Only in New Orleans or France!

Reveillon comes from the French word reveiller which means to wake up.  Here in New Orleans it roughly translates to a holiday celebration. Reveillon dinners are held on Christmas Eve after midnight mass or New Years Eve and have been a tradition in New Orleans since the French first came and settled here. In true New Orleans style reveillon dinners are held during the entire month of December. Whether it be in people’s homes or at a restaurant the dinners tend to be lavish. Usually several courses of rich, luxurious dishes followed by several courses of dessert and a bouche de noel. It was said that back in New Orleans’ heyday these dinners would last into the wee hours of the morning and sometimes until dawn.

The reveillon tradition had waned somewhat. That is when The French Quarter Festivals Inc organization decided to bring the tradition back. They are hoping to lure locals and tourists alike to the French Quarter to celebrate the holidays. There are over a dozen restaurants participating this year, including Emeril’s and Emeril’s Delmonico. I have included the menu for both restaurants.

I will be attending a reveillon dinner this Friday evening. I am celebrating not only the holidays but also a birthday.

Emeril’s

FIRST COURSE

Turtle Soup “en Croute”

SECOND COURSE

Fricassee of Crawfish with Veal Sweetbreads, Artichokes, and Truffle

THIRD COURSE

Foie Gras-stuffed Mississippi Quail with Warm Lobster Salad and Kumquat Vinaigrette

FOURTH COURSE

Apple Butter Calas with Walnut and Eggnog Anglaise

Emeril’s Delmonico

FIRST COURSE (Choice of)

Creole Charcuterie: Beef Daube Glacé with Andouille Sausage, Housemade Mustard, and Pickled Okra

Or

Winter Green Salad with Savory Rice Calas, Fennel, and Satsuma Vinaigrette

SECOND COURSE (Choice of)

Crab and Mirliton Bisque

Or

Sautéed Frog Legs with Almonds, Capers, and Lemon

THIRD COURSE (Choice of)

Rabbit Fricassee with Caramelized Root Vegetables, Leeks, and Sherry Reduction

Or

Pan Roasted Quail with Oyster Dressing and Mushroom Gravy

FOURTH COURSE

Café Brulot - Crème Brûlée with Chocolate Praline

Local menus are changing as they gear up for summer.

I just spoke with Chef David Slater at Emeril’s restaurant here in New Orleans and he is very excited about their new summer menu which features local ingredients from small farmers and artisanal producers throughout Louisiana.

I am looking forward to getting a copy of the menu from him on Monday which I will post. I will also provide a little bit of information about the farmers, where they are and what they grow.

Emeril went on Jim Cramer’s Mad Money last night to discuss his new restaurant, Emeril’s Chop House and the state of the economy.

Emeril’s New Orleans, the flagship restaurant of the fleet, has just been nominated for the “Outstanding Service” award from the James Beard Foundation!

Congratulations and good luck!!!

The team at my new home, Emeril’s on Tchoupitoulas, is ever-brimming with new ideas. One of which I am really excited about—themed tasting menus!

This means that our chef’s tasting menus (a set menu of four or five courses designed specifically by the executive chef), will be based around the cuisine of a certain country or region within a country. They are a wonderful way to learn more about the cuisine of a specific area and see a chef’s interpretation of classic dishes—in the case of Chef Slater at Emeril’s, these interpretations will definitely have a modern twist. Along with the meal, there will also be an optional wine pairing, so as you learn more about different foods, you can also learn more about wines from that region. A mini-vacation if you will…

I absolutely love chef’s tasting menus. I think they are one of the best ways to try different foods and get an idea of what a chef’s style of cooking is really about. These themed dinners are available on Friday and Saturday nights, and this month’s theme is France!

(Being a staff member of Emeril’s Delmonico, I have come adopt the nickname of my workplace, which is Del’s. I like it better.)

A few days ago, I, and a few friends had dinner at Del’s. The executive chef, Spencer Minch, decided to cook an impromptu tasting menu for us (meaning we get whatever he wants to send out to our table for dinner).

The third course (of seven) was my favorite. It was a pair of Maine diver scallops with a puree of butternut squash and parsnip, wilted kale, hedgehog mushrooms and a brown butter fondue.
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In the days before Thanksgiving, the kitchen staff at Emeril’s Delmonico has been knee deep in garlic-mashed potatoes, oyster stuffing, bacon-smothered greens beans… This is because our restaurant has decided to take the work out of Thanksgiving for you (and all throughout the holidays, for that matter). What this means is that you get to sit back and relax along with your dinner guests, once and for all! What this means for us is that we get to turn into a full-force catering company!

