The next day my companion and I had a conundrum, he wanted to see a real swamp and I definitely wanted NOT to go to the swamp (are you kidding me?) There are reptiles there, I don't do reptiles. For more info on the reptile tour, click here. Antique shopping and a Cajun cooking class were more my speed. Since you get to eat the meal you cook in the cooking class, swamp dude decided to attend as well and we agreed to do our own thing afterwards. The class we attended was held at the Cooking Cajun cooking school. Chef Cindy who was a hoot and demystified the basics of Creole and Cajun cooking for a small group of 9 of us taught the class. The first thing we learned was how to make a roux, the sauce making basic that sparks fear in the hearts of many a novice Cajun cook.

Cindy taught us the one, two and three beer rule about cooking roux. It cooks the time it takes you to consume the beer. Meaning, a while usually, but you've got want to take your time drinking to get it right. For more information on the cooking school and the store click here.

Now to the antiquing. New Orleans is an antique Mecca. The influx of French and Spanish well to do years ago has left behind a bounty of furniture the likes I've not seen outside of France so easily accessible. There is an entire street, King Street, of antique stores that specialize in furniture, jewelry, art and other collectibles. Bring your wallet as most of the stuff is pricey but hey it doesn't cost anything to look and really the stuff you can find is gorgeous.

The Swamp tour was apparently, much to my friend's delight everything I had feared it would be. He met me in Jackson Square a few hours later just beaming from his experience viewing alligators up close and having handled a rattlesnake, yuck. But hey, he was happy and in the mood to buy me a drink. We headed to the infamous Pat O'Briens a touristy but must see hot spot and proceeded to kick back with several Hurricanes, which are as strong as the name, implies.To learn how to make one click here.

The next day we skipped the complimentary (ever heard the expression "you couldn't give it away") breakfast at our B& B and headed back to La Péniche.  We wanted to see if their breakfast was as good as had claimed our friendly receptionist whom we never saw again. He was replaced for the remainder of our stay by an unfriendly gentleman who was shall we say, was less than pleasant.

As we approached we noticed three cop cars parked in front. Was there something going down? We hesitated to go in and then I remembered a time-honored rule of travel eating. When in doubt go where the police and the old people eat. For some reason crime fighting , geritol and good eating go hand in hand. We took a deep breath and headed in. Sure enough, there was a table of boys in blue chowing down on mammoth plates of mighty good looking breakfast stuff. We got a table and ordered.

The true test of any southern breakfast place is the biscuit. The biscuit is to Southern breakfasts what sauces are to French cooking. You aren't worth the weight of your apron if you can't make a decent one. Let me begin what will seem to some as a short dissertation on the biscuit at La Péniche. It is the fluffiest, lightest, flakiest, creamiest, soft pillowyest of biscuits I have ever put my hands on. It was so good, that I ignored the rest of my great omelet and bacon platter and stole my companion's biscuit when he wasn't looking. When I had done smothering those two with butter and grape jelly and wolfed them down, I ordered another. I am showing my glutton stripes here but who cares? This was truly outstanding breakfast food and La Péniche is without a doubt the home of the best biscuit I have ever had. It's open 24 hrs a day but the best time for "fresh" biscuits is between 6-10am in the morning and no, they won't FedEx them to you, I've already tried to get them to do it and they've politely (this is the South) refused.

The voodoo part of the tour was more for the shock value and as nice as the priestess was it was too short to really gain a better cognition of this strange and often misunderstood religion. The tour however really teaches you a lot about the city.

 Our guide a native Cajun woman who had recently moved back from Colorado really explained the hidden mysteries about the city's history and why death is so interweaved into it's heritage. From the Civil War, to the duels, to the plagues and illnesses that killed so many, this macabre past is part of what gives New Orleans it's mystique. 

The cemetery itself was as eerie as we expected until our guide explained that many people liked to come on Sundays and "visit" with their relatives sometimes enjoying a picnic or some music. I still wouldn't want to be left alone there. On account of the recent muggings and mishaps that have happened recently tourists are discouraged from wandering through on their own. Knowing that it wasn't all doom and gloom did however, take some of the fear out of me.

After our 5th day, I found myself walking slower, talking with a bit of a drawl and feeling oh so "easy" as the locals put it. I was also almost suffering from sensory overload; there's so much I haven't told you. The amazing southern candies at Southern Candymakers, the fact that Emeril really lives here and can be spotted from time to time, the fabulous markets, the hauntingly gorgeous garden district, the beauty of a real Po-Boy,the magnificant cholesteral sky-rocketing sandwich called "The Dredge",the splendor and soul in the local musicians music…. I could go on and on.

There are many more things to do and books have been written numerous times on the wonders of this esoteric, mysterious, hypnotic city. Unfortunately, this is an article and to spare you dear reader I've broken it up into parts as there is a lot take in. The best advice I can say is that US Airways flies to New Orleans direct from Baltimore and often offers super savers or last minute deals to get there. Our tickets were under $300 each return. Accommodations can be found in all categories and a long weekend is just the right amount of time to take it all in for a first encounter. Be adventurous and as they say in New Orleans " Laissez les bons temps roullez" (let the good times roll). ©MBMGrapeEvents.com 2001 all rights reserved.

So, in an effort to quell everyones fears and answer the question in a proper albeit lengthy manner, I decided to write this article. For those of you who roll your eyes at the very question and feign disdain at such a simple subject I give you this to ponder. You are having a hearty lamb stew, what would you drink with it?

Most wine people would say, Pinot Noir or a big gamey red right? Well, if you have Lamb stew in Ireland, you'd be strongly steered towards a Guiness and told this is the only proper drink for any self respecting stew lover to enjoy with the dish. Which is the better drinkto have with the dish? Peaked your interest yet? Read on….

The fact of the matter is, nowadays with the variety of Beer out there your choice of a beer with a meal can be as complex diverse as your choice of a wine might be. There is no static answer to this question about which is better Beer or Wine? What it really comes down to is three basic points:

What do you feel like drinking? Personal preference at the time or in general?

How is the dish flavored? Flavoring is an important factor, you are looking to match over all flavors to beverages not actual ingredients.

Flavoring: If you want to get complex, here's where the fun is. Say you have chicken done in a spicy satay BBQ sauce, I don't think a glass of Chardonnay would cut it. But, a good Thai beer would probably rock with the dish. On the other hand, if you really want wine, I am compelled to tell you to try a great off-dry German Reisling. There is no really right answer, as you see personal preference rules the call again.

Still not convinced to go with your gut instinct? What about what makes most sense? There are some people, bless their hearts; who will never get into wine or vice versa, beer. Don't torture these people if they are your guests and you want them to enjoy themselves and visit again. Make them happy. Find an appropriate wine or beer that goes with the dish and maybe serve up an option of both to entice them to try something daring. Some people cringe at the site of beer and only drink wine while other's relish in the thought of a cold one, straight from the bottle. This mix of people happens all the time, plan accordingly.

The beauty is, there is no right or wrong answer or choice. It boils down to what YOU the host likes and wants to serve. If you concentrate on matching flavors you can be practically worry free about any faux pas you may commit and if you follow your gut and go with something that strikes your invités as strange you just might broaden their horizons.

Cheers!2001copyright all rights reserved Grape Ventures LLC