Emerils was Excellent

Yesterday, Greg and I had supper at Emeril's restaurant in the New Orleans arty Warehouse District. Danny and his wife, Kathy, treated us, along with Matthew and Cindy. Seeing the group together is a treat in itself, because everyone enjoys laughing and sharing stories. It's friendship at its best.

This was the first time Greg and I have ever been to Emeril's. The minute Greg heard our destination, he yelled out, "BAM!" We walked from Danny and Kathy's condo to Emeril's, which was only 2 streets away (on the corner of Julia and Tchoupitoulas Street).



(I read that during Katrina, Emeril moved as many of his staff to other restaurants so they could have a paying job until they were able to return to New Orleans, thus earning a lot of loyalty from his New Orleans staff. It's things like that ... well, it makes a difference. I also read when Emeril Lagasse looked at the warehouse, instead of seeing a building falling apart, he saw the "magic of the space." He said, "This brick warehouse with steel, wood, concrete was masculine, and it really appealed to me. There was a connection between what I felt my style of food was, who I was and am as a person, and what this space meant." Knowing Emeril felt the charm of our city, even if it was a diamond in the rough at first, is touching. It's the love of New Orleans that comes through...)



The restaurant has an open airy feeling with high ceilings and an open kitchen, but maintains a warm ambiance with dark woodwork and exposed brick walls. We were immediately seated at a round table and handed napkins for our laps. The service was impeccable.

Emeril's ranks on the top 10 for service and I can say from experience that it earns the rank. Ladies' orders were taken first, drinks were topped just after a few sips (be it water or the bottle of Chardonnay). There was never a want for anything. The servers made you feel comfortable and were there when you needed them, but not pushy or pompass. When the dishes were served, it was a group effort ~ everyone served at exactly the same time.

The meal started with complimentary hors 'dourves - shrimp in a mellon sauce, served cold. Even the complimentary bread (2 kinds) was tasty. I liked the cornbread, it was slightly encrusted with sugar and didn't even need butter. For appetizers, the barbecue shrimp melted in your mouth and the soft shell crab was perfectly cooked, served with lettuce, tomatoes and bacon. It was just enough to whet the appetite, not too much and not too little.

For the main entree, I ordered grilled snapper. It was moist, flaky and scrumptious. I don't know what type of sauce was over it, but it was divine! I can honestly say that it was the best fish I've ever had (and I usually order fish when Greg and I go out to eat, so that's saying a lot).

Who can pass up a serving of Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée ~ the perfect, softness of heaven to end the meal.

The only slight disappointment was when Greg ordered Espresso. He explained to the waiter that he would only order Espresso if they had Splenda. The waiter assured him that they had Splenda. When they brought out the Espresso, the waiter apologized and said they were out of Splenda and "management was on it." The Splenda never did appear, so Greg asked them to take the Espresso back. They did offer other substitutes but Greg said those make the drink bitter. It was a disappointment, but very small considering the overall experience.

I'll end this blog post with a funny. Before the entrees were served, I asked Danny where the bathrooms were, as he was familiar with the restaurant. He pointed me in a direction, but when I started to go in that direction, I thought, "Hmmm, that doesn't look right." So, I went around to the front of the restaurant and found the ladies room. I thought, "Maybe the guy's restroom is where Danny was pointing to." When I got back to the table, Danny and Greg ribbed me about going in a different direction.

After the desserts were devoured, Danny went to the men's room. We watched as he walked in the direction of where he told me to originally go.... and then.... he was told, "NO, NO, you can't go there." It lead to the kitchen entrance. Hehe. Danny was, literally, escorted by a waiter to where the men's bathroom was. We had a good laugh, as Danny said, "I was trying to sneak out of it and hoped you didn't see me." Greg said, "That's called vindication, Aleta." It was cute.

But honestly, that's what you call friends, sharing childhood stories of when Danny and Greg worked together at McDonald's and Sizzler, to vacations in Hawaii and just a touch of shop talk.

Thanks, Danny, for a wonderful meal, a new experience and lots of laughter.