EMERIL'S NEW ORLEANS FISH HOUSE AT MGM GRAND BY VEGAS FOOD NERD
Emeril turned down a full-ride scholarship to a music conservatory in favor of studying to be a chef after graduating high school as a young man. After culinary school, he honed his skills in various restaurants around Europe before finally landing in New Orleans, where he became the head chef of the legendary Commander’s Palace restaurant. Then he soon opened his place, NOLA, in the same city. Then came the TV show we all adored, followed by all of us saying his signature “bam” catchphrase when we cooked in our own kitchens.
Twenty-five years ago, the larger-than-life chef—who pioneered the celebrity chef culture—opened his New Orleans Fish House here in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand. At that time, the food scene in Vegas focused more on shrimp cocktail deals and buffets at each resort. Celebrity chefs like Emeril and maybe Wolfgang Puck were a small group of known chefs to the food world. Ironically, they both descended on our city at about the same time—Wolfgang, with his iconic celebrity hipster outpost, Spago, and Emeril, with his New Orleans Fish House, which is still going strong today.
The space hasn’t changed much over the years, and that is a good thing. It’s a warm, open-air feeling space in an area that is entirely indoors within the MGM Grand Casino and Resort. There is patio like seating, bar seating and interior seating. There are warm gold tones on the interior of the space, and blue and white mosaic tiling surrounding the bar with playful images of fish splashed around the restaurant.
I’ve had the luxury of being able to dine at this spot several times before I moved to our desert town, and several times since. I know most food critics would tell you this is a tourist trap, but I won’t count myself as one of them. Emeril and his team have created a solid, tasty and consistent experience on every visit that I have made. If you love oysters, this is a great place to go to enjoy their umami goodness. The West coast oysters are generally my favorite, and if they happen to be carrying Snow Creek oysters, those are my favorite briny treat served with their signature mignonette sauce. Emeril’s signature take on gumbo with shrimp, okra and andouille sausage is another favorite. They bring you a bowl of hot steamed rice and pour the hot gumbo over the top. Put a few shakes of the hot sauce they bring you and enjoy. It’s a warm, Creole hug to your senses. The menu has evolved and changed over the years, but the seafood boil is hard to pass up, and the barbecue shrimp are incredible items that seem to stand the test of time. The indulgent side of lobster mac n cheese is a crave-worthy creation that is hard to pass up each visit. Don’t just stop at the savory items that they offer because many declare that Emeril’s banana cream pie with chocolate shavings and caramel sauce as their favorite take on that dessert in their lifetime a creamy confection that I crave daily. Along with his bread and butter bread pudding with a bourbon crème anglaise sauce. Now go eat something.