Hey ya'll from the big dry ditch here in Las Vegas. Last night Mrs. Blues took moi out for an evening soiree at Emeril's Delmonico Steakhouse located on the strip in the Venetian Hotel Casino. Easy to find as it's right next to the Blue Man Group theatre. This was our 3rd trip to the joint and let me say that Emeril is still batting 1,000. The service, the wine, the food! Should be on everyone's top 10 joint's to dine at before you die.
We started the sitdown by ordering a bottle of Chilean wine, an '04 Marques Casa Concha Merlot. Merlot is my favorite juice and this one didn't dissapoint. Beautiful. We then ordered an appetizer of fried calamari...but not a typical fried calamari. This one was a dinner plate piled high with large tidbits of deep fried squid sitting on a bed of rustic smoked tomato and topped with an olive tepenade. The smoked tomato was incredible with the squid and while I have never been a fan of tepenade...I couldn't shovel this stuff in fast enough.
The entree's arrived in a timely fashion albeit not too quick as this is the kind of joint you want to sit and relax and not be rushed. Everything is ala carte and Mrs. Blues chose the filet mignon and roasted garlic mashed potato's with bearnaise on the side. I chose the bone off ribeye medium rare, scalloped potato's and the sauteed garlic mushrooms. The sides alone were worth the night out. The herb and garlic melded with chantrells and shitaki's was pure heaven ya'll. The steaks? Ah..the steaks. Emeril dry age's the meat for 8 weeks and it is simply devine. He seasons the meat very liberally with his own brand of cajun seasonings and tops with maitre'd butter. Cooked perfectly, the meat melts in your mouth.
Now I'm usually the kind of guy that if I can cook it, I don't go out and buy it at a restaurant. Emeril's is the exception. The decor of the joint is sparse. The walls are bare of snooty artwork and such, thus no distractions from the wine, food, and friends. Perfection!
One funny thing happened as we were waiting in the lounge to be seated. Off in a corner was a baby grande piano obviously equipped with a dvd player or other such device putting out nice soft piano jazz. No player around. There was a couple that was sitting at the bar and when one of the numbers that was playing came to an end, the couple turned around and looked at the piano and applauded! My gal and I both commenced laughing with big "WTF just happened?" looks on our faces. Had to be Canadians.
The pic doesn't do it justice..
TB here...
While Emeril's tv shows can be cheesy, his Delmonico Steak House is anything but. World class and a must dine for any that appreciate food prepared and served with unbelievable attention to detail and flavor.
Cheers ya'll, TB.
We started the sitdown by ordering a bottle of Chilean wine, an '04 Marques Casa Concha Merlot. Merlot is my favorite juice and this one didn't dissapoint. Beautiful. We then ordered an appetizer of fried calamari...but not a typical fried calamari. This one was a dinner plate piled high with large tidbits of deep fried squid sitting on a bed of rustic smoked tomato and topped with an olive tepenade. The smoked tomato was incredible with the squid and while I have never been a fan of tepenade...I couldn't shovel this stuff in fast enough.
The entree's arrived in a timely fashion albeit not too quick as this is the kind of joint you want to sit and relax and not be rushed. Everything is ala carte and Mrs. Blues chose the filet mignon and roasted garlic mashed potato's with bearnaise on the side. I chose the bone off ribeye medium rare, scalloped potato's and the sauteed garlic mushrooms. The sides alone were worth the night out. The herb and garlic melded with chantrells and shitaki's was pure heaven ya'll. The steaks? Ah..the steaks. Emeril dry age's the meat for 8 weeks and it is simply devine. He seasons the meat very liberally with his own brand of cajun seasonings and tops with maitre'd butter. Cooked perfectly, the meat melts in your mouth.
Now I'm usually the kind of guy that if I can cook it, I don't go out and buy it at a restaurant. Emeril's is the exception. The decor of the joint is sparse. The walls are bare of snooty artwork and such, thus no distractions from the wine, food, and friends. Perfection!
One funny thing happened as we were waiting in the lounge to be seated. Off in a corner was a baby grande piano obviously equipped with a dvd player or other such device putting out nice soft piano jazz. No player around. There was a couple that was sitting at the bar and when one of the numbers that was playing came to an end, the couple turned around and looked at the piano and applauded! My gal and I both commenced laughing with big "WTF just happened?" looks on our faces. Had to be Canadians.
The pic doesn't do it justice..
TB here...
While Emeril's tv shows can be cheesy, his Delmonico Steak House is anything but. World class and a must dine for any that appreciate food prepared and served with unbelievable attention to detail and flavor.
Cheers ya'll, TB.
