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I've never considered myself one to chase restaurants run by the "celebrity-chef". After all, when the kids were younger, it was not really practical as well (in terms of appropriate food and cost). But if I look at some of my choices, there have been the several restaurants that I have targeted based on the chef. This is particularly true when Viv and I go on vacation without the kiddies, such as our visit to Juniper & Ivy in San Diego. Now that we were in New Orleans sans enfants, we put that into effect by dining at Emeril's. Next up was John Besh's flagship restaurant, August.
Viv and I decided to do a la carte rather than the tasting menu as we were already getting full after the second day in NOLA. They started us off with an Amuse Bouche consisting of garlic, leek and potato soup topped with crispy potato served in a hallowed-out egg. This was a wonderful little start to the meal with aromatic flavours and different textures. Nothing was overpowering another where there was balance. Loved the presentation too.
For our actual starters, Viv had the Potato Crisp P&J Oysters with malt, tarragon and pickle of Covey Rise vegetables. The oysters were plump with sweet briny juices. Crispy and light, the potato crisp coating was devoid of grease. There was a good amount of spice that was not overwhelming while the malt vinegar was impactful in the creamy aioli but was still balanced. Providing both acidity and a textural contrast, the pickled veggies were appealingly crunchy. For myself, I had the Spicy Crab Cornmeal Tartlette with basil, burrata and heirloom tomatoes. Chock full of fluffy sweet crab, the tart was on the wetter side. It was due to the tomatoes which were plump and tangy. However, the firm tart shell held everything together. Loved the combination of the creamy burrata and bright tomato as well as the smoky and salty bacon. On top, the crunchy cornmeal topping added a nice mouth feel.
For my entree, I decided on the Roasted Triple Tail with black garlic, corn, chanterelle and blue crab. I found the triple tail to be seared expertly being crispy and well-seasoned while sporting a flaky and barely-cooked interior. I really enjoyed the silky sweet crab and corn jus as it was flavorful in a natural manner. The Earthy black garlic added a robust taste to an otherwise light flavor profile. The aromas and developed flavors were kicked up even more by the chanterelles and chunks of fluffy briny crab. This was a fairly subtle dish, but it was supremely composed with layers of taste. Viv opted for the Five-Spiced Breast of Duckling with fig, summer peppers, foie gras and heirloom grits. We found the duck prepared medium-rare being tender and succulent. It was nicely seasoned (especially the seared skin), but the skin could've been more rendered. The buttery foie was accented well by the sweet marmalade while the pickled peppers and onions added a tangy sweetness to the dish.
For dessert (and no, it wasn't our 78th anniversary... LOL), Viv went for the Fior di Latte with dark berries, ricotta, pound cake and aged balsamic. This was beautifully plated with surprisingly light and airy pound cake which was still buttery and just sweet enough. The ricotta was rich and creamy, yet a bit too strong on its own. When combined with the berries, it was more balanced. However, the berries were only mildly sweet. The ice cream made up for it though as it was creamy and sweet with the light hint of balsamic. For myself, I had the Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich. This was killer with a creamy semifreddo that was aromatic and just sweet enough. The crispy cookies were a nice textural contrast and were not too sweet. Loved the dehydrated peanut butter dust as it added another layer of creamy peanutiness. The creamy chocolate ice cream was rich and did not add any unnecessary extra sweetness to the dessert. As for celebrity chef restaurants go, we though August lived up to our expectations. Yes, it was pricey, but with things considered, it wasn't overpriced.
The Good:
- Excellent service
- On point execution
- Classy, yet not pretentious
The Bad:
- On the pricier side, but worth it IMO
Prior to embarking on our New Orleans food adventure, I did plenty of internet research. From that, I made a list of places to go and narrowed it down since we only had 5 days. No, I'm not like Mijune, who can eat 10 meals a day, so it really had to be a condensed list! However, I did ask her for some recommendations and her list did overlap with mine. One of the spots is Cochon located a block away from our hotel. Not only was that a convenient dinner location, it is one of the most recommended spots according to many top 10 lists of places to eat in Nola. We ended up heading there for dinner on our first night.
