Emeril's — Restaurant in New Orleans

When I first heard Food Network pioneer Emeril Lagasse owned his flagship restaurant since 1990, it didn't excite me initially because I presumed it would be a heavily commercial operation. However, I read the New York Times review earlier this month and was enlightened that it has evolved into a world-class culinary destination. I read enough unbridled praise to make a late Saturday evening reservation during our weekender in New Orleans.

Neither of us sartorial sartyrs, my husband and I dressed presentably and sauntered over with five minutes to spare. The maitre d led us to our large booth festooned with brocade cushions. We were immediately greeted with Champagne and then met by one of the sous chefs who took us back to the kitchen. She introduced the hard-working staff who welcomed us and wished me a happy birthday in one unified booming chorus.

She then shared the bounty of fresh ingredients that made up all the dishes on the tasting menu. We received our first bite in the kitchen, a caviar-topped amuse bouche. A salty, tasty treat. We returned to the table and unexpectedly received a parade of delicious amuse bouches in two waves of three platters with bitesize morsels. The first consisted of headcheese, spring rolls, and a petite tuna sandwich.

The second wave featured mini-shrimp po' boys, BBQ shrimp tarts, and a cup of oyster gumbo. Mind you, the actual dinner had not even started yet, and we were presented with warm towels shaped like capsules and presented on blown glass crawfish. The menu for the day arrived providing us certain choices for our six-course dinner. It began with a large Cornbread Cake.

It was quartered and accompanied by a mammoth mountain of butter of which we received a generous shaving. It's about time I pointed out that the main chef was not Emeril but his prodigious 22-year-old son EJ, who has headed the kitchen for the past three years after earning his chops at other fine restaurants. It's EJ who has remade the menu while still paying tribute to his dad starting with the first course, the Smoked Salmon Cheesecake.

A savory dessert-like house specialty since the restaurant's beginning, it was made with aged Kaluga caviar and dill. The second course was the richly flavorful Oyster Stew with herbsaint cream, honshimeiji mushrooms, and foie gras. The fish course was next, and we had a choice. My husband went with the deceptively simple Trout Almondine with green beans and potatoes. I had the tender Scamp for an extra $35.

A type of grouper, it featured the same aged Kaluga caviar plus smoked tomato and zucchini. The first meat course brought another choice. My husband ordered the Boudin blood sausage with collard greens, hamhock, and creole jus gras. I had the Sweetbread for an extra $50 with chanterelles, all um, summer beans, and sauce vin jaune. Packed with flavor, it was the only dish that wasn't quite at the same level texture-wise.

The final meat course was stellar. My husband ordered the luscious White Sand Homestead Duck with fennel, apricot, and Madeira for an extra $40, while I had that evening's special, the impossibly tender Miyazaki Wagyu with beef jus for $125. Dessert was the mile-high Banana Cream Pie but not before the complimentary SnoBall shaved ice. I had the cream of nectar poured on mine, while my husband had strawberries added.

Finally, a dazzling array of petit four confections arrived...tiny beignets, truffle bonbons, citrus gumdrops, Portuguese tartlets, and a mini Mille-feuille for my birthday. The basic dinner was $225 each, but with all our add-ons, let's just say we were lucky we weren't doing the dishes. A $200 deposit was required with the reservation. Regardless, it was a stellar feast Louisiana style. I'm sure Emeril is proud of his...

I legitimately chose to go to Emeril’s to give the restaurant a chance. I had read that Chef was making a real effort to do something special and new with the restaurant. So I made a reservation. I took a leap of faith despite the culinary caricature of “BAM!” culture. On a very personally significant day, which I gently delineated on my reservation.

I’m visiting New Orleans, mind you. It’s 90 degrees and sticky out. I called ahead of my reservation to inquire about attire, about the dress code. No hats, no flip flops, button-down shirts required on men. I had the receptionist read the full dress code twice, including one word three times which I didn’t understand her say (it was “hats.”)

I wore tailored, black designer shorts and a sleek black buttondown shirt with sneakers. I asked about the sneakers several times because I thought I’d walk 18 minutes from my hotel. I looked chic, and prepared for the Louisiana summer weather.

Upon checking in with the maitre d, he quickly informed me that there were no shorts in the dining room and he turned me away with attitude. Kids, I’ve got to keep it real with you. The maitre d was in a drab, ill fitting suit, his hair was a mess, and his face was glossed in a thin layer of alcoholic off-gassing film. He was slunched over in an unhealthy way. He may not have wanted me in his dining room, but I wouldn’t have wanted him on my block.

