After enduring the shutdown of Emeril’s during the pandemic, I spent the following year patiently waiting for any announcement that my favorite fine dining restaurant would reopen. Two of Emeril’s New Orleans restaurants announced their permanent closure or sale during the pandemic, and I hoped that Emeril’s would not be on the chopping block too.
During the pandemic a restaurant close to home sufficed for my anniversary dinner, but the food and atmosphere didn’t provide the same experience as dining at the iconic Emeril’s restaurant. There’s something special about driving into New Orleans to enjoy a fancy dinner.
When the Emeril’s website posted a banner about its reopening planned for August 31, 2021, I was delighted. My delight was suspended when Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana on August 29, 2021, delaying the opening of the restaurant until September 28, 2021.
November 2021 brought news of my breast cancer diagnosis and when my oncologist told me that I would start chemotherapy treatments on December 2, I immediately thought about how I could celebrate with my husband before our anniversary and before treatment started.
There were so many reasons why this was a good idea, one of them being that chemotherapy drastically affected my taste buds. The foods that I liked before treatment were either tasteless or too spicy for me to enjoy. I also did not know when my hair would fall out from my chemotherapy treatments and it was comforting to be able to style my hair for our evening at dinner.
Because the restaurant was reopening after a long closure, Chef Emeril Lagasse was in the kitchen preparing the dishes for the evening. When our server told us that he was there and had made the food that was on our plate, we asked if we could get his autograph to commemorate our anniversary. (I made no mention of the fact that I would be starting chemotherapy the next day.) He autographed a page of the menu for us.
It was a very special evening and we drove back home thankful for the moment.
A Beautiful Mistake
When my treatments ended in November 2022, I couldn’t wait for my oncologist to let me know that my white blood cell counts looked good so I could venture out for a very special anniversary dinner at Emeril’s. My husband called the restaurant before my last treatment and found out that reservations could be made online. As soon as I got the results from my lab work I booked our anniversary dinner reservation online.
Making reservations online was fast and easy, and an email confirmation from Emeril’s quickly followed.
Because of our past visits to the restaurant, we knew the dress code. I was especially excited because my hair had grown back and I would be going to dinner sporting my new natural hairdo.
We arrived at the restaurant and instead of going right and into the dining room with the maître d’, he escorted us left and around the bar area to an intimate dining area with about 10 tables with no more than 4 chairs at each table. I mentioned that I’d never seen or sat in this part of Emeril’s before, and he said they added it a couple of years ago.
A postcard bearing the image of Emeril as a young chef was waiting at our table. The waitstaff who would serve our food that night wrote a message on the back wishing us a happy anniversary.
When I looked at the menu on our table, I realized its layout was completely different from what I was used to. I chalked that up to the fact that Emeril’s is an innovative restaurant, and things change over the course of a year. When our waiter approached our table, I asked him why the menu offerings were grouped into what appeared to be a list of appetizers/small plates.
This is when I discovered that when I made our reservation online, I booked the experience inside a part of Emeril’s called The Salon. The menu items in The Salon were a la carte and the dress code was not as strict as in the main dining room (jackets were not required for men). Reservations were not required and the tables in The Salon were open for walk-in patrons of the restaurant.
I hesitated for a moment, wondering how I did not notice what I was booking. Our waiter could see the disappointment on my face, and he assured me that we would enjoy the dishes offered on the menu, some of which were created by Emeril’s son E.J. Lagasse. I decided to embrace my mistake and enjoy the evening as a celebration of our anniversary and my return to being out in the world after my cancer treatments.
The Salon Menu
After a few suggestions from our waiter we started our anniversary dinner with a few appetizers. The Salon menu is not separated into appetizers and main dishes so guests can decide what order they want to eat the items on the menu. I chose the Lobster Bisque and Caesar Salad and my husband chose the Oysters on the Half-Shell, which came with four Accoutrements.
Oysters on the Half-Shell with four Accoutrements
Lobster Bisque
Caesar salad
After savoring these dishes I realized that the reservation I made at The Salon was no mistake. The quality and taste of the food we ordered was superb and exceeded my expectations. I was eager to move further down the menu to see what other dishes would surprise my taste buds.
For the next tasting experience, I ordered Emeril’s famous BBQ shrimp with a rosemary biscuit. My husband chose seared diver scallops in green garlic butter with crostini.
When my dish arrived at the table I knew it was going to be delicious. Six shrimp sat in a creamy sauce and a miniature biscuit was served on a separate plate.
After I took the first bite of BBQ shrimp, I sat at the table in awe. It was perfect. The savory sauce complimented the shrimp like a match made in heaven. The rosemary biscuit had a slight crisp on the top, and it was warm, buttery, and flakey. Our waiter told me that most guests at The Salon use the biscuit to finish the sauce that comes with the shrimp. Not wanting to miss this experience, I went with the flow and used some of the remaining bites of my biscuit to rid the bowl of the remaining sauce. It was heavenly!
My husband reported that his scallops were sweet and savory. Three pieces of crostini helped him finish the green garlic butter.
If my stomach could have held more food, I would have explored the menu even further. I had been eating less because my appetite decreased after my lumpectomy. It was time to trade my dinner fork for a dessert fork.
Dessert at The Salon
Deciding on dessert was easy for me, especially when I saw the Chocolate “S’more” on the menu. Its description read, “brownie, toasted meringue, chocolate sorbet, warm toffee sauce”. I couldn’t resist! My husband chose the Banana Cream Pie.
We ordered coffee to accompany our dessert.
While we delighted in the flavors on our plates, the maitre d visited our table and asked if I wanted to visit the kitchen after dessert. I could hardly believe my ears! In all the years I have dined at Emeril’s New Orleans for my anniversary, I could never have imagined being asked if I wanted to visit the kitchen. I was excited to have this opportunity, and made my way through the salon and into the restaurant.
The kitchen is busy, but in a an organized way. Staff moving about in the kitchen seemed to know exactly where to step to avoid chaos. Watching them was like viewing a beautiful dance that had been practiced and performed with precision many, many times.
After the tour I returned to our table with expectations of coming back to collect the check, pay for the meal, and end the evening. Before the check arrived at the table, our servers returned to our table with a small-tastings plate of desserts and appletini mocktails. It was a sweet ending to an exceptional dining experience.
During my meal I chatted with our waitstaff and found that there were big changes coming to the restaurant in 2023. Chef Emeril Lagasse had been traveling and his time and attention were devoted to new and exciting ventures, including the opening three restaurants on ships in the Carnival cruise line. Even though Emeril’s son, E.J. Lagasse, was not in the kitchen during our night out, he was in the early stages of taking over as Chef Patron and co-owner of Emeril’s.
The restaurant was going to be closed and renovated. Upon re-opening in October 2023, the new look would be unveiled along with a revitalized menu. The overall feel of the restaurant was going to be more upscale, yet it was going to reflect the rich New Orleans food heritage that patrons have come to expect when dining at Emeril’s.
Dining out for special occasions is a treat that I look forward to each year. One of the major changes I noticed after my taste buds returned after chemotherapy was that food became more flavorful. I am experiencing food with a heightened sense of taste. This change makes me willing to explore new flavors and I can’t wait to return to Emeril’s to explore the new menu its new Chef has prepared!
Let’s Talk!
Which restaurant offered your favorite fine dining experience? Where is it located? What type of cuisine was on the menu?
Which dish would you like to try at The Salon at Emeril’s?
Would you travel to another city/country with the sole purpose of experiencing the cuisine?