Emeril's Restaurant Receives 2008 Wine Spectator Grand Award

Wine Spectator magazine, the nation's leading wine resource, has named Emeril's Restaurant as a 2008 Grand Award winner - the only restaurant in Louisiana to earn the distinction.

Only 72 restaurants in the world have garnered the Grand Award honor, noted by breadth of top vintners, excellent depth in mature vintages, selection of large-format bottles, and superior organization, presentation and wine service.

"Wine has been a foundation of Emeril's since our very first service," says Eric Linquest, Vice President of Emeril's Homebase. "While we lost much of our collection back in 2005, through the hard work of our team and the support of all of our friends and vintners, we're proud to gain the recognition of Wine Spectator and be part of the new age of great dining in this city."

Guided by Emeril's sommelier Steve Russett, the wine list is renowned for its depth and balance, providing the diversity to pair several wines with any of Chef de Cuisine David Slater's preparations. The list spans over 1525 selections, with many from California, Burgundy, Rhone, Bordeaux, Germany and Austria. There are 325 bottles priced below $100, over 100 below $50 and 24 selections available by the glass.

Russett says "The biggest challenge we had rebuilding the list was getting wine back into the city. Our guests always showed a strong interest in our older bottlings, and once we started to acquire more Grand Cru Burgundy and older Bordeaux, we were able to rebuild our portfolio pretty quickly."

Emeril's is open for lunch Monday-Friday from 11:30am-2:00pm and dinner Monday-Sunday from 6:00pm-10:00pm. Located at 800 Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans, complimentary valet parking is available in front of the restaurant. For lunch or dinner reservations, please call 504-528-9393 or visit emerils.com.