I've been on a number of food and cocktail tours in a number of different cities. Usually I leave clutching my stomach, unable to bear the thought of another bite. Not so with this tour. I actually left hungry, as did a number of other guests I spoke with. For $130 that's unacceptable.
The first stop was delicious. It included both a seafood gumbo with sausage and an alligator and pork boudin ball (the best dish of the entire tour BY FAR). Both dishes were classic New Orleans and immensely satisfying. I had high hopes for the rest of the tour, but that stop was the highlight.
The second stop was a hot sauce shop where we were invited to try the hot sauce samples for free. The problem? The general public if also invited to try the hot sauce samples for free. We were given a bottle of hot sauce (free) at the end of this stop, but it was still disappointing, and I'd rather the company spend this money providing us with another tasty stop than on a bottle of hot sauce.
The third stop was a Pimm's cup to go. This was a bit sweet, but tasty, and the portion size was generous (indeed, the drink portion sizes were consistently generous -- these were standard size cocktails, not tasting cups).
The fourth stop was a candy shop, where we were given a praline treat. I found it far too sweet, but no matter. This is classic New Orleans, and I don't begrudge the company this stop. We also got to try a bacon praline candy, which was yummy, but our 'taste' literally consisted of a few crumbs.
The fifth stop was a trendy gastro pub, where a variety of small plates were brought out for us to share. The first one was radish and butter. Others included shrimp toast, calamari, anchovies, and peas. Many of these were very tasty, but I wasn't sure what any of them had to do with New Orleans. I felt like I could have been in a trendy gastro pub in any city.
The sixth stop was a very nice restaurant where we each had a French 75. Very tasty indeed. We were seated by the oyster bar, but alas no oysters for us (even though oysters ARE a traditional New Orleans food) instead we were led on to...
The seventh stop, another trendy bar. Here, we got traditional daiquiris, which were delicious, but again the food was lacking. We were given appetizer trays to share. These featured hummus and warm olives and a pimento cheese dip and briny vegetables, and I again found myself thinking 'tasty but not very New Orleans and not very filling.' Really, I can get hummus and olives anywhere.
The last stop involved our choice of sazerac or hurricane. The guide described the sazerac as similar to an old fashioned, which sounded good to me, except I'd read somewhere that a sazerac contains absinthe. I asked the guide about this and he said that while this particular sazerac would not contain absinthe it would utilize a similar licorice liquor in its stead. I hate licorice, so I opted for the hurricane and was happy with it. The woman sitting next to me, who loved old fashioneds, had opted for the sazerac and didn't like it at all. She said it had a medicinal taste. Describing the drink as 'like an old fashioned' is misleading for people who don't like herbal flavors in their drinks, and I think the guides would do well to find a new description. At this stop we were also served a savory beignet which was delicious and a lovely way to end the tour.
All in all, I thought the cocktail part of the tour was very satisfactory indeed. We also learned a sufficient amount of history about New Orleans. The food was what really let this tour down. Many of the dishes didn't have anything to do with New Orleans. More problematic, this is the first time I've ever left a food tour hungry, and I'm a size 0 woman. Not worth the price, I'm afraid.
Ответ от хоста
Nov 2018
Hi TNETNE,
Thank you for the lengthy review and for your honest feedback. I, too, have been on dozens of food and cocktail tours in other cities throughout the world, and I honestly have yet to attend one that includes as much food, drink and relevant history as our tour does. I'm truly sorry this wasn't your experience, and that you felt it was not worth the price tag.
This tour is designed to be a blend of some New Orleans classics, but also a healthy dose of "trendy" venues showcasing where we are now, in the 21st century, with our culinary evolution. This is why we feature staples like gumbo and boudin, but also modern dishes like curried pork skins, black eyed pea hummus and crawfish beignets with tarragon aioli. I'm sorry if there was the misunderstanding that this tour was to be strictly focused on culinary heritage of our past.
Red beans and ricely,
Doctor G