Boston Culinary and Food Tasting Tours by Michele Topor (North End Walking Sightseeing Tours)

Seller:	MicheleTopor
	Michele Topor, Inc.

Ratings Summary: Rating: 4.80

(826)
(All reviews for this seller)

	# of Reviews	Overall Rating	=	Positive Points	–	Negative Points	% Positive	Average Rating
Last 3 months	53	140		141		1	98%	4.8
Last 6 months	84	222		223		1	99%	4.8
Last 12 months	314	826		827		1	100%	4.8
All	754	1955		1970		15	99%	4.8

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About this seller (MicheleTopor)

Ratings by Activity
(Each activity's ratings from the last 12 months)

	Overall Rating	% Positive	Average Rating
North End Market Tour	795	100%	4.8
Boston Chinatown Market Tour	31	100%	4.8

Rating	Date Attended [v]	Reviewer	Gender	Age	Where From?	Group Type?
	Well worth it. Lots of fun... North End Market Tour
	Sat, May 27, 06 2:00 PM	tomcolucci	Male	40-49	Local	Other
	Michael did a great job taking us on a tour of the North End. His enthusiasm and his knowledge of of the neighborhood was more than evident throughout the afternoon. We thought the tour was well worth the money and a great way to spend some time learning about one of Boston's great neighborhoods..
	Fascinating, even for someone somewhat familar wit North End Market Tour
	Sat, May 27, 06 1:00 PM	SWozniak	Female	50-59	Local	Other
	h the North End. I loved the tour. As a young woman in Michigan, I often visited the home of an Italian friend, whose mother and aunts would gather, principally at Easter, but at other holidays as well, and bake wonderful pastries. For years, I tried to duplicate their lemon cheesecake, but, I am convinced that one needs to have been born Italian to do so. As a homemaker and avid cookbook reader, I began with Elizabeth David's volumes on French and Italian cookery and continued on to Marcella Hazen. Soon, I was searching used book stores for the classics of regional Italian cuisine and grabbing the new ones, like Marlena Dibiasi. Although my former husband claimed to have been a lover of Boston, we never dined in the North End and visited it just once, because my parents were in town. He's one of those belligerently unsophisticated Yankees who are convinced a good roast beef is the only way to eat. To him, Italian cooking was red sauce only, despite having been fed by Hazen's and Bastianich's recipes for years! After the divorce, I began making annual pilgrimages to Salumeria Italiana and drinking an espresso at ll Graffito before catching the commuter rail home. Three years ago, I discovered Cirace & Son. However, visiting familar territory in no way diminished the tour for me. It made it more pleasurable! The guide was knowledgeable and interesting and I found the history as valuable as the food tips. It was great to be in the company of a professional chef and to hear his recipes as he narrated the area. Tasting the olive oils, ices, meats, cheeses and produce was heavenly. The friendliness and good humor of the merchants was inviting. I confess I never liked Mike's, the one place everyone seems to identify first when the North End is mentioned, and now I know why: it's Italian American and not real Italian! After the tour, I bought a new espresso pot to replace my battered aluminum model with the cracked handle as well as the making for risi bisi. Unfortunately, I had to hurry off to meet a friend who wanted to see a movie (Da Vinci Code) that was a waste of time and my risi bisi had to wait until Memorial Day. Served along with strawberry shortcake, it made a lovely, albeit non-traditional, holiday meal. Even my curmudgeonly son enjoyed it!
	Terrific North End Market Tour
	Sat, May 27, 06 9:00 AM	mnickels	Female	50-59	Domestic Tourist(s)	Group of Friends
	We learned so much history of the area and enjoyed learning about all the shops. The treats were great and it was a wonderful way to spend a few hours. I would love to do it again!!!
	what a wonderful time North End Market Tour
	Fri, May 26, 06 10:00 AM	bowbird	Male	50-59	Domestic Tourist(s)	Family Without Children
	My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The Guide, Michael, not only was pleasant and personable, but most intelligent and entertaining. We both not only enjoyed the tour, but learned so much about Boston , Italy and the foods of both. The personal insight into the area, and his obvious knowledge of Italian food was excellant. I would encourage anyone to take this tour. It was the highlight of our two week trip. My wife and I travel quite a bit and have taken many tours and excursions, but this one is at the top of the list. Two huge thumbs up. Bob and Cheryl Ernst Lancaster Pa
	maria's bakery North End Market Tour
	Sat, May 20, 06 1:00 PM	Gladding	Female	60-69	Local	Group of Friends
	My friend and I both bought bread at Maria's Bakery. I thought it seemed very hard to the touch, but the salesperson said it was soft on the inside. Both my friend and I found when we got home that the bread we purchased was hard as a rock, clear through, and we threw it out. This was a real disappointment as we had looked forward to getting some old fashioned Italian bread in the North End. Otherwise, the tour was fine. Shirley Gladding
	interesting to see local culture North End Market Tour
	Sat, May 20, 06 10:00 AM	taffychloe	Female	50-59	Domestic Tourist(s)	Group of Friends
	Very enjoyable. It is always interesting to get a local perspective on a city. I loved the old buildings and the background information given by Michele. It seemed at times that we were transported to another time, besides another culture. I would do it again, when I bring my husband back to Boston.
	A Pleasant Experience North End Market Tour
	Sat, May 20, 06 9:00 AM	npcordy	Female	40-49	Domestic Tourist(s)	Family Without Children
	My sister and I (we are of Italian descent) took our husbands (two Irishmen) on the walking tour for their birthdays. We thought they would enjoy it, but were happily surprised that all four of us LOVED it. Dick was our colorful guide and did a great job taking us through the history of the North End, introducing us to all the shopkeepers who were all warm and friendly, and sharing his knowledge and experiences with us. The food and drink samples were terrific, even at nine in the morning! Michele Topor came into Maria's Bakery while we were enjoying some delicious treats. I highly recommend the tour to anyone who loves Italian cooking, food and culture! I will definitely make a point of going back to some of the shops in the future.
