When you dine at a restaurant that's located within the Sands casino, it's a whole different kind of experience. And that's not just because you dine among the backdrop of chiming slot machines, the entertaining array of humanity on display or the intentionally disorienting nature of the casino floor itself. It's because you have entered an environment that's so out of the ordinary, so elevated and unusual, the dining absolutely must match it. Bar none. And that's one of many reasons why casinos want boldface, marquee names—and why those names and personalities continue to work with them. One of those names is celebrated chef Emeril Lagasse.
Not everyone who comes to the Sands comes solely for the restaurants—although many do. However, if you plan on hanging out long enough to spend money and stay at the hotel for a few days, you are going to be enticed by reliable options—you know who Emeril Lagasse is and what he's about—but you also may want a wow factor. What if you hit it big and want to splurge? Again, that brand name comes in handy.
“The Italian Table was a staple; it had quite a good following for five years,” says Victor Bock, executive chef at the Sands. When it became clear that the Sands was going to nab Buddy Valastro, a.k.a. the Cake Boss, to open an Italian concept called Buddy V's Ristorante, they saw an opening. “This gave us an opportunity and Emeril had this concept already. It was almost a no-brainer,” says Julia Corwin, director of brand marketing at the Sands. “Plus, we wanted another alternative for our high-end players who love the Chop House,” says Bock.
At a quick glance, you might not realize there's been a change. Certainly, some folks continue to walk in confused by the lack of Italian fare on the menu. That's because the restaurant's décor remains the same, for now—a full facelift is scheduled to take place in January, according to general manager Gregg Johnson. (Think plantation shutters and giant fans.) Bock and his team only had about two weeks to “flip” the restaurant and turn it into something new. Thankfully, the Fish House already exists in the Emeril restaurant universe, which gave them an established menu to work with.
It's not as easy as just copying and pasting. What works in Vegas, a destination full of tourists, may not necessarily be desirable in Bethlehem. Naturally, Bock says they tweaked the menu to appeal to the tastes of both the locals and casino regulars who come from places like New York and New Jersey. You'll find familiar, regional staples such as crab cakes, creamed corn that's so rich you'll think it's loaded with cheese (nope! That's heavy cream's job), along with a raw bar that's gaining some buzz. Devotees of the Italian Table
might recognize the calamari dish and the grilled octopus salad with fingerlings and arugula; these seafood dishes were very popular, so the folks at the Fish House saw no reason to take them off the menu. “We've been thinking about this for the past year, looking at the Italian Table menu. Those items have a really strong local following,” says Bock.
All that time meant everyone on the team could adjust to new tasks and develop into a new flow. “We also got used to shucking,” says Johnson, with a chuckle.
Until that early 2017 facelift, the Fish House has smartly repurposed many of its elements. What's currently the raw bar used to be the dessert bar; the “fish in a bag” comes out of what was formerly the pizza oven, as does the roasted barbecued salmon and the wood-oven baked clams. Unfortunately, that “fish in a bag” sports a name so plebeian, it doesn't really reflect its deliciousness. Expect striped bass, which isgently steamed inside parchment that's then vented right before it's served (so no one gets 600-degree steam in their face upon opening it), accompanied by heirloom carrots, Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes, along with preserved lemon, herbs and Fresno chili pepper.
You might assume the dishes are going to have a Cajun-Creole flair to them and singe your tongue. Well, not quite. “People ask all the time if the food is spicy. We like to say it's bold, full-flavored, refined food,” says Bock. The fish dish is an example of that—it's a classic flavor profile, right down to the lemon-butter sauce (in this case, limoncello), but the chiles add a little twist. There's another fish-house concept restaurant in Las Vegas at the MGM Grand, and that sports the name New Orleans Fish House. “This is a slightly different take, but it encompasses the flavors he's so known for,” says Corwin.
The big hits include the whole lobster, a surprise to most everyone so far. “They have sold very well. Customers have been asking for lobster bibs,” says Johnson. (It's a keen marketing move: Keep an eye out for branded lobster bibs at the Fish House.)
With the concept change, it's presented opportunities for other shifts, too. The service experience has been an adjustment for the staff. “We kicked up the service a notch—we're not doing single service anymore, but team service,” Johnson explains. Instead of one server attending to your needs, there will be a team of two. “This is more like his style. It's usually teams of two or three at Emeril's restaurants,” he says.
The team at the Fish House does possess a fair degree of trust and autonomy from Lagasse. It'd be more challenging, for sure, if it worked any other way. “They trust us to serve the market the way it should be served. They have given us leeway to make informed decisions,” says Corwin.
“We're not going to be selling alligator meatballs,” says Bock, referring to the “other” Fish House's menu. “That just wouldn't work around here,” he says.
That trust is particularly evident at the bar, whose cocktail menu was designed by Jason Lonigro. Locals may recognize his name; he made a mark with an encyclopedic bourbon list at the Hamilton Kitchen in Allentown, and returned to the Chop House to work as general manager after moving up to the region from New Orleans in 2009 for the very same job. The Pearish Mule is an early favorite, with Absolut pears, St. Germain liqueur, lime and ginger beer. Johnson says the Alligator Hunter, with a “secret blend” of rums, along with tamarind, pineapple and lime, is also popular, and there's definitely a curiosity factor with the Chicory Old-Fashioned—Maker's Mark 46, chicory liqueur, Angostura and orange bitters.
As for the kitchen and its autonomy, Corwin continues, raving about their chef de cuisine, Xolani Dlamini, whom they refer to simply as “Lani.” People are loving the lobster rolls, fish tacos and tuna poké. Specials and features are evolving and the kitchen is continuously getting into a groove with the current menu. Sometimes the kitchen is presented with opportunities that require quick decisions, and thankfully, the Fish House is well poised for that. For example, there are many kinds of fish and seafood that become available and only stay available for a very short window. Soft-shell crabs are one of them. “We don't hesitate to try to create a unique experience for our guests. We will do it,” says Johnson.
A certain level of service is expected in restaurants, but when you dine within a casino, the expectations are much higher; the stakes are raised, and the whole experience is elevated. There's probably no request that they haven't seen before at a place like the Sands casino, hotel and its restaurants. You could be sitting at one restaurant, say the Chop House, and want to order something from the Fish House. It's not impossible to make that happen. So yes, that means a server from one will navigate among the masses with, say, your beloved dessert. When you consider how large that casino floor is, it's hard not to make a joke that the servers here go the extra mile for their guests, reeling them in and making them customers for life.
Emeril's Fish House
77 Sands Boulevard at Sands Bethlehem484.777.7777 | emerilsrestaurants.com
Hours
Sun.-Thurs. 4-10 p.m., Fri. & Sat.: 4-11 p.m.
Parking
An enormous surface lot and parking garage
Payment
Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover—you name it
Reservations
Definitely recommended for the weekends and on show nights
What to Order
Fish tacos and Maine lobster roll are popular items, along with the tuna poké, which is cleverly served in a vessel resembling a fish bowl; creamed corn. Whole lobster is a big hit, too. People also apparently order dessert really regularly here—Emeril's banana cream pie, with caramel and shaved chocolate, draws raves.
