World renowned chef Emeril Lagasse has secretly opened his very first New York City restaurant — completely under the radar.
For now, Rodos feels like your own private Greek island oasis, though it won’t stay that way for long.
Think healthy Greek fare with a splash of New Orleans decadence.
The stealth chef launched Rodos in the lobby of Chelsea’s Hotel Henri with restaurateur Yiannis Chatiris on January 8.
“Yiannis and I have known each other professionally for years and became friends,” Lagasse said. “I’ve had more than 75 offers to open in New York but nothing was right until now.”
After Lagasse and Chatiris traveled to Greece on multiple occasions, the concept for Rodos — named after the island where Chatiris is from — was born.
“I’m inspired by the food and the people of Greece,” Lagasse said. “I’m a fanatic about fish and so are the Greeks. That’s why the food there is so magical. They are surrounded by the sea and the things that come out of the sea are incredible.”
Chatiris also owns Mykonos Blue at the nearby Hotel Hayden.
But this Greek-Cajun/Creole hybrid is something different.
“In Greece, we just relax and let go,” Chatiris said, adding that they wanted to bring some of that laid-back feeling back to buttoned-up New York — but with a Louisiana twist — in a healthy, 2019 kind of way.
Chatiris remembered the first time he tried Lagasse’s gumbo, over a Thanksgiving dinner at the chef’s home. “It was fantastic, like nothing I had ever tasted before. But I almost had a heart attack,” Chatiris quipped.
The challenge was to mix the richness of Emeril’s dishes with lighter Mediterranean fare.
The menu features classic Greek food, like lavraki, grilled branzino with kritamos leaves, ladolemono and capers, along with Lagasse’s signature dishes, like Louisiana crawfish stuffed clams.
Menu standouts also include pikilia, traditional starter spreads with slight twists, like taramosalata with a cajun caviar along with traditional tzatziki and charred eggplant with tahini, tomato, pine nuts, feta and lemon.
Desserts feature a Rodos baklava, a chocolate mousse cake with Greek olive oil and sea salt; a Greek yogurt parfait with sour cherry preserves, mint and walnut; and — a nod to Lagasse’s heritage — warm Portuguese custard tarts.
Although Rodos is Lagasse’s first New York restaurant, the top chef is no stranger to the city.
As one of the Food Network’s first hires, and stars, Lagasse taught a new cable audience of food lovers how to cook.
He is still a TV personality and oversees an empire of 12 restaurants, from New Orleans to Las Vegas, Florida and Pennsylvania.
These days, Lagasse spends most of his time in the kitchen, leading his teams with corporate chef David Slater of Toronto.
“I’m focused on spending my time in the restaurants. I’m there every day, cooking, still working hard and trying to be just a little bit better every day,” Lagasse said.
https://nypost.com/2019/01/13/its-about-bam-time-emeril-lagasse-opens-nyc-restaurant/ 2019-01-13 22:24:00Z
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