Contemporary Creole.
Warehouse District: 800 Tchoupitoulas. 504-528-9393. Map.
Lunch Monday-Friday. Dinner seven nights.
Dressy
AE DC DS MC V
Website
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Emeril Lagasse has overcome one of the greatest disadvantages a restaurateur can have in New Orleans: being very successful. Visitors to New Orleans, unaffected by this disease of local diners, get a disproportionate number of the tables. But the restaurant has been one of the best in town since it opened. The kitchen led the local trend with its emphasis on finding the best ingredients and making everything from scratch, and innovating consistently without leaving the New Orleans flavor palette. No local restaurant has a better waitstaff or wine cellar.
WHY IT'S GOOD
Emeril's led--perhaps even started--the most powerful current local trend in cooking with its emphasis on finding the best ingredients and making everything from scratch. It innovates consistently without leaving the New Orleans flavor palette or ignoring the preferences of diners. A good example is its recent shift to a menu dominated by small plates. That not only made dining here more varied and interesting, but also made it more affordable, at a critical time. Also here: the best restaurant pastry shop in town, with fresh breads and an amazing dessert list.
BACKSTORY
Emeril Lagasse is America’s best-known chef, thanks to his winning personality, television shows and flow of cookbooks. After getting his feet wet in his native New England, he charmed the Brennans at Commander's Palace into letting him run the kitchen there in the early 1980s, when he was still in his twenties. He opened this, his first restaurant, in 1990. It was the first big-time chef-owned restaurant in New Orleans history, and it took off immediately, spawning two other local eateries and many more elsewhere (the empire now stands at eleven). After the hurricane, Emeril took a lot of flak for not being in town much--even as he raised several million dollars for the recovery in his travels. Although he does show up in the restaurant now and then, the day-to-day is handled by others.
DINING ROOM
It's a renovated warehouse, its industrial aspect softened with improved acoustics (although it remains a loud restaurant) and artfully designed but casual furnishings. Particularly interesting is the arch over the food bar, where those most interested in cooking can watch the action while eating atop barstools. A second large dining room runs alongside the wine cellar, with a bar at the intersection of the two rooms.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Barbecue shrimp.
Smoked exotic mushrooms with tasso cream sauce and pasta.
Escargots with sun-dried tomato pesto and pasta.
Andouille and boudin sausage plate.
Rabbit remoulade with fried green tomatoes.
Barbecue lamb ribs.
Gumbo of the day.
Root beer glazed fresh bacon salad.
Andouille crusted redfish.
Saffron and chili-dusted shrimp with sweet potato grits.
Oyster-crusted salmon.
Filet of beef with pork belly and mascarpone polenta.
Double-cut pork chop with tamarind glaze and green chile mole sauce.
Veal and sweetbreads saltimbocca hash.
Banana cream pie.
Chocolate pecan pie.
Chocolate Grand Marnier soufflee.
Artisanal cheeses.
FOR BEST RESULTS
Nine times out of ten, the specials are the best food in this restaurant on any give night. No other restaurant puts more into devising these. It is a tremendous help that the post the specials on line every day. With the small plates menu, it's easy to construct a tasting menu of many courses--a good strategy. Dining at the food bar, with the chefs working within eyeshot, is fun. It helps to let all the staff know you're local.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
The food here has a way of being very filling, and the sauces rich and powerfully flavored. Some dishes could be kicked down a notch.
FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
- Dining Environment +2
- Consistency +2
- Service +3
- Value +1
- Attitude +2
- Wine and Bar +3
- Hipness +3
- Local Color +2
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Romantic
- Good for business meetings
- Many private rooms
- Open Sunday dinner
- Open Monday lunch and dinner
- Historic
- Unusually large servings
- Free valet parking
- Reservations honored promptly
ANECDOTES AND ANALYSIS
Emeril Lagasse is America’s best-known gourmet chef, thanks to his winning personality, his television shows and his constant flow of cookbooks. His media activities and empire of five restaurants (the other two in New Orleans are Nola and Delmonico) take him out of the restaurant. But this is where it all started, and he's never let the place tank. Indeed, regulars who know how to play the place still report spectacular meals.
The menu is based on Louisiana flavors. It's also highly ingredient-driven: one of Emeril's ruling principles is that you should scour the market for the best seasonal stuff, and cook with that--the rarer the better. The result is big taste and high adventure. Among Emeril's most welcome innovations are his "studies" of certain foodstuffs: different parts of a duck, for example, prepared diferent ways.
They also set a new standard by including a full bakery in the kitchen. It turns out not only great breads, but the city's most impressive assortment of desserts. The wine selection maintains a sharp edge, backed by a staggering inventory. If it's new, hot, and hard to get, you'll likely find it here.
The interior design still reflects the warehouse origins of the space. But details like the mini-museum of food that frames the food bar are fascinating. Food bar? It's gourmet food and service at a lunch counter. When a reservation cannot be had, you can often still get a seat at the food bar, eat the same as everyone else, plus watch the kitchen action.
This review was updated with new information on 1/8/2010.
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