French Quarter Culinary History and Tasting Tour

I booked the tour for my husband and was under the mistaken impression that we would actually get to see some of the dishes being prepared. I did like the history but our tour guide was somewhat of a "drama queen". In fact, she got into a shouting match with a man who thought she was talking about a slave exchange when she was actually talking about a coffee shop as a place for an exchange of ideas. It was fun, but I think it could have been a little better if I had known the exact places we were going to tour and the activities involved.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE FUN WITH MORE PEOPLE IN THE GROUP. IT WAS JUST MY HUSBAND AND ME.

I felt that there were parts of the tour that were very interesting, and other parts that could be eliminated entirely. The tour of Antoine's was by far the most interesting from a historical standpoint. The restaurant is visually a sight to behold, and the descriptive history of all the individual rooms was extremely interesting. We were able to meet the great-great granddaughter of the founder, and enjoyed our brief conversation with her. We stopped at Petunia's, but did not go into the restaurant itself, Instead, we were served gumbo outside in the courtyard of the Hanna Grimm (?) house across the street. The gumbo was average, and the tour of the house was the same. We stopped for pralines next. Little history there, samples were even smaller. Stopped at a coffee house next. Just a rest point, no history there. A brief stop at Napoleon House was accompanied by mini-muffelattas (muffelatta sliders?). Some good insights to the sandwich there along with the restaurant itself. A stop at the New Orleans School of Cooking gave us some excellent red beans and rice, very appropirate for a Monday tour. I thought there we would get some demonstrations on cooking/techniques. but none were offered. Our next to last stop was at Tajague's. Average beef brisket, but very interesting conversations with the bartender-very colorful character, and an excellent Sazerac cocktail. Final stop was at Cafe du Monde to watch the beignet maker toss them into the fryer. No samples. Overall, the tour guide was very pleasant and knowledgable. I wish there would have been more observation of the kitchens in the process of preparing foods and more opportunity to ask the cooks/chefs about various aspects of preparation. I would recommend the tour to anyone that has an interst in the cuisine of NOLA however. Get rids of the stops for Pralines, the coffee shop, and Cafe du Monde-little substance there.

The tasting tour was good fun, wandering the streets and entering local restaurants. We tasted 5 savoury dishes, 2 sweets, and one drink. The portions were reasonable and actually by the end of the tour quite filling.

My wife and I took this tour in January 2008. We have been to New Orleans several times, though this was our first visit since the storm. If you love or are at least interested in food...DO THIS! (We would also recommend taking a class at The New Orleans School of Cooking on St. Louis St.!). If culture is your thing...DO THIS! If you really don't care and you just want to have a QUALITY tour...DO THIS! Actually, while on this tour (with Joe....great job....hope you get to be Rex one of these days!) we also learned that there is a bar tour and those who were with us spoke highly of that....so I guess you'd better do that, too (we will next time)! Don't waste your time with Gray Line tours and some of those other typical touristy tours and t-shirt shops. You will learn more about New Orleans...come to love New Orleans...and taste New Orleans this way............and feel like you can safely explore the sights, sounds, and tastes by yourself when the tour is over. And...oh yeah...you get to do plenty of tasting during the tour, too. DO THIS!!!

The tour was a great intro into styles and history of eating establishments in the French Quarter. The samples of food were excellent and was a nice way to view and decide where and what to eat. The tour was a bit too long mostly because it was really cold. Wear comfortable shoes!!

If you are a first time visitor to the French Quarter, this is a great tour to become familiar with both the cuisine and the history of the Quarter. I have been to the Quarter many times and I wish this tour would have been available the first time I went. The guide was very well informed and fun.

The tour was fun and informative. Our guide had a great sense of humor and a way of bringing life to the information. One suggestion though - It would be nice to have the opportunity to purchase a cocktail and/or snack at the restaurants.

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable about the area, as well as the cuisine. It was great to try the local specialities before going to dinner and ordering something you know you would not care for.

I would recommend this tour to any one. If you are interested in the history of New Orleans culinary melting pot it is very informative. I would tell locals to check it out and bring friends from out of town. If you are interested in New Orleans history or if you like to eat good food & have a fun time check out this tour. Kelly was our tour guide. Kudos to her! thank you, Linda Breaux P.S. See ya in the Gumbo!