	Fun, informative, interesting! North End Market Tour
	Fri, May 19, 06 3:00 PM	jpedward	Female	60-69	Local	Couple on a Date
	Great tour for those who like, history, food, shopping & Italian cooking. Be aware that it is 3 hours of walking and standing, but well worth it. I can hardly wait to go back to the North End on my own! Our guide was excellent!
	I wasn't expecting to learn as much as I did... North End Market Tour
	Fri, May 19, 06 10:00 AM	kevins	Female	30-39	Domestic Tourist(s)	Family With Children
	Our tour guide had so many great stories from growing up in the North End. It was like we were given the inside scoop on the past and present lives of the local store owners and restaraunts. No need to take notes. We received hand outs and an information packet during the tour. I now know what Sfagliatelle, D.O.P. and Aceto Balsamico is. Take the tour and you'll feel like a pro when it comes to Italian cooking, eating and pastry! If I ever go to Italy, I'll definately take Michele's tour there as well.
	A really first-class tour North End Market Tour
	Wed, May 17, 06 10:00 AM	rbriber	Male	70+	Domestic Tourist(s)	Group of Friends
	The three of us enjoyed the tour immensely and will keep the handout about various stores for our next visit to Boston. The North End of greengrocers, import stores and laundry hanging-out-to-dry may be changing but enough is still there to make the walk around a great delight. Along with all the local color and sense of times gone by, we had an up-to-date exposition of fun information - where the phrase "caught red-handed" came from, how to tell the sex of a eggplant and the difference it makes, smooth and interesting liquers, and much more. Your trip was a great success.
	Very wet, but fun and interesting. North End Market Tour
	Sat, May 13, 06 2:00 PM	Cathynugnes	Female	50-59	Local	Group of Friends
	We couldn't have chosen a wetter Saturday to take a tour of the North End ( May 13). Poor Paul gave two tours that day. We happened to be his second tour. He said the first tour was even wetter! Paul was very informative and passionate about the North End. All of the store owners were very friendly and didn't seem to mind us dripping all over their floors. We really liked all of the samples of food and drink. We did not go back to shop after the tour was over. We headed right for Artu's for wine and food. It was very good. Our group is planning on returning to the North End on a warm sunny day to retrace our steps to see what we missed when we had to keep our heads down under our hoods and umbrellas. Thank you for a unique experience.
	Good tour, weather terrible & one stop pathetic North End Market Tour
	Sat, May 13, 06 10:00 AM	cgking	Female	50-59	Local	Group of Friends
	Toured with 5 of my girl friends - all love to cook & eat and despite torrid rainfall and record flooding - we attended in the rain. Should have rescheduled tour for weather this extreme, was less enjoyable because we were freezing and uncomfortable much of the time. The folks at Maria's Pastry and the Salmuria (sp?) were warm, welcoming and generous in their samples. Polcari's coffee shop was also warm & welcoming but a little lite on the samples. Dairy Fresh had a fabulous selection; however, very little effort was extended on behalf of the vendor to welcome us. The vegetable store which wouldn't let us inside and gave us a thimble-full of fennel bulb to taste was terrible - won't go back there - they were pathetic and a waste of time. The liquor store (run by brother & sister - name?) tour was informative and a nice selection of wines & liquors. Martinetti's I could skip, like going to Kappy's no pizazz and - atmosphere is like an outlet but no bargains. Fish and butcher stores - didn't learn/experience enough with either to comment. Our tour guide was excellent (Paul). He was knowledgable, informative and pleasant. Printed materials on tour, stores & recommendations were very helpful - more would be better. Lunched at Artu's on your recommendation list and we all enjoyed. The meal was good but nothing out of the ordinary. The service was pretty good. If we weren't soaked to the bone and really cold - it would have been far more enjoyable. We understood tours were run rain or shine; however, the weather was really extreme, tour should have been rescheduled. If you can book last minute, I recommend it.
	Not for the unknowledged American North End Market Tour
	Fri, May 12, 06 10:00 AM	fungi_13	Male	20-29	Domestic Tourist(s)	Individual
	It feels just a little too much like they're trying to spit out as much information as they possibly can in the little while they have. Unless you have a basic understanding already, the italian terms and references they make will likely go right over your head. I felt I came away with an expensive guide to walk me through the streets of the north end. Nevertheless, they put me onto this great Gelato place that I tried after the tour. That recommendation was right on. If there was a way to keep the tour from becoming so much of a regurgitation of facts but make it more personable, that would make it easier to remember instead of walking away with little more than a somewhat full stomache and a pile of papers. Nice area though.
	Informative and Fun! North End Market Tour
	Fri, May 12, 06 10:00 AM	amcaleer	Unspecified	Unspecified	Domestic Tourist(s)	Family Without Children
	This tour was so much fun. We learned so much and brought home some great cooking and food shopping tips. I come from an Italian background and loved the old-world neighborhood and the samples were a plus too. It was a three hour tour but went by very fast. One of the best parts of our trip!
	Fun, informative and delicious North End Market Tour
	Fri, May 12, 06 10:00 AM	neuberger	Female	50-59	International Tourist(s)	Unspecified
	We had a really good time and enjoyed it hugely. It was a shame for us we did it so near the end of our stay in Boston- it would have changed our eating habits. But it will be immensley useful for next time. We saw a lot, learned a lot, and ate a lot. Highly recommended.

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