Emeril's: Is It Worth It?

New Orleans is restaurant obsessed with the very old and the very new, but we aren't too keen on the newly old or the older new restaurant. This is a shame because one of the city's best restaurants does not get nearly the local love that it should. Ask yourself this, when was the last time you went to Emeril's? Ok, now when was the last time you had a beyond lackluster, expensive meal at one of the city's grand dames or new gastrotapas spots?

Emeril's turned twenty-two years old this year and is showing no signs of being a lazy, jobless college graduate. Prices have remained a downright bargain by fine dining standards with appetizers hovering around ten dollars and entrees in the high twenties. The front of the house's youthful exuberance syncs with the menu's mix of classic dishes and new favorites. The smart staff has your best interest in mind, which is an attitude other restaurants should note. Witness a downsell (!) on a bottle of wine, "That one is not drinking very well right now. I'd go with the Radio-Coteau Alberigi, plus it is a better value."

Our first course was the only one with a slight bummer. A mussel dish's description of an Asian ingredient infused broth was bland. Too bad, as the plump mussels were perfectly cooked and a shot of heat would have been most welcome. On the other hand, Shrimp Louis was as spectacular an excuse to eat lettuce as any reason in the city. Halfway between a remoulade and a salad, the dressing had an undercurrent of truffle which tied together the chopped egg and asparagus. The petite dice of bacon were a left-hook of flavor from a welterweight, elevating the dish to a heft rarely seen in the salad kingdom. 

Next up a pasta course that would have inspired the ancients into song. Thick, double-helixed strands of tender pasta draped in a white bolognese made with lamb, veal, and pancetta and topped with a shaving of truffle. This dish will haunt your dreams making you wish for one more bite of the silken sauce. 

The kitchen shows a deft hand with scallops. Marked with a sturdy crust and a sweet interior, this must be what would happen if the sea decided to churn butter. Coarse ground rice grits hold a palette of flavors. Chunks of shrimp, mushrooms, and watercress bring a sophistication to the Low Country's most famous export. The braised veal breast is hearty and smoky. The kind of dish you want to eat before retiring in front of a fire to drink bourbon. To keep the dish light enough to do so, a mango chow chow cuts through the richness.

Dessert was a wedge of peanut butter and chocolate gilded with caramel and sitting atop an Oreo crust. Throughout the meal, service remained sharp with a fleet of waiters, captains, and backwaiters moving briskly through the dining room. The handsome dining room is a spot to see and be seen as plaintiff's attorneys mingle with publishers. There are young families and couples celebrating an anniversary with a Jeroboam of Champagne. Laughter peels through the room like the end of school bell. "We haven't had a meal this good this year in New Orleans in a long time," Lindsay mentioned on the way out.

Truth be told we didn't want to leave.

Emeril's: Is It Worth It? Absolutely.
800 Tchoupitoulas St.
(504) 528-9393
Lunch M-F; Dinner nightly. 

Winesday

Rene: Rich spice on the nose; get some coffee and dark berry flavors. The tannins are tight and restricted, wound up like a kid on Halloween. This wine screams out for something like rich duck with crispy skin or maybe lamb braised. Let's split the difference and go with the roast quail with steamed buns from Nine Roses. They also have it at Tan Dinh if you cross the bridge today and find Nine Roses closed.

Peter: This baby needs to open up for a bit to let the peppery flavors mellow out. Not much dryness going down the throat from the tannins. I'm thinking something gamey like venison. How about the wood fired goat at Domenica or the lamb neck from Herbsaint.

Joe the Wine Guy: The Numanthia 2007 is made from 100% Tinta de Toro and is both intense and complex with several layers of aromatics in the lively nose: red and black fruits first, then sweet spices like cinnamon and nutmeg, and then vanilla and toasted black pepper. On the palate, this wine is expresses dark fruits with concentrated and velvety tannins. This full bodied wine shows exceptional acidity revealing some chocolate, toasted, and spicy notes. The juice was aged in new French oak Bordelaise barrels for 18 months. The 2007 Numanthia retails for $59.99 and you can find it at Emeril's and Cork & Bottle.

In Defense of Emeril

Not because he needs it, but because the vitriol spewed at him by these elitist, East coast shoemakers needs to stop. First some background. The other evening while watching another painfully boring, self-important and faux psychological No Reservations some little precocious junior Neurologist on the Hudson Valley show perks up, "My dad hates Emeril."

Her dad is Michael Pardus a chef instructor at the world renowned Culinary Institute of America. No doubt Chef Pardus is a very good teacher and I am sure the man can cook. But you know what they say about why people teach.

