French Quarter Culinary History and Tasting Tour

I've actually taken this tour before but I enjoyed it as if I were experiencing it for the very first time. The history of the city, how its blend of cultures came to be, and how that all relates to the cuisine never ceases to amaze me. Also, the history and the stories behind the restaurants were very entertaining. Put that all together with great samples of food and you have the recipe for a wonderful afternoon! The tour guide was very knowledgeable and a lot of fun too.

Thought the tour was ok, spent too much time at Antoines, took us to see the dirty kitchen - full of greasy dust on everything higher thatn 6 ft. Got no printed material about places we visited. Samples were tiny for the price. Worst part was the guide who was abrasive and full of himself. Acted like we were a big bother and stupid, wasting his time. He smoked between places, constantly touched his hair then our food, bragged on himself and put others down. The tour covered great restaurants, just not done well.

After reading reviews we decided to sign up for this tour, hoping we would get Candy and not "Chef". Unfortunately we got "chef". We have taken 3 Zerve tours in NYC and enjoyed all of them. When analyzing why we were not happy with this tour we decided it was the guide. The other guides gave the impression that they enjoyed their job. They did have higher ambitions but for the time they imparted the feeling that they enjoyed sharing this part of the city with us. We thought the chef felt this job was beneath him. The information he gave us was ok, but could have done w/o the many sexual comments/inferences. Also, he should have refrained from smoking while the group had to walk behind him. Towards the end of the tour he went outside while we were in the restaurant and that was appreciated. Also, almost an hour spent at Antoines was too long, since there are so many other excellent restaurants there.

I expected the tour to be more content heavy. The tour guide seemed more interested in cracking jokes and talking about himself. I expected more discussion of the ingredients and preparation of the food that we were tasting. The best part of the tour was when the guide's mother gave a demonstration on how to make rue.

My wife & I thoroughly enjoyed this tour. We greatly enjoy trying new foods. This was our second visit to NOLA and we appreciated the tastings at the different restaurants as well as the history behind the food and the city itself. George was great!

The tour started with a man asking us if we were part of the group. He didn't have a name tag and told us to call him Chef. He was a little gruff, but gave us good information and we were enjoying the tour.....then at the end he said he had some "lanyap" for us. He started toward a cookbook store and said, "When we go in here, don't be surprised if the woman behind the counter spreads her legs and starts to moan, she knows me." At this point, Don and I left the tour.

Our guide, George, was very friendly and knowledgeable (as well as being very funny!). We got to see a lot of things you couldn't on your own - historical parts of the buildings the restaurants were in, kitchens, even a hidden museum! The walking was very easy, but there was quite a bit of it. The food was delicious, but sample sized so after the tour expect to be hungrier than when you started!

We thoroughly enjoyed the Culinary History of New Orleans tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and friendly. We particulary enjoyed the seeing the kitchens and private dining rooms. The food samples were delicious and more than ample in size.

Our tour included Antoine's--with its elaborate dining areas and amazing kitchen; Leah's Pralines; Arnaud's Remoulade; Desire Oyster Bar; La Divina; Tujagues; and Creole Delicacies. We learned a lot about the history of the individual restaurants and the origin of New Orleans. Our guide was a bit of a cynic, and clearly has disdain for restaurateurs who are considered to be celebrities. But overall, we had a great time!

George was absolutely a fantastic tour guide. We learned a lot about New Orleans. Food sampling was great. Would highly recommend this tour (especially with George).....My sisters and I thoroughly enjoyed it immensely.