Emeril's Florida Episodes
Coming to America
Emeril Lagasse visits with three chefs who were born in foreign countries who now own successful restaurants in Florida. The first stop is with a sushi chef from Vietnam; the next is a Moroccan native who trained in France and Norway before coming to Florida. The third stop is with a German-born chef who now runs one of the top-rated French restaurants in the state. Emeril ends the episode by preparing one of his favorite dishes, Sambal Shrimp.
Big Night Out
Emeril Lagasse visits three restaurants to consider when you're looking to have a big night out for a birthday, anniversary, business meeting or other important evening. His first stop is the award-winning Italian restaurant Casa D'Angelo Ristorante in Ft. Lauderdale. Then he heads to Sarasota on the Gulf Coast of Florida to visit "Michael's on East" another highly awarded, long-time favorite in the state. Emeril then visits Salt, the signature restaurant at the Ritz Carlton, Amelia Island, which has been one of the top rated resorts in in the country for a number of years. For Emeril's cooking segment he's preparing a dish of Corn Cakes with Florida Caviar and Chive Crema.
Space Coast
Emeril Lagasse travels to Florida's Space Coast on the east coast of the state. He begins in Cocoa Village at Cafe Margaux, arguably the best restaurant in the Space Coast area. Cafe Margaux serves bistro fare and has been the place to go in the Cocoa area for fine dining for almost 25 years. His next stop is The Fat Snook in Cocoa Beach, a family-owned casual beachside restaurant where the owners have a passion for fresh, local seafood, top quality seasonal ingredients and hand selected boutique-style wines and craft beers from across the world. His third stop is Cafe Coconut Cove in Melbourne. It's another family-owned restaurant but the owners moved here from Germany in 1985 and opened the restaurant in 1987 serving up authentic German cuisine and craft beers. Emeril's cooking segment rounds out the episode with fresh, local seafood on the menu -- Florida Lobster with Pappardelle.
South Florida Favorites
Emeril travels to the southern part of the state to visit some of his favorite food establishments he's found over the years traveling throughout South Florida. He starts on Miami Beach where he visits "Pubbelly," one of the hottest restaurants and the first Asian-style Gastropub in the Miami area. Next, Emeril heads to Florida City to "Robert is Here," a famous exotic tropical fruit stand that was started over 50 years ago when the owner/founder was just 6 years old. Emeril then travels to the Florida Keys for at stop at the historic Cheeca Lodge and their signature restaurant "Atlantic's Edge." Emeril finishes up with one of his favorite Florida seafood dishes, Yellowtail Snapper with a Classic Meuniere Sauce.
Orlando
Emeril travels to Orlando, one of the great visitor destinations in the world. He begins his visit at newly opened Four Season Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World with a stop at "Capa" their signature rooftop restaurant overlooking the Disney property. He'll sample some of the Spanish influenced dishes with Chef Tim Dacey. Next, Emeril travels to Winter Park for a stop at "Scratch" restaurant. "Scratch" is a modern American tapas restaurant featuring craft beers and microbrews and small production wineries. Then Emeril travels to "East End Market" a food hub in the city that serves as an incubator for farmers and food artisans who want to start or expand their businesses. Emeril will visit with a cheese storeowner, a craft coffee shop owner and a 7 seat Japanese eatery that's one of the hardest places to get a reservation in the entire city. Emeril ends the episode preparing another of his Florida seafood favorites, Potato and Florida Lobster Croquette.
Waterfront Favorites
Emeril travels to three of his favorite waterfront restaurants in the state. His first stop is Tampa at the newly opened "Ulele" on the Hillsborough River. The restaurant cost $8 million to build and the building and the menu is inspired by Native American and Florida history and also has a brewery on property. Then Emeril travels to Jacksonville Beach to visit "Marker 32". Located in a marina "Marker 32" is a highly rated, long-time favorite in the area serving fresh, local Florida seafood. Emeril then travels to Miami Beach to "Monty's Sunset", a relaxed, waterside restaurant and bar with simple, fresh food and raw offerings that Emeril has visited and enjoyed many times before. Fresh Florida seafood is again the order of the day and in the final segment Emeril prepares another of his favorites, Marinated Carb Claws.
Out on the Town
Emeril travels to hotspots that are located in downtown areas where you can start or end your evenings. The first stop is "Meat Market" in the heart of South Beach. It's the quintessential Miami hotspot, with glamorous appointments and even more glamorous people. The food is all high quality...from ingredients to presentation...and it's a great place to showcase 'South Beach' cuisine. Next Emeril heads to downtown St. Petersburg to "The Birchwood Hotel" that's home to two popular hotspots for creative and elegant dining as well as rooftop drinks and events. Then Emeril travels to fast-growing downtown West Palm Beach on Florida's east coast to "Hullabaloo" an Italian gastropub with twists on Italian classics paired with craft beers, wines and cocktails. For the final segment Emeril prepares another fresh Florida seafood dish, Florida Crab and Corn Cheesecake.
