Not N'Awlins

Want to see more hidden gems in New Orleans? Avoid the tourist traps, hear the stories & have great drinks when you book your French Quarter Cocktail Tour with me! I recommend only a few French Quarter restaurants to people (beyond the tried and true and few hidden gems, there's a lot of tourist traps) and Muriel's on Jackson Square is one of them. But I know people come to New Orleans because we like to get spooked and hope for a brush with the paranormal- here's the story

History & Rules of Gumbo If you asked me the iconic epitome of New Orleans in one dish it's gumbo- hands down, no contest. The answer to "where to get the best" is always "my mom's house"; it intertwines New Orleans' Cajun, Creole, indigenous, Caribbean, African, Spanish and French history into one bowl. And the biggest basic you need to know that a recipe can't teach: the roux, your base of flour and oil, MUST be a dark brown (like 60% + bittersweet dark chocolate colo

Best Ever Food Review Show emailed me about the usual New Orleans food sources for their show- stuff they (and everyone else) had found on the internet: places saturated with tourists gorging on "the best" fried chicken, "the best" oyster po-boy , "the best" gumbo /ettoufee/jambalaya, offering the "most authentic" experience. I turned them around and then turned them on to Lil Dizzys and Joey Ks- I also make an appearance & got to hang in the kitchens, while showing the

Put a flower crown on her, she's the queen of Spring- she may not be the prettiest, but she's got tons of personality and brings people together around the table. Roll up your sleeves because it's about to get messy... Spring is the season to visit NOLA- French Quarter Fest is awesome & peel & eat crawfish are only available for a few months, usually March-May. B e sure to book a Bon Moment food tour to get out of the French Quarter & learn more about New Orleans history

There is so much more to New Orleans than the French Quarter! Book a Garden District Food & History tour with Bon Moment to enjoy beignets, other great dishes & small business shopping! A history as long as the lines outside of Cafe DuMonde, the beignet is a French dessert, brought by those colonists to our first neighborhood- the Vieux Carre ("old square", the original name for the French Quarter)- and accompanied after-dinner cafe au lait. Traditionally, they were made w

Want to experience delicious po'boys where the locals hang? Book a Garden District Food Tour or Best of Bywater Food Tour and get a taste of the best po'boys on my walking tours of New Orleans. The Lore The most accepted story is that the po'boy got its name from the Martin Bros. who left the streetcar conductor life to open a corner store near the French Market. The sandwiches were offered in solidarity to their striking union brothers in 1929 as a way to feed the "poor

For tips on getting around during Mardi Gras Carnival season, check out my other post! It's that you're probably wrong. I'm shocked to learn from my tour guests that the misconceptions of Mardi Gras are alive and well, despite this age of Google, social media, You Tube, etc.- it is a really misunderstood celebration. There's probably some reasons: if you hear that a one-day holiday is really just a sloppy, drunk shitshow (and that's not your thing) why even explore it any fu

There's an SNL skit that makes the rounds locally on social media in New Orleans. James McAvoy and Heidi Gardner poke fun at something every person who has traveled to an amazing destination is guilty of- romanticizing their trip and trying to bring a little bit back home. You know: the cousin who visited Italy on summer vacation and says "ciao" for a month after returning, the couple who took a trip to the Caribbean and can't shut up about how much more relaxed the island li