State Your Case!!! Emeril's vs. Tchoup Chop (Inspired by cseca's thread)

[tarheelmjfan]

Cseca's (Mythos, Emeril, or Tchoup Chop) thread brought to mind something I've been wondering about for a while. You all know my opinion on Emeril's vs. Tchoup Chop. Obviously, I just don't get the TC craze. For those of you who prefer it, what did you order at both restaurants? I'm wondering which appetizers/ soup, & entrees you thought were better at TC than what you had at Emeril's. Maybe, we're ordering the wrong dishes. I won't even include dessert in this comparison. If you think any of TC's desserts are better than Emeril's, you lose all credibility.

 

[aztecgoods]

What happened to giving Mythos equal billing on this? And as for TC, I think you may have just ordered some bad choices or hit a bad night. I thought it was really good when I went there, and I ate twice in one week. In all honesty I don't remember exactly what I ordered and details, just remember it was good. MYTHOS gets my vote. He he he.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

What happened to giving Mythos equal billing on this? And as for TC, I think you may have just ordered some bad choices or hit a bad night. I thought it was really good when I went there, and I ate twice in one week. In all honesty I don't remember exactly what I ordered and details, just remember it was good. MYTHOS gets my vote. He he he.

Sorry, it wasn't my intention to slight Mythos. The reason I asked about Emeril's & TC specifically is that they're both Emeril's restaurants. Personally, I don't think TC does his name justice. I'm just really curious about why some people like TC better than Emeril's. One reason I asked for specific entrees is to see if we have made bad choices. So far, our family has tried 6 entrees, & 7 desserts. IMHO, the only dish that was up to Emeril's (the chef, not necessarily the restaurant) standards was the Filet. The others weren't even close. The desserts aren't up to Western Sizzlin standards. We don't go there either.

 

[cleo]

If you think any of TC's desserts are better than Emeril's, you lose all credibility.

Sounds like you're being real open minded about this question!

Perhaps the food at Tchoup Chop is simply not to your taste? We have never had a bad meal there and we recommend it as a Top Ten in Orlando. In fact, it rates #1 for Romance, in our humble opinions, as well. We've eaten at nearly every fine dining establishment of note and find TC's quality, presentation and taste to be absolutely top-notch.

I'm curious why, specifically, you rate Sizzler's desserts higher than Tchoup Chop's. That, to my mind, is an extremely unlikely comparison. Canned pudding as compared to fresh-made, inspired culinary offerings? I'm baffled.

 

[patster734]

You can buy Mai-Tais at Tchoup Chop. . They make everything taste better! Actually, I've eaten there twice. The first time, I had the Hawaiian plate and really liked it. The second time, I had something similar to a mongolian stir-fry containing noodles and the Hawaiian pork wich I didn't care for. Of course, I didn't have a Mai-Tai with my second meal. . My wife has enjoyed both meals and prefers Tchoup Chop to Emeril's. She's also had a Mai-Tai with both meals!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Sounds like you're being real open minded about this question!

Perhaps the food at Tchoup Chop is simply not to your taste? We have never had a bad meal there and we recommend it as a Top Ten in Orlando. In fact, it rates #1 for Romance, in our humble opinions, as well. We've eaten at nearly every fine dining establishment of note and find TC's quality, presentation and taste to be absolutely top-notch.

I'm curious why, specifically, you rate Sizzler's desserts higher than Tchoup Chop's. That, to my mind, is an extremely unlikely comparison. Canned pudding as compared to fresh-made, inspired culinary offerings? I'm baffled.

Actually, I am open minded about everything except the desserts. That's why I asked the question. I would truly like to know what people have eaten at TC that was better than what they had at Emeril's. Maybe, we have just ordered the wrong dishes. I know how I feel about the dishes I've tried, but we've only tried a small percentage of them. On the other hand, we've tried 7 different desserts & IMHO none of them were good. Some are just a little better than others. We are a family that orders appetizer, entree, & dessert at practically every dinner we eat on vacation. I have a serious sweet tooth & absolutely love dessert. However, I've had better desserts than TC's practically everywhere. Admittedly, I was being facetious with the Sizzler comparison. It was a weak attempt at humor. As I said, we don't eat at Sizzler, so I don't know how good their pudding is. I do know that my family doesn't think TC's desserts are good at all. On the other hand, we love the desserts at Emeril's. It's not just Emeril's though. At UO, we also love desserts at Mama Della's, The Kitchen, Latin Qtr., Pat O's, etc...... You get the picture.

BTW, I've eaten both Asian & Polynesian foods a time or two. We have enjoyed both of them at more than one restaurant. I agree that TC has a nice atmosphere. Although, the soft goods are getting a bit tattered, but that's not a big deal. However, there's a lot of great restaurants in Orlando that could be listed as "Top Ten". Unfortunately, there would still be some great restaurants that were snubbed. Based on our experience, TC just isn't one of them. That is a matter of opinion though & I'd be happy to have a great dining experience there & be proven wrong. It wouldn't be the 1st time I was wrong.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

You can buy Mai-Tais at Tchoup Chop. . They make everything taste better! Actually, I've eaten there twice. The first time, I had the Hawaiian plate and really liked it. The second time, I had something similar to a mongolian stir-fry containing noodles and the Hawaiian pork wich I didn't care for. Of course, I didn't have a Mai-Tai with my second meal. . My wife has enjoyed both meals and prefers Tchoup Chop to Emeril's. She's also had a Mai-Tai with both meals!

Maybe, that's our problem. We should have ordered Mai-Tais, with a side of pork & noodles.

 

[rubberband1293]

I wasn't impressed with Tchoup Chop at all and for that reason, I did not give Emeril's a chance. I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant, but found the food to be so-so. I think my expectations were too high - afterall, I'm not used to spending $14.00+ for a salad (which was exquisite, but it is very difficult to mess up a plate of greens!). I don't want to get flamed here, but I just simply was not impressed with the place. I had the lamb chops which were just OK - call me crazy, but with CHOP in the name of the place, I kind of thought that MIGHT be a speciality. (Hal-way joking here.)

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

Been to Tchoup Chop 4 times with absolutely no, not one, not any complaints! The food, while different, with the Asian fusion thing has always been as good as the service ... although I understand service has been a big problem at this restaurant.

Been to Emerial's at Citywalk once and was quite underwhelmed. I do rember having a scallop appitizer that was absolutely, A#1 Fantastic!!! But aside from that I had a $45 rib eye that was dog food!!! If it wasn't 10:30 and the fact that I had no confidence in my servers I'd have complained. We will go back again someday (for a second chance) but Tchoup Chop reigns supreme in my mind.

 

[F-L-A]

Tchoup Chop is my favorite restaurant - anywhere.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

So, what do you guys order? This thread really wasn't meant to be about "mine's better than yours". I really would like to know what those of you who love TC order that keeps you going back.

 

[Peter Pirate 2]

I don't recall the specifics as I know it changes...I always get the 'catch of the day' although I know this isn't what they call it. We always try different appitizers ... Sorry for the lack of specificity but my memory allows me only so much.

 

[cleo]

We never order the same thing twice and we never order the same dishes as each other, so while I don't remember exactly what we had every time, I can say it isn't any one dish that brings us back. It's the whole menu. And the atmosphere.

I'm not a fan of Emeril at all, but I must say I was very impressed by TC. I was amazed the menu was created by the same guy I avoid at all costs on TV. I didn't think he had the brains to put together something that creative (with my apologies to his fans!), so it did raise him up a notch in my opinion, though I still won't watch his gawd-awful show.

Gotta agree there are so many excellent restaurants in Orlando, you could do a Top 100 and still potentially miss a few.