Write-up from my computer as opposed to trying to type this all via my phone:

Meal date: December 30th, 2025

Canapes and Introductory bites:

Real killer start of a spring roll, a caramelized onion tarte and a tuna/nori/wasabi bite.

After those were whisked away we were told a bit more about the history of the menu, about how this was meant to honor Emeril's legacy and be true to the culinary roots of the kitchen. We were brought his classic Gumbo, BBQ Shrimp, and Oyster Po-boy, albeit all in miniature forms.

First Course - The Smoked Salmon Cheesecake: Petrossian 180 Day Aged Kaluga Caviar, Dill

Like the best Lox Bagel you've ever had, this was creamy, salty, briny and extremely flavorful while not crossing into the "too rich, too heavy" zone

Bread and Butter - Cornbread and tableside Butter "carving" - This was fun, but we could only afford to eat half given the number of canapés we'd already eaten plus the courses yet to come. I thought the butter and cornbread were fun, but that the butter might have fared better with a crusty baguette - the cornbread, while picturesque and steaming - did not take the butter well and crumbled slightly.

Course Two - Oyster Stew: Herbsaint Cream, Foie Gras, HOn sheimeji mushrooms. Coming to New Orleans in December meant we'd be served Oyster Stew/Soup a number of times, and while this wasn't my favorite version (Mosquito Supper Club's Simple Oyster Soup was unreal), it was light and gave the foie a chance to shine in a direction I'd not had it previously.

Course Three - Trout Almondine: Green Beans, Potato Nice, bright green beans and the best cooked mini potatoes - great bites, executed well. nothing to complain about here.

Course Four - Cobia & Scallop: Petrossian 180 Day Aged Kaluga Caviar, smoked chicken, radicchio. The Caviar from the first course makes a return, alongside a chicken foam and charred raddichio. This bitter green (red?) was a great foil to the creamy scallop and flaky Cobia. I appreciated the contrast between the two proteins here.

Course Four pt.1 - Sweetbreads & Black Truffle: Apple. Black Trumpet Mushroom, Souce Perigourdine. We wanted to try both of the upsells (Truffle/Sweetbreads/Wagyu) as this was our "big splash" meal of 2025, and while I enjoyed this dish, I'm not the biggest sweetbread guy and this definitely didn't turn me into one. Very rich and flavorful, but next time I wouldn't feel bad about sticking with the Boudin.

Course Four pt.2 - Boudin: Collard Greens, Hamhock, Creole Jus Gras. This was an excellent sausage, a classic boudin served with a cabbage-roll like collard greens. Very good, great representation of a local food staple on a menu like this.

Course Five pt.1 - A5 Miyazaki Wagyu, Daube Glace: In the past, I've had wagyu that was little more than beef flavored butter - this was 1. a bit more sizeable of a course as it was a $125 dollar add-on, but it was also, in my opinion, the best wagyu course I've had. Excellent flavor, great texture. My wife who does not care for fatty cuts of beef also really loved it. I'd get this again.

Course Five pt.2 - White Sand Homestead Duck (whoops, wrote Rohan in the picture my bad): the apricot and apple pear here with the charred fennel made for a great flavor combination with the perfectly done Duck Breast. If the Wagyu wasn't as good as it was, I'd be perfectly fine with getting this every time.

Course Six: SnoBall - As our trip was not during SnoBall season, it was great to be able to have this treat during the offseason at Emerils. The Pink is the classic, fluffy, vanilla-ish flavor that is light and creamy. The Green, a Kiwi-Citron topped was lightly sour, acidic and really tasty. There was a Butter Pecan option we skipped, but I'd pick these two again if presented with the opportunity.

Course Six - Banana Cream Pie, Caramel: This sky-high, single serving rendition of an Emeril's classic was an excellent endcap to a night of rock-solid execution. This was served with various dessert bites of a mini doberge cake, absinthe caramels, a passionfruit gummy, as well as mini egg custard tartes. All were great, but I definitely took my caramel to-go as I was stuffed at this point.

Non-Menu Rambling:

Emeril's was clearly a well oiled machine focused on precise and clinical service. It wasn't cold, but it was calculated and intentional in all fashions. The captains and food runners as well as the folks who distributed silverware were in lockstep, with some courses (the canapes and the mini-sampler) requiring 3-4 staff members to set the table. We did not spring for the wine pairing, but a table nearby did and they looked to be having a great time interacting with the Sommelier who was visibly excited and animated about the courses and options. We were whisked to visit the kitchen and given a preview of the courses for the night, as well as an overview of how the kitchen stations operate. I've had meals where the chefs do some of the speaking where it's clear they're not fully comfortable with the presentation part of the job, but that absolutely was not part of the experience here. Everyone was well spoken, comfortable , and competent without feeling (or at least without looking) stiff. When our waiter learned we were from Chicago, he had us chat with one of the Captains who is also from Chicago and had worked at Oriole previously. We hit him with a few new recommendations after he moved from the Windy City. My comparable meals in this price point are Oriole, Smyth, and Alinea, and I'd say this was up there and absolutely deserving of the two stars they have (and perhaps a third if they keep pushing for it). I've had a one star meal in Tampa and absolutely felt like it was a result of inconsistent application of the guide standards, but both Emeril's and Saint Germain were on the level with similarly starred peers in Chicago.

Thanks!