Now Emeril did not go to the CIA, he went to Johnson & Wales. One suspects some of the jealousy fueled hatred directed towards Emeril by the Ruhlmans, Parduses and others is little more than Harvard grads mocking Thornton Melon's success. If so, grow up jerks.

In the early 90's, Emeril Lagasse took a corner warehouse in an abandoned part of town and turned it into a global empire. He also went on an unknown and struggling television network and turned it into the media force (for good and bad) that is now the Food Network. Sure, some people found the catchphrases slightly annoying, but the fact is Emeril did more to get people excited about cooking, eating, and restaurants than any other chef in history.

Emeril out Juliaed, Julia. And sorry but Emeril did not give rise to the Rachel Ray's, Sandra Lee's etc... on the Food Network. A series of market studies, advertiser driven shows, and focus groups gave us 30 Minutes From Can to Table. Essence of Emeril is also one of the best cooking shows on television. On Essence, Emeril is much calmer, more instructive, and delivers much more than just a final dish.

Bourdain's entire career would have festered out in a French-american version of TGI McFunsters had Emeril not come on the scene in the early 90's. Who would he have railed against? He bounced, by his own admission, from one dead end cooking job to another as culinary superstars rose around him in New York City. It is time to move away from the morose, introspective bullshit. You are boring everyone.

To be fair, Ruhlman addresses some of the celebrity-chef backlash in The Reach of a Chef. However, ever notice no one ever says, "I hate Emeril because the food in his restaurants sucks"? It is because the food by and large is excellent. Granted, I've had some average meals at NOLA where it always seems to be spring training, but at Emeril's and Delmonico's, I've experienced nothing but fantastic food and service.

Besides his professional success, the man has always been at the forefront of philanthropic activities both in New Orleans and across the country. People will argue he didn't react to Katrina fast enough. And maybe so, but those days after Katrina were very confusing and we all seem to have forgiven the Mr. Benson.

End Rant.

See you Wednesday. We are going to see the Mardi Gras.

For Lunch Today...

Our last installment of this series. I think our next series will be Are you Hungover? Or perhaps I ate Chinese food 2 hours ago and now I am starving.

But here you go. I had a discussion recently with a colleague about the ultimate Steakhouse experience in New Orleans. I think this question has two parts. The first is which place is a steakhouse and exudes that testosterone driven, abundance of meat, seared rare, in a tux with wood paneling, ready to rip a phone book feeling. The second is what steak dish is the best in town?

First, a historical note about the ambiance in steakhouses (have to use my European History degree someway). Once Trans-Atlantic shipping became an effective, safe way to ship beef, the Europeans (and especially the Germans and British) sought a way to continue to control the cattle industry in Europe. One way in which they did that was to portray American Beef as cowboy, wild, and less refined than the Continental breeds. And if there is anything the Germans are known for it is asserting their superiority.

What does this have to do with anything. Well, this legacy is apparent even today. Places like Outback, OK Corral, and Ryan's Steakhouse bring to mind cowboy imagery, frontier associations, and generally the feeling of cheap steak. Contrast that with a place like Smith and Wollensky: dark woods, greens and blues, paintings of red jacketed men on horses chasing hounds pursuing foxes on the wall, coat racks, waiters in tuxedos or butcher's coats and one immediately sees this marketing decision is still evident today. Luckily for us the people behind boy bands have had less long term success.

Ok, back to the discussion at hand. Best steakhouse experience in New Orleans? Dickie Brennan's, Ruth's (old Ruths), Mr. John's, La Boca, Charlie's, Crescent City? An extremely persuasive argument for each has sufficient merit. I think personally I would lead towards La Boca, but Dickie Brennan's is 1B.

But the best overall steak I have ever had in New Orleans is clear. It was a 14 ounce rib eye with maitre d'hotel butter. The steak had just the right amount of marbling to give it flavor without destroying the texture. Mr. Copland, strike up the band.

So where did I have this steak? Emeril's. Now, many people have many thoughts on Emeril. Here is mine. I think NOLA is not very good, but I recognize it is likely a first stop in the Emeril Empire. I find Delmonico's classic, but too pricey for the food. I have never had anything less than stellar meals at Emeril's. Including the aforementioned steak, amazing frog's legs, a great pork chop, and, when they have it, the DESSERT: peanut butter pie.

He built an empire, based it out of New Orleans, brought tons of attention to New Orleans, and makes damn good food. Is his show annoying to some, I could see that; but, did his show arguably bring hundreds of thousands of people to the Food Network? In turn did those Americans become more food conscious which gave a greater market for farmer's markets, speciality foods, and ultimately the desire for better food? I think so.

And if you don't eat meat, I want you to know your brain is shrinking.