Naples
Emeril travels to southwest Gulf coast of Florida to explore the rising culinary scene Naples. On his first stops Emeril goes Italian at "Osteria Tulia", one of the hottest restaurants in the Naples area. Emeril's next stop is "Mereday's Fine Dining", a waterfront restaurant serving contemporary cuisine based on the freshest, seasonal and finest available ingredients. His last stop is "Pinchers Crab Shack" which is best known for their stone crab but also is recognized for having the freshest fish in the Southwest Florida. Emeril finishes the episode by preparing another of his Florida seafood favorites, Crab Louie Salad with Florida Greens.
Farm to Table
Emeril focuses on the "Farm to Table" movement in Florida. His first stop is at "The Floridian" in downtown St. Augustine. There, the owners are working hard to be as farm-to-table as possible. The chef has a farming background and actually ran a farmers market prior to opening the restaurant and tries to use those experiences to help stay true to the restaurant's philosophy. Next, Emeril travels to Boca Raton to a restaurant big on local sourcing and securing most ingredients from local fisherman and farmers. Then Emeril heads to Miami where he visits an urban farm located right near Miami International Airport. The farm mostly grows herbs and also serves as a place city-based school children can come to learn about where their food comes from. Emeril finishes the episode by preparing a farm to table dish of his own, Lettuce Wraps with Tuna, Ponzu, Jalapeno and Sriracha.
South Walton
Emeril travels to South Walton in the Florida Panhandle. The first stop is "The Bay" a restaurant owned by local chef favorite, Jim Shirley. His menu features Southern Gulf Coast cuisine, sushi, craft beers and crafted cocktails. Next is "Vin'tij Wine Boutique & Bistro" which features an eclectic menu with one of the best wine lists you'll find in a small restaurant. Then Emeril takes a tour of the many events held in South Walton throughout the year including a wine & food festival, a fashion week, road races, a film festival and a beer fest. Emeril finishes up the episode grilling at a Gulf-front home a red snapper he caught for a fresh and healthy salad.
Family Owned & Operated
Emeril visits restaurants and a farm that are all family owned and operated. His first stop is Key Largo in South Florida. There you'll meet a family that decided to move to Florida and open a restaurant even though they had never been in the restaurant business. It wasn't easy but they made it work and now they have a thriving business and they're known for their conch fritters. Emeril's next stop is Daytona Beach and his destination is "The Cellar". It's a labor of love for the couple that own and operate it. Their hard work has paid off as "The Cellar" is acknowledged as the best Italian restaurant in the area. Some say it's the best restaurant in Daytona Beach, period. Then Emeril heads to Homestead in South Florida to meet a mother and son that own and operate one of the best farms in the area. They both have stayed in the business to keep the legacy of her husband and his father alive. Emeril finishes up the episode by preparing one of his favorite farm to table dishes, Leek and Potato Soup.
Kissimmee
Emeril travels to Orlando's next-door neighbor, Kissimmee. He begins the "Kissimmee" episode at "Reunion Wyndham Grand Golf & Spa Resort". "Reunion" is one of the premier tourist destinations in Kissimmee, especially for golfers. It's the only place in the world with an Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicholas, and Tom Watson designed golf course on the same property. They have a pretty good restaurant on property as well. It's named "Eleven" and after touring the resort Emeril will meet with Executive Chef Etienne Jehl to sample some of his signature dishes. Emeril's next stop is the Lakeside Grill at the Bohemian Hotel in Celebration. It's a boutique hotel with and Emeril will meet with a chef he mentored at his restaurants in New Orleans. Emeril will get to sample some of the chef's signature dishes and see how he's developed over the years. Next up, Emeril will visit the top-rated, and locals favorite, Mexican restaurant in Kissimmee for some authentic Mexican food. Emeril ends the episode by preparing a dish inspired by his visits to Kissimmee, Fried Catfish Po'boys.
Veteran Owned & Operated
Emeril salutes "Veteran Owned & Operated" restaurants and craft breweries in Florida. His first stop takes him to the Space Coast on the east side of the state to a city named Malabar. There, Emeril meets Stuart Borton, a United States Army veteran, who along with his wife owns the "Yellow Dog Cafe". Next Emeril meets Ron Gamble, a Navy fighter pilot who along with other military friends opened one of the hottest craft breweries in the Jacksonville area. Next, Emeril meets Tom Rice, who is also a United States Army veteran. and owns "Magnolia Grill" a successful restaurant in Fort Walton Beach but that's only part of the story. Tom spends a great deal of time, effort and resources through his restaurant to help support military veterans and their families Emeril met with him to find out about the restaurant and sample some of the food he serves there but more importantly to find out just how much he really does for active and retired military and their families and why. Emeril ends the "Veteran Owned & Operated" episode with a tribute to his dad, who also served in the military, by preparing one of the dishes his father made when Emeril was a youngster. He calls it "Mr. John's Meatloaf".
