Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House
Cornbread with Whipped Butter
Seafood Trio: Alaskan King Crab Leg Remoulade / Bay Scallop Ceviche with Spicy Serrano Chile, Hearts of Palm, Cucumber and Cilantro Salsa served in Butter Lettuce Cups with Shaved Radish and Jicama Slaw / Spicy Tuna Tartare with Roasted Jalapeno, Lime & Avocado Puree with Crispy Wonton Chips
Soup Trio: Shrimp, Okra & Andouille Gumbo / Sweet Corn Bisque & Maine Lobster / Fall River Clam Chowder
Alligator Meatballs – Sauce Piquant and Creole Mustard Emulsion / Crystal Fried Florida Frog Legs – Shaved Celery Slaw and Buttermilk Ranch Dressing
Broiled Oysters with Compound Butter and Asiago
The Fish House Cioppino – One and a Half Pound Australian Lobster Tail with Little Neck Clams, Prince Edward Island Mussels, Gulf Shrimp, Marbled Potatoes and Pearl Onions Served in a Savory Tomato Stew with Toasted Po-Boy Bread
Seared Halibut – Smoked Bacon & Black Eyed Pea Succotash with Sweet Corn Cream / Pecan Crusted Texas Redfish with Garden Vegetable Ratatouille and Creole Meuniere Sauce / Seared Sea Scallops with Stone Ground Anson Mills Pepperjack Cheese Grits
Grilled Double Cut Pork Chop with Bourbon Maple Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Hickory Bacon & Smoked Fontina Mac & Cheese
Dessert Sampler – Petite Pecan Pie / Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Oatmeal Streusel and Strawberry Ice Cream / New Orleans Bread and Butter Bread Pudding and Homemade Vanilla Bean Ice Cream
Emeril’s Banana Cream Pie – Chocolate Shavings and Caramel Sauce
Carrot Cake – Cream Cheese Frosting, Candied Pecans, Carrot Chips and Brown Butter Sauce
Chocolate Peanut Butter Mousse Pie – Strawberry Compote, Chocolate Sauce and Chocolate Shavings
Bananas Foster, Peach, Mango Sorbet
Double Espresso on Ice
In many ways the first “showman” Celebrity Chef, Emeril Legasse really needs no introduction to those interested in dining out, and yet in a city where new restaurants rise and fall in a matter of months there is little discussion of the venerable chef’s eponymous Las Vegas location, the New Orleans Fish House now celebrating its 20th anniversary inside the MGM.
Ever a splashy space, the high ceilings and soft lighting along with linens plus a good wine list adding a air of fine dining to a restaurant that plays Pearl Jam with menu prices far more favorable than other ‘celebrity’ spots on the Strip, it was as a party of two that we were greeted at the podium and led directly to a table in the back corner it was with a special tasting orchestrated by Chef Heath Cicerelli that the next two-hours would unfold.
Admittedly given the VIP treatment, smaller portions of menu signatures plated so that more than a few items could be experienced in order to get a good idea of the restaurant’s commitment to sourcing amd quality of the staff, our tasting began as a trio of appetizers with both the crab and tuna offering bold spicing and great textures while bright green accoutrements unfortunately left the tender scallops feeling a bit overmatched.
Next served a basket of cornbread, easily amongst the best in a city where several great versions are already found, it was with three soup shooters that the afternoon progressed, and with each potage rife with seafood the only real questions were where to start and which was best, the Lobster and Corn Bisque undeniably the most rich and luxurious while the spicy Gumbo featured the spice of Andouille balanced marvelously by a particularly earthy roux.
Joking that course three was titled “The Swamp Platter,” Chef Heath continued the meal with two plates offering some of Legasse’s signature Fish House starters, and although the meatballs were a bit muddled in the mustard despite a great texture and good spicing the warmed oysters and buttermilk fried frog legs were both simple and succulent, the later perhaps the only version left in the city since the recent Yardbird menu re-invent.
Graciously affording us an opportunity to experience the dinner-only cioppino that sees a 1.5lb grilled lobster tail alongside several perfectly prepared shellfish in a peppery tomato broth infused with notes of saffron, one would be hard pressed to name a more unlikely showstopper in the middle of the desert, each bite balancing smoke and brine amidst just enough acid to make the flavors ‘pop.’
Again fancying trios, plate five presented two fish and a vastly superior scallop to that offered in round one, and although the off-menu seared halibut was meaty and rich as expected atop pork infused succotash it simply could not hold a candle the restaurant’s signature Red Fish with sweetened pecan coating proving a deft foil to the spicy aromatics of creamy creole sauce.
Rounding out the savories with another threesome of sorts, the culinary team opting to plate cider-brined pork atop maple soaked sweet potatoes with a bubbly crock of elbow pasta “kicked up” by smoked cheese and hickory bacon at its side, those looking for a good piece of meat will be equally pleased with the offerings at Emeril’s as those looking for something from the sea while the macaroni makes a case for best in the (702.)
With a sweet-tooth known to the hosts, plus previous Emeril experiences almost universally impressive in desserts, it was in a triplet-of-triplets that the meal wrapped up and with sorbets meriting little mention when compared the rest a valiant effort was undertaken, the “miniature” pecan pie a bit unbalance in crust-to-filling ratio while the bread pudding, cobbler, and carrot cake were absolutely excellent…and the banana cream pie, what more can be said?
FOUR AND A HALF STARS (food alone
Visited once prior, in 2007 during trip to Frozen Fury at the MGM Arena, memories of my seminal trip to the Fish House have faded in the wake of thousands of great meals, but with Chef Legasse still holding a special place in my earliest fine dining experiences I’d say its safe to say I remain a steadfast fan. Obviously unable to rate the restaurant experience as a whole considering the fact that our 26 menu items were served almost exclusively by Chef Heath and the kitchen staff, there is little doubt in my mind that Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House is as good today as it ever has been.
RECOMMENDED: Cioppino, Gumbo, Mac n’ Cheese, Texas Red Fish, Banana Cream Pie, Carrot Cake, Bread and Butter Pudding.
AVOID: Bay Scallop Ceviche was unfortunately unbalanced while the Gator Meatballs were a bit too generously spiced to tell the difference from any other lean meat. For desserts, one wonders whether the full-size pecan pie would show better given the limitations of filling the small sampler’s shell.
TIP: Those interested in a similar tasting are encouraged to contact the restaurant directly about the private Chef’s table with an open view of the kitchen, and those looking to sample the restaurant on a budget would be well advised to check out the current Summer tasting menu or a few plates during Happy Hour at the bar.
WHAT THE STARS MEAN: 5 World Class, 4 Excellent, 3 Good, 2 Fair, 1 Poor