Emeril's Gulfcoast Fish House--somewhat a disappointment
Our first experience at an Emeril's restaurant left us a little disappointed. Six of us dined at Emeril's restaurant in the Island View Casino in Gulfport on 11/23/07. The waitstaff was extremely cordial and humorous and the rolls and sweet cornbread brought to us in the beginning were very delicious. Two of us ordered "Turduckan" gumbo (turkey, duck, chicken combo)and it was tasty and rather spicy. One ordered butternut squash puree soup and it was quite bland. Salt and pepper needed to be added to it to make it interesting enough to continue eating.

No one ordered salads.

For entrees:

Diner #1 ordered the Boudin Sausage Stuffed Local Quail with Southern Cooked Greens, Whipped Sweet Potatoes and Country Gravy. The quail was not as succelent and moist as expected, but more on the dry side. Diner rated this entree 2/5 stars. Cost: Around $30

Diner #2: Sweet Barbecue Glazed Salmon with Audouille Sausage Potato Hash and Onion Marmalade--was not particularly enthused with the dish, just enjoyed it moderately. Rated this entree 2/5 stars. Cost: Around $30

Diner #3: Grilled Filet Mignon smothered with Mushrooms, Bacon, Potatoes, Green Beans and Red Wine Demi Glace--Filet was overcooked and not tender. Asked for it to be medium well-a little pink. It came brown all the way through. Chargrilled flavor was noted, but no other flavors could be attributed to this dish. Salt and pepper needed to be added. This Diner rarely adds these condiments. Green beans were farely tasty, but potatoes were very bland and seasonless. Mushrooms did not have taste either. Diner rated this dish 1/5 stars.
Cost: $38

Diner #4: Baked Flounder Stuffed with Crabmeat--fish was "mushy" and flavorless. Diner did not enjoy meal at all. 0/5 stars Cost: Around $30

Diner #5 and #6: Special of the Evening was full Maine Lobster (just flown in) with a grilled ribeye on garlic mashed potatoes with thinly-sliced onion rings and green beans.

The meal surprisingly came with good-sized crabcakes that were well-seasoned, although very unexpected. The lobster hung over both sides of the plate. It was very sweet and tender. Ribeye was tender and had a strong chargrilled taste. Veggies were good, although potatoes were on the bland side.

Rating: 4/5 stars for taste

Cost:
Both diners thoroughly enjoyed their lobster, steak, and crabcakes, but the market/special price was not mentioned by our waiter in the beginning and the price was not printed anywhere on the menu. Although everyone in our party understood it would be an expensive entree (figuring no more than $80 a plate), NO ONE expected the entree to be $160 per plate!! Grossly overpriced by far! The total bill for 7 people ended up being $700 (including a $57 bottle of Reisling and 6 Bud Lights).

Overall the experience was not a very exciting, delectable one much to our dismay. We no longer have a desire to visit other Emeril's restaurants. Granted, the chefs are different at each restaurant, as well as the menus, but we were "turned-off" by our experience.

And the most unusual thing was that for a $700 meal, we got to sit there and eat it in blue jeans!!!    [24 Nov 2007 20:19:08]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: Lobster, but not if you're not willing to pay $160!

     ­ksullyj   

Delicious
My wife and I were on a drive last Friday night with the idea of eventually ending up somewhere to eat a nice dinner, and we settled on Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House since we had never been there before. Contrasting with the party above, our experience was just as we expected, that being superb. We did not have a reservation but they were able to arrange a table for the two of us within a few minutes. I was initially concerned about the noise level because the restaurant is adjacent to the large casino floor and there is quite a cacophony of noise, but there are glass walls at the restaurant entrance and once we were seated at our table the sound level was perfectly acceptable.

Here's what we ordered:

Appetizers:
Barbecued Shrimp
Baked Oysters

Entree:
Oyster "PoBoy" Salad
Emeril's 5-day Duck

Emeril's BBQ shimp is different from typical New Orleans-style BBQ shimp because the shrimp area already peeled. But the flavor is even more intense and we both welcomed not having to don a bib in order to eat them. The baked oysters were great and were baked and served in a custom cast iron pan. The 5-day duck was delicious served over polenta with goat cheese and sauce.

I had two glasses of wine and my wife had two virgin mojitos as a special request. The service was very attentive and polished as you would expect in an Emeril Lagasse restaurant.

Our total tab sans tip was $92, which I found to be quite reasonable. This meal was as good as any I have had on the Mississsippi Gulf Coast. To boot, Vrazels Restaurant is right across the street so right here are two of the best dining options on the Gulf Coast.
   [02 May 2008 22:32:27]

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     ­Anonymous