Miami Beach, FL (October 16, 2003) - Chef Emeril Lagasse announced today that Emeril’s Miami Beach is scheduled to open to the public on Monday, November 3. The new restaurant is located at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel, 1601 Collins Avenue. Emeril’s Miami Beach is now taking reservations for lunch and dinner (305) 695-4550. Lunch hours are Monday-Sunday from 11:30 am-2:00 pm (Lunch will begin the week of November 10). Dinner will be served Sunday-Thursday from 5:30 pm-10:00 pm, and Friday-Saturday from 5:30 pm-11:00 pm.

Like at Lagasse’s flagship restaurant, Emeril’s in New Orleans, the menu features what Lagasse calls ‘new’ New Orleans cuisine, which includes the history and richness of Creole cuisine with the addition of progressive, cultural and seasonal influences. Emeril’s signature dishes include New Orleans Barbecue Shrimp with a Petite Rosemary Biscuit; Niman Ranch Double-Cut Pork Chop with Tamarind Glaze, Carmelized Sweet Potatoes and Green Chili Mole Sauce; and Banana Cream Pie with Banana Crust, Caramel Sauce and Chocolate Shavings. Emeril’s Miami Beach will also feature an extensive wine program, beginning with 350-400 selections.

Upper management at Emeril’s Atlanta includes Thomas Azar, Chef de Cuisine; Fred Sutherland, General Manager; and David Mokha, Sommelier. Chef Thomas Azar has worked with Lagasse for over ten years. Most recently he was the Executive Sous Chef at Emeril’s Orlando. General Manager Fred Sutherland joined the company over seven years ago and was most recently the General Manager at Lagasse’s second restaurant, NOLA in New Orleans. Sommelier David Mokha is a new addition to the team. He most recently served as Sommelier at Casa Tua.

The new restaurant was designed by the Rockwell Group of New York City. The restaurant includes signature touches that the Rockwell Group and Lagasse have developed, while paying homage to the architectural grandeur and significance of the unique historical art deco property. Emeril’s Miami Beach will occupy a ground floor space of approximately 8,000 square feet and will seat 180 patrons in the dining room, 40 in the exterior café, 10 at the chef’s food bar, and 10 at the bar.

Chef Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of nine restaurants including three in New Orleans (Emeril’s Restaurant, NOLA and Emeril’s Delmonico); two in Las Vegas (Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House and Delmonico Steakhouse); two in Orlando (Emeril’s Orlando and Emeril’s Tchoup Chop); one in Atlanta (Emeril’s Atlanta) and one in Miami (Emeril’s Miami Beach) scheduled to open in November 2003. Lagasse became a national TV personality with the Food Network’s production of “The Essence of Emeril” and “Emeril Live.” In addition, Lagasse is also Food Correspondent for ABC’s “Good Morning America.” An established cookbook author, Chef Emeril Lagasse has written eight books including Emeril’s New New Orleans Cooking, Louisiana Real and Rustic, Emeril’s Creole Christmas, Emeril’s TV Dinners, Every Day’s A Party, Primetime Emeril, the kids’ cookbook, Emeril’s There’s A Chef in My Soup! and From Emeril’s Kitchens which was released on October 14, 2003. As of July 2003, over 3.5 million copies of his books have been sold. In September 2002, Emeril established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support and encourage programs creating developmental and educational opportunities for children. Lagasse’s corporate office, Emeril’s Homebase, is located in New Orleans. Emeril’s Homebase houses Lagasse’s restaurant operations, as well as cookbook and recipe development and testing, product shipping, the emerils.com website, and a store front for Lagasse’s signature products.

Loews Hotels currently owns and/or operates 18 hotels and resorts in the U.S. and Canada. The company has recently opened six new properties, with two more in various stages of development. These include the first ever House of Blues Hotel, a Loews Hotel, a 367-room property located in Chicago’s Marina City that opened in October 1998, and the opening of the 800-room Loews Miami Beach Hotel in December 1998. In April of 2000, Loews opened the 585-room Loews Philadelphia Hotel, a conversion of the landmark PSFS building. And, as part of a joint venture with Universal, Inc. and the Rank Organisation, Loews Hotels has opened three hotels located at Universal Orlando. The 750-room Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando, a Loews Hotel, opened in September 1999 and the 650-room Hard Rock Hotel at Universal Orlando opened in January of 2001. The 1,000-room Royal Pacific Resort at Universal Orlando, a Loews Hotel opened in June 2002. Scheduled to open in 2003 is the 285-room Loews New Orleans Hotel, a conversion of an office building located across the street from the city’s only casino and a short walk from the French Quarter and the New Orleans Convention Center. In addition to developing new hotels, Loews added another property to the chain in December 2000 by assuming management of the historic Jefferson Hotel in Washington, DC. For reservations or more information on Loews Hotels, call 1-800-23-LOEWS or check HYPERLINK http://www.loewshotels.com www.loewshotels.com.
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