Food Tour
I flew into New Orleans a few days ago and decided to check something off my bucket list that had been on there for awhile: a food tour! I chose one of the less expensive options, and was also intrigued because the description stated that the tour would teach the difference between Cajun and Creole food. We met near the French Quarter and were told that we would have four stops along the tour to learn dome history and try food samples.
The four stops were restaurants and we tried small samples and learned whether the sample was Cajun or Creole. I will say that while we learned some brief differences, there was not enough information from our guide to really learn the difference between the two. You can see the samples below, which included: Jambalaya, Gumbo, Crawfish Étouffée, and Red Beans & Rice (my favorite!).
All of the samples were wonderful, but I wish we would have learned more about the history behind the food and the restaurants we visited. Also most of the restaurants were along Bourbon St and it was very hard to hear the guide with how busy it was in that area.
The best stop was Laura’s Candies where we received a pecan praline and had a chance to do some shopping. The tour ended here and the group split ways.
All in all, I hope to do another food tour in the future as this was did not impress me much. I want to bring ya’ll positive experiences, but I also want to be honest. The Taste of Nawlins’ Food Tour is not your best option, unfortunately. I’ll try a different one in the future and hopefully share a better experience where I have more details to give.
Palmetto’s on the Bayou
I treated myself to a nice dinner in Slidell, Louisiana at a restaurant called Palmetto’s on the Bayou. And you guessed it, it’s on a bayou. It’s a beautiful little restaurant that you wouldn’t notice if you were just passing by. I was the only person there, except for an entire rehearsal dinner so I felt like I was crashing a party!
I requested outdoor seating and it was just incredible outside. They have covered seating on a deck and the weather was perfect for an outdoor dinner.
The ordered the New Orleans BBQ Shrimp, and no, it’s not shrimp covered in BBQ sauce. It was jumbo gulf shrimp in a traditional rosemary and pepper butter, over smoked gouda grits and a grilled pepper salad. Holy cow! This was the best meal I have had in a long time! I’m pretty picky when it comes to grits, but these were so smooth and creamy they could have been mistaken for mashed potatoes and all the flavors worked so well together!
The grounds around the restaurant are beautiful too and they are open for hosting private events and it made me want to throw a party! I highly recommend checking this out for dinner if you’re ever passing through Slidell.
So there’s another Foodie Friday for you! Come back next week for my Arkansas adventures!
Traveling by Nature 