While in New Orleans, one thing that I demanded that we do is take a walking historical culinary tour of the French Quarter. Known for its rich history and wonderful blend of food, I knew that we'd be in for a treat. They are approximately three hours long, and include a historical tour as you hop from one restaurant to the next. We started the tour at 2PM at the famous Hermes Bar at
Antoine's Restaurant.
Known for creating the first Oysters Rockefeller, the restaurant is still family-owned since 1840 and was just packed with history throughout its 14 dining rooms. We saw all kinds of memorabilia, and their block-long wine cellar made us drool.
We sampled gumbo at this restaurant before moving on to stop number two:
Leah's Pralines (
pronounced "praw-leens") across the street.
Too sweet for me, but everyone else seemed to really enjoy them.
Then on to
Arnaud's Remoulade for some shrimp remoulade with a great kick to the mustard-based sauce. This restaurant was just as unique as the others, and included artwork from the Spongebob Squarepants creator.
Then we moved on to
Desire Bistro & Oyster Bar for some turtle soup.
This was our favorite dish of the tour, with lots of Creole heat and depth of flavor. We dined outside on their enclosed patio, and enjoyed a view of their hidden garden.
You'll find hidden gems like this all over New Orleans- just peek down alleyways and you'll find these treasures.
Then it was time to try New Orleans' famous sandwich- the Muffalino, and some gelato from
La Davina.
With thick bread, several Italian meats, and a house-made olive salad topping, the sandwich gave us a small taste of what all the fuss is about.
We landed at
Tujague's Restaurant (
the second oldest restaurant in New Orleans) next for some beef brisket and a wonderful horseradish remoulade. This was a close second for favorite dish of the tour.
By this point, it was about 5:00PM and we still had one more stop to go. Last stop:
Creole Delicacies for a quick cooking demo and samples, and then shopping for sauces, spices, cookware, gifts, and more in their great shop.
We picked up some popcorn rice, a crawfish boil seasoning packet, and a Christmas tree ornament to remind us of this fabulous trip. The great news is that you can order online, and they'll ship you all of the wonderful flavors of New Orleans!
This tour was simply fabulous. Candy, our guide, was very knowledgeable, had a passion for good food, and a great sense of humor that kept us chuckling all day. We learned a lot about the French Quarter and the many influences in their culinary world- including French, Spanish, Italian, German, Creole, and Cajun. Such a melting pot of great history and flavors.
It really reminded me of our own
NEO Food Tours that started up last year. "R" and I attended the Shaker Square signature tour and had such a good time learning more about the neighborhood and sampling food from several of the restaurants on the Square. The tour in New Orleans was $45 a person, and for $75 in Cleveland you get a little more bang for your buck with portion sizes and cocktails are included at each stop. We actually preferred the Cleveland tour over our New Orleans one! The good news? NEO Food Tours is
kicking off their signature tour series in June with a stop in Little Italy.
I highly recommend checking out one of their tours, and enjoying some great food while you explore a neighborhood in your own city. Also, when you are traveling- check into whether or not the city offers some sort of walking culinary tour. It's such a fun way to explore a new city and sample the food that they are known for.
Yup, the grocery store chain. Seared ahi tuna with a risotto cake. It was so good that we had two. Talking with the staff at the table, they told us that a lot of Giant Eagle stores have a trained chef on staff, and that they are really trying to change people's perception of their catering and on-site offerings. They certainly made a believer out of me.
Major points with me.
This plate of food was just $2.99 (Dining Deals Alert!). Now, at Gabe's the special does include one more egg. But who really needs three eggs with this? Gus's also included more homefries, an extra strip of bacon, and the wheat toast was way better.
They sent me Mint Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chocolate Chip, Black Raspberry Chocolate Chip, and Vanilla Chocolate Chip- a nice variety of their famous chip ice creams. Here are our thoughts, and I had to include "R" because he is the real ice cream aficionado in our house. I'm more of a frozen yogurt/custard girl, shhhh.
This dish is served with one large ravioli. The textures in this plate are just beautiful. My favorite component was the crispy prosciutto that added great bite to the dish. It isn't ideal for sharing, but I'd recommend this dish and I'd order it again. Only tiny criticism- it could have been served hotter, and I didn't taste any heat from the jalapenos.
For the price, the serving was large and I was able to take some home with me. The meat was tender and just fell apart at the touch. Overall, I did enjoy the dish and its combination of flavors- it was reminiscent of a beloved gyro. However, the lamb meat was a little fatty, and I had wished that there was more tang from the yogurt.
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The interior is such a cute space. It was cozy and inviting, with the small bar area being the focus of the room. The restaurant doesn't seat a lot of diners, so this led to some great people-watching and attentive service throughout the meal.
I wish that there had been more sauce on the plate. As you can see, it was pretty minimal, and the breaded pork could have used more. Bites without it were a little dry and coarse, but the meat itself was still juicy and the schnitzel was prepared well. It brought back fond memories of my mom's schnitzel and watching her pound out the meat.
General admission tickets are $85 each, or $100 at the door. A VIP ticket option is available for $150, which includes an exclusive private reception and early entrance. Or, you can win two general admission tickets here!
Tempted yet? This event is one not to miss, and all proceeds benefit one of the best organizations that our city has. For every dollar donated to Harvest for Hunger, the Cleveland Foodbank can provide enough food for four meals in a local hunger center. This year's Harvest for Hunger goal is to raise enough food and funds to provide 16 million meals to our local hunger centers. 16 million- wow, and you can help! Enter to win my giveaway, or head straight over to www.cleveland.com/marketatfoodbank to purchase tickets.
