Which Emeril restaurant?

[Simbee3]

Has anyone been to either of his restaurants lately? How is the food and the overall experiance?
We are planning a visit in late August and would love to try one of his restaurants. I was a little sceptacle because last year we went to the Wolfgang Puck Cafe and every last one of us hated our meal.
I was thinking of either doing a chef's table with just my husband and myself or a night with all of us because the kids are big fans of his (go figure). So any input would be great.
And what are the prices like?

 

[patster734]

I've been to both restaurants and liked them both. They are pricey, but for one night on our trip, we'll splurge and eat at one of the restaurants. My wife prefers Tchoup Chop located at the Royal Pacific Resort.

Here's a menu of Citywalk's Emeril's:
http://www.allearsnet.com/uni/menu/men_em.htm

and Tchoup Chop:
http://www.allearsnet.com/uni/menu/men_tchd.htm

 

[bekkiz]

I'll admit to never eating at Emeril's on Citywalk.

However, I've eaten at Tchop Chop on a few occasions, and have had excellent meals each time. The food is fab, and the service top notch. I haven't been in about 2 years, so I hope things haven't gone downhill in that time. I'll tell you, the pork chop with sweet potatoes and apples is amazing. And probably the biggest single pork chop I've ever seen

I hope someone has more up to date reviews for you!

 

[Cinderella822]

We ate at both on our last vacation and loved them both. I have to say, I can't choose a favorite. I definitely liked the atmosphere better at Tchoup Chop. But as for just the food and service, I think they are pretty equal. I don't think you will be disappointed in either one. Take a look at the menus for each and see which type of food is more suited to your likes and go from there. Enjoy!

 

[Simbee3]

Are there any suggestions on what to order at either restaurant? I think we are leaning more towards Tchop Tchop but I am still a little unsure. Has anyone had the fried rice here. I think my boys would be into something like that.

 

[rodkenrich]

I recommend Tchoup Chop for lunch or dinner.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

We eat at Tchoup Chop often. The last time was 3 month ago and the next time will be next week. The food, service and atmosphere is excellent. I usually have my waiter pick my meal and have never been disapointed. Most times its a special. My husband loves the pork chop. The kids get filet mignon and chicken strips. I have had the fried rice lots of times, its very good. Get a Mai Tai! Here are some pics from meals we've had there.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1031541

 

[Simbee3]

We eat at Tchoup Chop often. The last time was 3 month ago and the next time will be next week. The food, service and atmosphere is excellent. I usually have my waiter pick my meal and have never been disapointed. Most times its a special. My husband loves the pork chop. The kids get filet mignon and chicken strips. I have had the fried rice lots of times, its very good. Get a Mai Tai! Here are some pics from meals we've had there.

http://disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1031541

Thanks so much. The pictures on the thread look wonderful. I am getting more and more excited about trying this one out.

Do they have a chef's table there? And is there a dress code for the restaurant?

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Once again, I'll be the dissenter. We've eaten at Emerils several times, & Tchoup Chop twice. So far, we've never had anything less than wonderful at Emerils, & nothing good at TC. The lone exception was the filet at TC. Our son ordered it on our last visit, & thought it was great. We may give TC one more try on our next visit & all order that. I really do want to like it, because I love Emeril's other restaurants. We're still in search of an appetizer & dessert that we like there. We'll definitely be going to Emerils @ CW again.

As a side note, I've noticed a direct correlation between a good review of TC & alcohol. Maybe, we should order a mai tai as a starter. After that, it's all good.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

I came across this review that compares the two. Its a great read!
http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1131845&referrerid=&highlight=Tchoup+Chop+Chef+Table
Attire is casual.
Attire: We recommend business casual attire. However, smart-casual attire is completely acceptable. We ask that the gentleman not wear sleeveless shirts.

I believe I have read reviews from people that have dined at The Chef's table at Tchoup Chop. I havent so I'm not positive. Give a call and ask.
Phone Number: 407.503.2467


tarheelmjfan, I'm still sad you had 2 undesirable meals at Tchoup Chop. Maybe we can dine there together some time! Like you said we'll start with Mai Tai's We decided to give Emeril's at CW another shot at lunch this coming trip. I will report back!

 

[calgarygary]

For atmosphere, it's hands down Tchoup Chop. When we ate at Emeril's last Aug., we found the first few courses disappointing but the last half of the meal was very good. We felt that the wine pairings fell short and were maybe driven by cost rather than being truely complementary of the food. My overall opinion of Emeril's was of a restaurant trying to capitalize in the short term on the name. Tchoup Chop on the other hand was a delight for our family. We arrived in park attire for a lunch and were made to feel completely comfortable. Although their Asian influence may not be to all tastes, everyone in our family thoroughly enjoyed their meals and the quality of service was great.

