| Rating |
Date Attended [v] |
Reviewer |
Gender |
Age |
Where From? |
Group Type? |
|
Excellent tour
|
| Sat, Nov 28, 09 1:00 PM |
katmancu |
Female |
50-59 |
Local |
Unspecified |
| Very informational...tour guide, Dick, was great. Enjoyed hearing the history of the North End. Went back to several stores and made purchases. Had dinner at Antico Forno recommended by Dick...was excellent |
|
|
A boston gem
|
| Sat, Nov 28, 09 10:00 AM |
ericad |
Female |
40-49 |
International Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| My husband and I had been promising to do this tour for several years after reading a review in a national UK newspaper. Our only regret? That we left it so long, this is a real foodies idea of heaven and Beth, the guide, is a pleasure to spend a few hours with. You leave with a better understanding of Italy and its gourmet delights. The shop owners were hospitable and were just as friendly as we re-traced our steps to stock up on goodies for our own Christmas feast. We would recommend this tour to anyone and woud encourage Beth to delve into other areas of Boston so she could guide us again. Thank you for a wonderful saturday morning. |
|
|
Excellent tour and tour guide.
|
| Sat, Nov 28, 09 10:00 AM |
KevinKell |
Female |
60-69 |
Local |
Family Without Children |
| Our guide was enthusiastic and very knowledgable about Italian food and preperation. The tour was very personal and detailed. You could sense that our guide really enjoyed her job. |
|
|
enjoyable
|
| Fri, Nov 27, 09 2:00 PM |
cfbouvier |
Unspecified |
50-59 |
Local |
Other |
| We enjoyed the tour.. Michael Mealy(?sp) was a great tour guide. He was very knowledgable about the area, stores and food in general. He was personable |
|
|
An informative and fun outing
|
| Sat, Nov 21, 09 2:00 PM |
mrsmarv |
Female |
50-59 |
Domestic Tourist(s) |
Family Without Children |
| My husband and I spent a 3-day weekend in Boston and we made reservations for the North End tour after seeing an article about it in an issue of Country Living magazine. Since I love to cook (and my husband loves to eat) and we both love entertaining, we thought the tour would be a fun way to spend an afternoon. My husband's family is from Italy and my mother was French and Italian so we hoped this tour would be a good fit and it certainly was. The tour guide, Beth, was very pleasant and enthusiastic and had a good sense of humor. She gave insight into the Italian culture and explaned what made authentic Italian cuisine and American-Italian cuisine different. Giving detailed explanations and asking thought provoking questions she made us aware of the many different regions and cuisines of Italy and how the immigrants infused their Italian heritage and customs once they settled in America.
We made our way through the streets of the North End, focusing on the small markets and stores that dotted the neighborhood. The shopkeepers were very gracious and bantered back and forth with the tour participants and the customers who came in to their shops. There was a welcoming feeling that carried throughout the tour and afterwards.
I learned quite a few culinary tidbits of information that I had no idea about, one of them being the fact there is no imported salami from Italy! I always assumed that good salami was imported but learned tat it hasn't been for 40 years...maybe someday.
I would recommend this tour to anyone of any age or culinary inclination. If you love to cook or are just learning to cook and love to eat and learn new things, this tour is great. Mangia! |
|
|
Our group thought this tour was outstanding !!
|
| Sat, Nov 21, 09 2:00 PM |
kdoelberger |
Male |
60-69 |
Combination |
Group of Friends |
| The tour provided an excellent cross section of what the North End has to offer. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and made the tour most interesting. The group size was just right (10 people) , so that there was good interaction and the guide was able to pay attention to individual questions. I would definitely recommend the tour to friends. |
|
|
very good , fun, informative
|
| Sat, Nov 21, 09 1:00 PM |
demeis159 |
Female |
50-59 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| Loved it. Much fun. Would recommend to friends. |
|
|
very informative tour and fun
|
| Sat, Nov 21, 09 1:00 PM |
murphc4 |
Female |
60-69 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| very informative tour and fun out guide was very good I enjoyed all the markets and shops we visited I will go on the Chinatown tour in the spring |
|
|
A great learning experience, a great tasting!
|
| Sat, Nov 14, 09 3:00 PM |
jeffbridges |
Male |
20-29 |
Local |
Couple on a Date |
| We both love food, and we both thought we knew a bit about Italian cooking. Little did we know that every stop along this tour would turn our assumptions on their head and teach us something new about this delicious cuisine. Our tour guide struck exactly the right note, giving us heaps of information without boring us at all. We were interested in everything he had to say.
Did you know that what we think of as cinnamon is actually something called "cassia"? The real stuff, which you get to experience on the tour, will blow you away. Same goes for the marzipan, which I typically hate, but couldn't get enough of at Maria's Pastry Shop. (Don't even think about going to Mike's!) And balsamic vinegar--don't get me started!
The bottom line is that you'll walk away from this tour with a far greater understanding and appreciation for Italian food, and with a massive craving for some North End goodness! Make sure to book a spot (Monica's Trattoria is fantastic and takes reservations) or plan in some extra time afterward to browse the local restaurants. Your guide, I'm sure, will be happy to point you in the right direction.
We can't wait to take their Chinatown tour! |
|
|
Great- it was given by Jimmy - he was great!!
|
| Sat, Nov 14, 09 3:00 PM |
adilando |
Male |
50-59 |
Local |
Group of Friends |
| It was great! I highly recommend it |