Since Cochon isn't a fancy spot (still classy though), we were able to dress down a bit (yet looking respectable). We went for 2 of the more popular small plates including the awesome Crawfish Pie. Looking like an overstuffed Jamaican patty, this was flaky and crispy like one, but much more buttery. Inside, the etouffee filling was chock full of briny and Earthy crawfish, rice and veggies. It was noticeably spicy and smoky, but not overwhelming while hits of spices were in abundance. This was super tasty and despite being sinfully rich, I couldn't stop eating it. Next up was the Smoked Pork Ribs with watermelon pickle which was equally tasty. These aggressively sauced ribs were tender and meaty while retaining a succulence. They were also smoky and well-seasoned. The sauce was spicy, sweet and tangy with plenty of depth. What really put this over the top was the pickled watermelon rind which was almost like candy being sweet and sticky.
For our mains, I had their signature dish being the Louisiana Cochon with cabbage, cracklings & pickled peaches. In terms of flavour and overall impact, we enjoyed this dish as the meat was full of depth without relying on salt. There was a definitely spiciness that continued to build and linger with each bite. Also, there was a hint of clove and/or star anise that added more body. This was lightened up by the Asian tasting tangy cabbage and daikon underneath. On top, the pickled peaches were sweet and sticky. But the meat itself was a little dry where it didn't create an appealing mouth-feel. Viv went for one of their features which was the Deep Fried Soft Shell Crab atop tomatillo sauce with a corn salad. This was one large cornmeal crusted soft shell crab. It was crispy on the outside while moist and sweet on the inside. The tomatillo sauce was bright with a slight kick that went well with the crab. The sweet pops of corn were complimented by cilantro, basil and Italian parsley.
For dessert, we shared the Pineapple Upside Down Cake served with coconut milk lime ice cream and caramel sauce. This was aromatic and buttery where the caramelized pineapples were intensely sweet. Loved the "ice cream" as it was tangy like yogurt but still had the aromatic richness of coconut milk. The texture was more sorbet-like as a result. We thought the sweet caramel sauce was not necessary as the cake was already pretty sweet with the pineapples. Despite the dry pork, we thought Cochon lived up to our expectations at a very reasonable price.
The Good:
- Reasonably-priced
- Simply tasty food
- Friendly service
The Bad:
- Pork was dry
Originally, we didn't have any plans to visit Emeril's in New Orleans. In fact, one could say we were doing our best to avoid something so typical and touristy. However, before all of this food snobbery crept into our consciousness, Emeril's was a place I've always wanted to try. Looking over the menu, some reviews and the prices, we changed our mind and it ended up back on our "to-eat" list and consequently was our first spot for lunch after an overnight flight from Vancouver connecting in Dallas/Fort-Worth. It was actually pretty convenient since it was only a 5 block walk from our hotel.
I do not talk about House Bread very much because it sometimes is pretty plain and not very interesting. However, the 3 types we were started off with did satisfy the "different" quotient. They included Roasted Red Pepper and Honey, Cornbread Muffin and Honey Wheat Bread. My favorite was the roasted red pepper as it had the texture of soft focaccia, but was cheesy and sweet. Seeing how we were going to visit Mr. B's Bistro the next day, Viv decided to do a comparison with the Emeril's New Orleans BBQ Shrimp. The de-shelled shrimp tails were buttery with a snap while naturally bring and aromatic. The sauce was extremely buttery and creamy with smokiness and umami flavours. It was silky and rich with a concentrated saltiness. This was surely tasty if not heavy and a bit too salty.
For myself, I had the Lobster "Tchoup" which was more like a slaw consisting of shaved brussels sprouts, apples, grilled bacon, lobster, spiced pecans, blue cheese and soft egg. When mixed together including the silky runny egg yolk, the whole thing was dominated by the sharpness and pungency of the creamy blue cheese. Texturally, the crunch from the brussels sprouts and apple was appealing, yet at the same time, hid the plentiful sweet lobster. In addition to the blue cheese, the firm and salty bacon was a perfect compliment while somewhat offset by some pepperiness.
For her entree, Viv had the Chicken & Waffles that featured two large pieces of perfectly fried chicken. The batter was crunchy, yet not overly heavy while the chicken was moist and nicely seasoned. Underneath lay a sweet corn Belgian waffle which was tasty, but ultimately soft and lacking in texture. The side of watermelon slaw was crunchy and nicely acidic. The whole dish was drizzled with a fairly sweet Crystal hot sauce syrup. I decided to go for one of their signature items being the Andouille Crusted Gulf Drum. As the name suggests, the fish was coated with an andouille "dust" of sorts which created a crispy exterior that was salty and smoky. The fish itself was mild, flaky and buttery soft. I found the Creole Meuniere sauce to be buttery and sweet. Underneath, the crispy shoestring potatoes were on point texturally, holding up to the moisture. The veggies consisting of squash, eggplant and red peppers were on point being cooked all the way through while retaining a bite.