 

[jayster]

Both are genuine to their perspective themes. Emeril's is as close to the authentic Emeril expierence as one can get. The Food bar is great for a couple, (reserve in advance) the price fixe dinner is always a home run because you get to sample some of the top menu items and dessert for a reasonable price. I do believe there is a chefs table on the upper level, call to find out about that. Tchop Tchop was great because we stayed at the RPR and it was right downstairs. It is a pan-Asian theme, the food is quite different than Emerils. May I suggest going to www.emerils.com and looking at the menu, from there you can get a feel for the variety of choices between the two places. Compared to most resturants in the area, I can say they are pricier than most, but Emeril's is more of a "must-do expierence" than a question of budget or theme resturant. The service at both is tremendous, they cannot do enough for the customers, and they are always willing to help you choose what you want should you have trouble deciding. I believe one of the other posters had it right when they suggested that you try one for lunch, and one for dinner. You can get the best of both worlds. Hope this was som help, Enjoy your trip and give a big "BAM" when you get to Emeril's!!

 

[jewell]

We will be eating dinner at Tchoup Chop on a Wednesday evening, would it be okay for my hubby to wear a nice pair of shorts and a nice shirt---or should he bring along a pair of dress pants? I hate to pack pants just for a couple of hours if I don't have too.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

tarheelmjfan, I'm still sad you had 2 undesirable meals at Tchoup Chop. Maybe we can dine there together some time! Like you said we'll start with Mai Tai's We decided to give Emeril's at CW another shot at lunch this coming trip. I will report back!

Sounds like a plan to me. We've never tried lunch at Emeril's. I'm curious to see what you think. If you get a chance, try the Smoked Wild & Exotic Mushrooms appetizer. It's fabulous! I'd love it, if they offered it in entree size portions. I can't wait for your reviews.

 

[matysgrandma]

We will be eating dinner at Tchoup Chop on a Wednesday evening, would it be okay for my hubby to wear a nice pair of shorts and a nice shirt---or should he bring along a pair of dress pants? I hate to pack pants just for a couple of hours if I don't have too.

We just ate there Saturday night, and DH wore a nice shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. That was fine.
If at all possible, request to eat at the food bar. We LOVE doing that. I think there's certain times, maybe 5:30, 7:30. You could call the restaurant, but it is the BEST experience, hands down!!!! We love talking to the chef. In fact, at the end of our meal, he handed hubby his card and told DH to call him directly the next time we're visiting and he'll handle everything. PRETTY COOL!!!

 

[Simbee3]

Thanks so much everyone. The suggestions and reviews are great

 

[jewell]

We just ate there Saturday night, and DH wore a nice shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. That was fine.
If at all possible, request to eat at the food bar. We LOVE doing that. I think there's certain times, maybe 5:30, 7:30. You could call the restaurant, but it is the BEST experience, hands down!!!! We love talking to the chef. In fact, at the end of our meal, he handed hubby his card and told DH to call him directly the next time we're visiting and he'll handle everything. PRETTY COOL!!!

Thanks for the tip, we will have three kids with us, my DS age 13, and my two nieces ages 11 and 9. Would the food bar be okay for them too? They are well behaved, and my 13 year old is a fan of Emeril's (of course we know he won't be there) and he loves to talk to adults (probably because he is an only child)! I've already made the reservation for August 14 at 5:30, when I call in to confirm two days before could I then request the food bar?

 

[fishhead]

Does Emeril ever show up at any of these resteraunts? He is one of my heros and I would like to meet him

 

[Simbee3]

Does Emeril ever show up at any of these resteraunts? He is one of my heros and I would like to meet him

I would love to know the answer to this question too! My children absolutely love him and have asked me the very same thing.

Well, I just made my reservations on Opentable.com for both restaurants. I wanted to make sure we would be able to get in. We will be on vacation so I think that we can splurge a little while we are there. After reading the reviews I am very excited about both but am really excited about Tchop Tchop. Let's see if the food could really stand up to the reviews.

Now if we (I mean I because my DH could care less) could only decide on an onsite resort all would be good in my world.

 

[Fan2CSkr]

Does Emeril ever show up at any of these resteraunts? He is one of my heros and I would like to meet him

He visits a few times a year. We have yet to catch him there. When we were there in February we asked when he was last there and they said, he was there in January. It would be cool to see him there. I think I have a better shot at seeing him here in NY.