Two new walking tours through some of the offbeat neighborhoods of Paris and Amsterdam were launched earlier this summer by Eating Europe. Travelers in the small group culinary adventures can sample both favored classics and emerging trends, amid stories and stops that highlight local cuisine, history and culture.
The deep dive into the art and “serious business” of French pastries, for example, “will knock your béret clean off,” the tour operator said.
Two new walking tours through some of the offbeat neighborhoods of Paris and Amsterdam were launched earlier this summer by Eating Europe. Travelers in the small group culinary adventures can sample both favored classics and emerging trends, amid stories and stops that highlight local cuisine, history and culture.
The deep dive into the art and “serious business” of French pastries, for example, “will knock your béret clean off,” the tour operator said.
Eating Europe Tours began in 2011 in Rome when Dunn, an American native, led informal culinary strolls with friends and family “focusing on real food, real people and real neighborhoods.” Today, the company operates food tours in Amsterdam, Florence, London, Paris, Prague, and Rome with the mission “to leave travelers with an unparalleled, non-touristy, food-related experience in undiscovered neighborhoods across Europe.”
Highlights on the Paris: Hip Eats & Backstreets tour include: grabbing a coffee at Buly, a quintessential Parisian cafe; a visit to Paroles de Fromagers (The Voice of Cheese makers), a 17th century cheese cellar on the rue du Faubourg to discover cheese making traditions; and a stop at Fric Frac in the French capital’s 10th arrondissement along the Canal Saint-Martin, known for its “creative reinvention” of the classic Croque Monsieur, a melted-cheese and ham sandwich.
Guests on the A Taste of Amsterdam at Twilight tour stroll through the lesser-known areas of the Dutch city as the sun begins to set. The Oud West neighborhood – “a district characterized by elegant architecture, peaceful canals and offbeat bars and shops” and others in the city offer a diverse food scene where French, Indonesian, Turkish, and Moroccan dishes are just as common as traditional Dutch food, according to Eating Europe.
Some featured experiences include: nibbling on modern twists to the classic Dutch beer snack “bitterballen” — fried, breaded meatballs –by Michelin-starred chef Peter Gast, who adds things like truffle, bouillabaisse, or Amsterdam Old Cheese and spinach; a visit to a potato laboratory “build by a mad scientist with a passion for studying spuds” for Belgian fries topped with spicy Indonesian rendang sauce and some potato beer; and given the after sunset hour, imbibing some bold cocktails.
Both tours run Tuesday to Saturday. Click here for more details about time, duration, and cost.
Tanya Mohn writes about travel, culture, and the arts, from the rise of digital nomads to growing concerns about the number one killer of healthy Americans abroad - motor vehicle crashes.