandwiches to the Hickory Crawfish dip to the excellent cheeses selection) to the free well drinks from the bar…1^st class all the way! Enjoyed myself immensely!
Big shout out to Re H. and John L.H. enjoyed the convo and am surely sorry I couldn’t stick around NOLA to tip a few more with y’all…my loss!
Joi B. you are the Unilocaler Darling and a helluva Community Manager… great soirée and makes me happy to be an Elite! Murr Crismah!