REVIEW: Emeril's New Orleans

800 Tchoupitoulas St.
New Orleans, LA

View the website

---

Overall:
Service:
Atmosphere:
Food:
Price:

Pros: Refreshing flavors and perfectly-cooked meats.
Cons: Felt overcrowded sitting next to a large dinner party.
Bottom Line: Worthy of its reputation.

---

Emeril's three restaurants in New Orleans - Emeril's, Delmonico, and NOLA - are offering a special where each restaurant features a different country's cuisine each month from July through September. You can purchase a 3-course dinner in the "Cuisines of the World" special for $35, or purchase a passport to enjoy one of these specials from each restaurant for $90. We Hippos decided to go for the passport, so that we get to enjoy (and review!) all three restaurants this summer. For July, we decided to visit the flagship Emeril's restaurant, which was featuring the cuisine of Spain.

Emeril's is located in downtown New Orleans in a desirable location. The beautiful brick exterior continues on the inside, where the exposed brick gives the space a hip, yet cozy feel. Though the average entrée here nears $30, the restaurant remains a casual, down-to-earth place where jeans are acceptable. The service staff here were very attentive and friendly and on par with a fine-dining establishment; however, the atmosphere was slightly dampened by the proximity of the tables. This created a feel of overcrowding, especially since we were placed extremely close to a large, 10-person table.

For appetizers we ordered the Catalonian Flatbread with Yellowfin Tuna, Iberian ham, boquerones, and fresh tomato; and the Vine Ripe Tomato Gazpacho with redfish escabeche and aged sherry vinegar. The flatbread had solid flavors but fell a little short of what we expected from a restaurant as well-known as Emeril's. The smokiness of the ham was pleasing, but parts were a bit gristly and the flatbread was too tough, making the dish difficult to eat. However, the gazpacho was near perfection. It tasted light and fresh - a great way to start a meal. The soup was herby and not too acidic, as tomato bases can often be. There was enough texture to the soup with nuts and redfish incorporated. The redfish was the highlight of the soup - it was tender and flavorful and stood up well within the soup.

For the main course, we ordered Solomillo a la Plancha - seared hangar steak, patas bravas, Gulf shrimp romesco, and lemon verbena allioli - and Grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass with Spanish bean-jumbo lump crab salad and mojo verde. Both dishes were plated very well, with a drizzle of each dish's sauce surrounding the food. The steak was topped with a beautiful, large Gulf shrimp. Both the steak and shrimp were well-cooked - tender and not overdone. The dish was built upon a bed of potatoes that were covered in a smoky sauce. While the sauce was tasty, it had a very strong flavor that permeated throughout the plate. Overall, the steak course was good, but each bite was dominated by the smokiness of the sauce, masking the rest of the fresh flavors in the dish.

The Grilled Mediterranean Sea Bass was our favorite of the two main courses. The dish included a generous portion of sea bass, which was seared nicely on the skin side. This provided a crunch to the outside of this tender, moist, flavorful fish. Once again, the plate's herby flavors, reminiscent of a chimichurri, brought the dish together in a perfectly light and fresh manner. The only downside was that there was not much lump crabmeat, and what little was there tended to get lost among the other flavors. However, this was a delicious, filling course without being heavy in the least.

Dessert included Carajillo Semifredo with crisp churros and a Cava Sorbet with fresh berries. Both dishes were very impressive, with the former providing a comforting, heavier finish to the meal and and the latter a light, refreshing endnote. The semifredo had a licorice flavor to it, which was not our favorite at first. However, paired with the crisp, cinnamon churros, the licorice flavor grew on us, as the two elements complemented each other well.

The sorbet was a very different dish than the semifredo, with its simple, vibrant flavors and overall lightness. The sorbet had a hint of melon flavor, was refreshing, and paired well with the seasonal berries. The flavors also balanced nicely here, as the sorbet was not too sweet and the berries not too tart. This dish was surprisingly satisfying, even for a sweet tooth.

The trip to Spain at Emeril's was a mostly pleasing experience. The special courses offered both comfort-style plates and light, refreshing dishes. The restaurant did a great job of utilizing fresh herbs to bring together and accentuate the flavors on most of the plates. The few misses were compensated by the perfectly-cooked meats and exceptional service. This meal set the bar pretty high for the remaining two countries to visit on our Emeril's passport!