For dessert we shared the Banana Cream Pie, which to be honest, has never been a favourite of mine. However, this version was actually quite good. It featured plenty of banana chunks (probably 70% of the pie) that wasn't overripe. The cream portion was more like a semifreddo and was just sweet enough and aromatic. The crust was light and buttery while the caramel on top was rather important as it added even more aroma and necessary sweetness. Although it didn't wow us per se, our visit to Emeril's was pleasant enough and crossed off another bucket-list item.
The Good:
- Excellent service
- Food is actually quite good
- Not that expensive with all things considered
The Bad:
- Heavy food, but not uncommon for New Orleans
Posts
I've never considered myself one to chase restaurants run by the "celebrity-chef". After all, when the kids were younger, it was not really practical as well (in terms of appropriate food and cost). But if I look at some of my choices, there have been the several restaurants that I have targeted based on the chef. This is particularly true when Viv and I go on vacation without the kiddies, such as our visit to Juniper & Ivy in San Diego. Now that we were in New Orleans sans enfants, we put that into effect by dining at Emeril's. Next up was John Besh's flagship restaurant, August. 
Viv and I decided to do a la carte rather than the tasting menu as we were already getting full after the second day in NOLA. They started us off with an Amuse Bouche consisting of garlic, leek and potato soup topped with crispy potato served in a hallowed-out egg. This was a wonderful little start to the meal with aromatic flavours and different textures. Nothing was overpowering another where there was balance. Loved the presentation too.
For our actual starters, Viv had the Potato Crisp P&J Oysters with malt, tarragon and pickle of Covey Rise vegetables. The oysters were plump with sweet briny juices. Crispy and light, the potato crisp coating was devoid of grease. There was a good amount of spice that was not overwhelming while the malt vinegar was impactful in the creamy aioli but was still balanced. Providing both acidity and a textural contrast, the pickled veggies were appealingly crunchy. For myself, I had the Spicy Crab Cornmeal Tartlette with basil, burrata and heirloom tomatoes. Chock full of fluffy sweet crab, the tart was on the wetter side. It was due to the tomatoes which were plump and tangy. However, the firm tart shell held everything together. Loved the combination of the creamy burrata and bright tomato as well as the smoky and salty bacon. On top, the crunchy cornmeal topping added a nice mouth feel.
For my entree, I decided on the Roasted Triple Tail with black garlic, corn, chanterelle and blue crab. I found the triple tail to be seared expertly being crispy and well-seasoned while sporting a flaky and barely-cooked interior. I really enjoyed the silky sweet crab and corn jus as it was flavorful in a natural manner. The Earthy black garlic added a robust taste to an otherwise light flavor profile. The aromas and developed flavors were kicked up even more by the chanterelles and chunks of fluffy briny crab. This was a fairly subtle dish, but it was supremely composed with layers of taste. Viv opted for the Five-Spiced Breast of Duckling with fig, summer peppers, foie gras and heirloom grits. We found the duck prepared medium-rare being tender and succulent. It was nicely seasoned (especially the seared skin), but the skin could've been more rendered. The buttery foie was accented well by the sweet marmalade while the pickled peppers and onions added a tangy sweetness to the dish.
For dessert (and no, it wasn't our 78th anniversary... LOL), Viv went for the Fior di Latte with dark berries, ricotta, pound cake and aged balsamic. This was beautifully plated with surprisingly light and airy pound cake which was still buttery and just sweet enough. The ricotta was rich and creamy, yet a bit too strong on its own. When combined with the berries, it was more balanced. However, the berries were only mildly sweet. The ice cream made up for it though as it was creamy and sweet with the light hint of balsamic. For myself, I had the Peanut Butter Ice Cream Sandwich. This was killer with a creamy semifreddo that was aromatic and just sweet enough. The crispy cookies were a nice textural contrast and were not too sweet. Loved the dehydrated peanut butter dust as it added another layer of creamy peanutiness. The creamy chocolate ice cream was rich and did not add any unnecessary extra sweetness to the dessert. As for celebrity chef restaurants go, we though August lived up to our expectations. Yes, it was pricey, but with things considered, it wasn't overpriced.