This maitre d, who I was consummately polite to, charitable, even, told me no shorts, and said that he could reschedule me. When I tell you that the way I was given the offer of come back some other night like I was a total screw up for DARING to appear in shorts… it was demeaning and unkind. I told him that I triple checked the dress code. He remained unemotional and absolute. He made it clear that the mistake was wholly mine. Emeril’s could take or leave my patronage.

I called the restaurant for their email address to relay my experience to them. Maybe they had no idea that their front of house staff was driving business away. Instead, the general manager called me back to simply reiterate that the restaurant had a no shorts policy. No “I’m sorry about that” no “please come back during your visit and we’ll make sure you have a great time.” Just “that’s right, we don’t allow shorts.”

Here’s my point. And I worked in restaurants, in fine dining for YEARS before leaving the industry and I’ve literally dined at the world’s best restaurants since: even in not being dressed in accordance with their policy (I looked great, btw) he could have extended anything at all toward me in the way of warmth or empathy for the misunderstanding. He could have made me want to reschedule. He could have treated me with dignity and made me feel valued. But the restaurant acted like they were doing me a favor by letting me through then door, only to turn me away like I had clearly lost my mind to cross their threshold with exposed knees.

I acknowledge my part in the misunderstanding around their dress policies- even though I took decisive measures to inquire and they sent me no info about what to wear. What I can’t accept was their tone deaf approach to hospitality.

Kiddos, anyone who is willing to pay a deposit and make a reservation at your restaurant… it’s such an act of good faith. That person deserves your actual kindness the very instant you learn their name. And if you play your cards right, they’ll tell other people about their experience of you.

It was my recently deceased mother’s birthday today. I was hoping to land somewhere where joy and kindness led the experience. Instead, I ran into a laughable attempt at exclusivity and a general manager who doubled down on this impoliteness.

Pass on this place. They don’t want or deserve...

I’ve never reviewed my greatest restaurant ever but I will start now. In October my wife and I went to Emeril in New Orleans. Not an easy reservation but worth the time, effort and long trip from our home in Hawaii. Our experience was great. . We knew that there were plans to shut down Emeril for a total redesign from top to bottom. We waited for the exact date to try to get a reservation and luckily secured one. We had absolutely no idea what to expect. The experience we had proved that the “new Emeril “ is the best restaurant we’ve ever been to. I will not describe each dish since it would take up too many words but know that each dish was outstanding. Now I will explain why Emeril is #1 in the eyes of both my wife and myself. Online you will see that there are two Tasting Menus, no a La carte so we were at least prepared for what we were going to eat. We were not prepared for the following total mind bending and culinary experience. When entering Emeril you are greeted with a true Aloha greeting. We sat at the gorgeous bar since we were early and had a Vieux Care our new go to cocktail. The mixologist continued with the Aloha Spirit and made an exceptional Vieux. The bar area was awesome. In a very short time we were greeted by a hostess who escorted us to the brand new dining room. It totally blew our minds. Twenty or less tables with a huge space between them. You almost feel that you are the only guests there. The table we sat at had a large banquette that just added a new dimension to comfort. Large gorgeous pillows supported our backs. Almost directly in front of us was a huge glass enclosed kitchen. This was pure culinary theatre. Almost immediately a chef came to our table and asked us if we would like to see the inside of the kitchen. We didn’t bat an eye and followed him into the most gorgeous well thought out kitchen we’ve ever seen. The chef gave us a brief description of the kitchen, introduced us to the staff and the entire team offered up a special hello. We both felt like the greatest VIP’s. He then showed us to a small table next to us that had two champagne flutes with what he said was a rhubarb juice. Also on a plate was a cube of some unbelievable jellied concoction to showcase the ingredients. Back to our table and the party began. The two tasting menus were explained, one Classic and the other Seasonal. Then the Amuse Bouches started arriving. We expected only one or two. Nope, two sets, one group of cold, the the other warm. Each one was as great as the seven small main dishes. The beauty of the entire experience was that we both left feeling sated, never full. The service was impeccable. Never hovering but always there and totally knowledgeable about every dish and that includes ingredients. The sommelier was the antithesis of what many sommelier’s are. Being Wine Educators and Consultants we really appreciated his knowledge and communication skills as well as his passion towards wine. We had a dedicated service team who I would love to take with us to other great but not perfect restaurants. Jason Burse, the Assistant General Manager made the whole experience into a perfect culinary tour de force. This is why we both feel that Emeril is the Best Restaurant we’ve ever eaten at. Although expensive, it did not break the bank. Can’t wait to return...