Feel the Love

Emeril Lagasse’s new restaurant is an ode to his mother—and a look forward to the next generation.

- By Susmita Baral

THE NAME EMERIL LAGASSE is synonymous with New Orleans. He was the executive chef of the legendary Commander’s Palace, opened Emeril’s in the Warehouse District in 1990, and, through his popular TV shows Essence of Emeril and Emeril Live, introduced America to Cajun and Creole recipes.

His latest project, 34 Restaurant & Bar (entrées $34–$50), is a detour from the Louisiana cooking that has defined much of his career; instead, it celebrates his Portuguese roots. The chef was raised in Fall River, Massachusetts, an area that is home to the largest concentration of Portuguese Americans in the United States. He learned about the country’s cuisine from his mother, Hilda, who grew up in the Azores.

“The influence of Portuguese culture, my environment, and my mom—that’s the foundation of what I am today,” Lagasse says.

The new 245-seat restaurant, just a few blocks from NOLA’s Lafayette Square, offers elevated takes on classics like