Munching through the Vieux Carre –
a Food Lovers Guide to New Orleans
by Anne Lesnet
It’s a New Orleans tradition…sultry afternoons whiled away in a hidden garden of cooling brick, fountains trickling, palm fronds swaying…tall glasses of Pimm’s cup sweating slowly in your hand…tiny toasted muffuletta’s, the salami, pastrami, provolone and olive salad gently melting on your plate. This is Napoleon House, a 200-year-old landmark deep in the French Quarter, and stop seven on our History and Culinary Tour of New Orleans.
Local treasures, like Petunia’s on Saint Louis Street, that reportedly serves the best seafood gumbo in the city, are sampled alongside world famous Antoine’s, the oldest family run restaurant in the United States and birthplace of Oysters Rockefeller. The three hour tour brings you face to face with the unique cultural heritage that has made the City one of the best loved of the south. Around every corner French and Spanish culture romance the New World, yielding an irresistible coupling that has drawn travelers for centuries.
When you tour with Kelly Hamilton, proprietor of New Orleans Culinary History Tours, you’re an insider. If you’re lucky, she’ll personally introduce you to the fifth generation of the Alciatore family to manage Antoine’s, and take you deep inside their 19th century buildings to see the Carnival memento filled dining rooms. Devoted to their Mardi Gras “Krewes,” Rex, Proteus, Hermes, and 12th night revelers, the brilliantly decorated rooms bear witness to the historical importance of Mardi Gras to the City. The Duke and Duchess of Windsor dined here during Mardi Gras of 1949. King and Queen costumes, photos, and crowns of the “King of Rex” cover the walls in a green, purple, and gold frenzy.
This is the taste of New Orleans, as well as the smell and the touch. The 10-stop history and culinary tour traces the roots of the City through its’ culinary heritage. “We cover a big ground here,” Hamilton said, “but through the ‘eyes’ of food…it’s a good basic introduction to our food and what makes it unique.” Ms. Hamilton is a Xavier University Professor, whose area of expertise is U.S. ethnicity, immigration and culinary history. A small and animated woman, Kelly will make sure you know the difference between Creole and Cajun, as well as the varied ethnic influences that have contributed to the development of the City’s cuisine, and it’s appreciation of fine food.
Following a compact route within a four-block radius, the tour is accessible to almost everyone, at any time of year. Ducking into shaded brick buildings frigid with the legendary southern air conditioning makes this a pleasant afternoon even during the hottest months of July and August.
The tour introduces you to a full range of distinctly regional dishes:
No visit to NO would be complete without pralines. At Leah’s tiny shop, creamy brown sugar and the south’s best pecans will be simmering in enormous copper cauldrons. After you sample a few, buy a box to take home.
A short walk under lacey iron balconies takes us on to Brennan’s. Surrounding a gas light filled courtyard dripping with ferns, Brennan’s Restaurant continues to receive rave reviews from food critics and visitor’s. A Wine Spectator Award in recognition of the 35,000-bottle cellar will entice you back for a glass later, and a romantic candlelight dinner finished off with Bananas Foster, their sweet and flaming creation.
Chef Paul Prudhomme’s “K-Pauls Louisiana Kitchen” on Chartres St. is our sixth stop, and the famous Napoleon House the seventh. Few places capture the essence of New Orleans like the Napoleon House. The building’s first owner, Nicholas Girod, was mayor of the city from 1812 to 1815. He offered his residence to Napoleon in 1821 as a refuge during his exile.
Napoleon never made it, but the name stuck. Its cool shadowy interior has been a haunt of artists and writers throughout most of the 20th century. The closely guarded secret of the Pimms Cup, known only by six people, is the perfect New Orleans drink to compliment the tiny muffuletta sandwiches Kelly will have waiting here for her guests.
In addition to the tastings, you also visit the historic Hermann-Grima House circa 1831, to tour its’ 19th century kitchen and view a demonstration of open hearth cooking. Strolling from stop to stop, you pass New Orleans’ postcard landmarks-St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Square. There is a lot to see and plenty to munch, but there are numerous opportunities for photos, questions, and discussion. Tours are limited to 16 people, and often, as we did, you will have Kelly to yourself.
The final food stop is Tujague’s. Established in 1856 by a French butcher and his wife, the elaborate bar in the street side entry was brought from France the same year. Filled with the flavor of the French Quarter, local characters and celebrities are often seen standing at the bar drinking such classics as Sazerac’s and Absinthe frappes. As famous as the bar, is the beef brisket, boiled with aromatic vegetables and served with Creole sauce. To complete your eating expedition, both the Sazerac Cocktail and the beef brisket are included, if you can find the room!
If you haven’t already visited the Café du Monde in the French Market, the tour ends at the viewing window overlooking the assembly of the powdery sugar covered doughnut squares known as beignets. With chicory flavored coffee, served black or “au lait,” you can finish a perfect afternoon under the striped awnings over looking Decatur Street. “Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler,” let the good times roll!
Kelly Hamilton’s New Orleans Culinary History Tours are available Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 2pm. Tours go, rain or shine all year long. Lasting approximately three hours, the current price is $43.00/person. To book contact: www.noculinarytours.com.
*The French Quarter of New Orleans was untouched by Hurricane Katrina. It is still as beautiful and enigmatic as it has been for 200 yea.rs. The people of NOLA will welcome you with a large portion of gratitude. And, you will be glad you came.