Special occasions like this are always lots of fun because it gives myself, and the staff a fun way to change up our daily routine. It also gives us a great excuse to test out new recipes and of course eat lots of great food! My contribution to the festivities are a variety of pies and bread puddings, like sweet potato pie, chocolate pecan pie and bread pudding with whisky caramel sauce. And not to toot my own horn, but they are YUMMY!

So, if you too would like Emeril to help out in your kitchen this holiday season, check out our menus online. You can order a side or two, or do the whole shebang! And, if you’re anything like me, you’ll take all the credit!

Emeril’s Holiday To Go

On my last visit to New York City, I picked up a copy of “Edible Brooklyn,” a seasonally published magazine dedicated to the local goings-on in the food community in and around Brooklyn.

The issue mentioned several area restaurants, reviewed food-related books, suggested culinary-themed side trips outside of Brooklyn, indulged me with recipes from locals and recommended indigenous food products (i.e. ricotta, homemade by a couple in their Boerum Hill apartment kitchen).

As I thumbed through the last pages of the magazine, I realized that this magazine is a template for a version of itself in several other cities—Atlanta, San Francisco, Memphis, Toronto, and Boston, to name just a few. So if you like the magazine, you can subscribe to you favorite cities’ publications. And what is even cooler than that is you can start your own (New Orleans—hint, hint!). All you need to do is send Edible Communities an email to let them know you are interested in starting a magazine about your area. From that point on, they will lead you through the process…

This year’s Carnivale du Vin was a sweet success! Perhaps that is because Nancy Silverton of La Brea Bakery in Los Angeles, and Mario Batali of Babbo (and several other restaurants) in New York City were responsible for dessert!

After three savory courses, the first created by Chef Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin in New York City, the second by Chef Aaron Sanchez of Centrico and Paladir in New York City, and the third by Chef Rick Tramonto of TRU in Chicago, came the last, but not least course—dessert.

Nancy and Mario teamed up to create a butterscotch budino (Italian pudding), served with caramel sauce, a dollop of crème fraiche, a pinch of Maldon sea salt, and garnished with pine nut and rosemary shortbread cookies. It was rich and creamy, but nicely refreshed with the tart flavor of the crème fraiche, the briny bite of the sea salt and the earthy aromas of the freshly baked rosemary—a perfect combination of Nancy’s baking expertise and Mario’s Italian influence!

I can hardly wait to see which chefs will participate in next year’s dinner!

New Orleans, LA – Emeril Lagasse’s flagship restaurant, Emeril’s, and NOLA in the French Quarter reopened for business in December 2005 following Hurricane Katrina. Lagasse’s Garden District restaurant, Emeril’s Delmonico, is scheduled to reopen in mid to late fall 2006 due to significant damage from the storm. Emeril’s is currently open for dinner service Monday-Saturday from 6:00-10:00 pm. Beginning on April 30, Emeril’s will also open for Sunday dinner from 6:00-10:00 pm. Lunch is served on Fridays from 11:30 am until 2:00 pm. NOLA Restaurant is open for dinner service Wednesday-Sunday from 6:00-10:00 pm, and for lunch on Saturday from 11:30 am-2:00 pm.

Emeril’s is located in a renovated warehouse on Tchoupitoulas Street, true to the feel of the Warehouse District neighborhood. Designed by the David Rockwell Group, the interior features exposed brick, hardwood floors, an open kitchen and a unique chef’s food bar with a signature metal and glass proscenium filled with spices. The menu at Emeril’s is an exploration of what Lagasse calls ‘new’ New Orleans cooking, Creole cuisine with ethnic influences such as Southwestern, Asian, or Portuguese. Emeril’s New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp, Grilled Double Cut Niman Pork Chop and Banana Cream Pie continue to be signature dishes today.

NOLA, which stands for New Orleans, Louisiana ‚Äì the way New Orleanians have long abbreviated their return address on letters ‚Äì is the second restaurant owned and operated by Chef Emeril Lagasse. Since NOLA opened its doors in 1992, the menu has been an exploration of ‚Äúnew New Orleans‚Äù cooking, but with a casual almost rustic tone. Favorite menu items include Cedar Plank Fish from the wood-burning oven and ‚ÄúShrimp & Grits‚Äù, Saut√©ed Gulf Shrimp with Smoked Cheddar Grits and Apple Smoked Bacon. The casual chef‚Äôs bar has a prominent view of the central wood-burning oven and open kitchen. The menu and wine list are designed to cater to the more casual diner — both visitors and native New Orleanians.

Valet parking is available at Emeril’s. Please call 504-528-9393 for reservations. At NOLA, validated parking is available at the nearby Omni Royal Orleans. For reservations, please call 504-522-6652.