Emeril's Tchoup Chop

Emeril Lagasse is the go to celebrity chef for the Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. I visited Tchoup Chop, pronounced chop chop, on a New Year's trip to Orlando. Tchoup Chop is located at the Royal Pacific Resort, one of the three Loews hotels located on Universal property. We were staying at their sister hotel, the Portofino Bay Hotel. The Royal Pacific has Hawaiin decor, but since it is a Loews property it is very tastefully done. My daughter, who was 4 at the time, and I had a New Year's Eve reservation for two. The look of the restuarant is very striking when you enter. It has an island feel but on a very sophisticated level. The menu is Asian-Hawaiin fusion and while some of it, like the dumplings were pretty generic, other dishes were much more successful, specifically the main plates of pork tenderloin and beef short ribs. The service was top notch and since we, or I, was having champagne with dinner, we were visited by both the sommelier and the manager. I loved the bold flavorings and attentive service at Tchoup Chop and I hope to be back again soon.

Tchoup Chop, Emeril's Other Orlando Area Restaurant, is a little easier to get in than plain old Emeril's and has a lot more Seoul too. Hidden away in the lower levels of the Royal Pacific Resort hotel in Orlando, Tchoup Chop now opens at 5:15pm, making it extremely easy to get a table off OpenTable.com even on extremely short notice, since most people don't know about the early opening yet.

The food is modestly priced for the level of service they provide (all tables have three waitstaff devoted to them), and quite tasty. I'd highly recommend giving Tchoup Chop a whirl if you've got a spare $100 and you like exotic cuisine.