It’s always a pleasure to listen to someone who passionately talks about their job; and it’s always nice to know that where you choose to dine employs people that share that passion with guests. Louis Hamilton is that person and Emeril’s New Orleans Fish House at MGM Grand is that restaurant.
Lead sommelier Hamilton joined Emeril’s (it’s nearing three decades on the Strip) a few years ago and brings a wealth of knowledge in wine. He began his career more than 20 years ago working as a sommelier at restaurants at Mandalay Bay, Wynn, The Venetian and The Forum Shops at Caesars. He also earned his sake certification and is working on becoming a cicerone and an advanced sommelier. But his first love is wine. “The ability to pair food and wine together—to create a synergy of flavors,” Hamilton says, is why is loves it.
At the restaurant, Hamilton’s job includes overseeing the wine program (more than 1,200 selections), guiding guests along the wine journey during dinner, be it one quick course or a full tasting menu, and working with wine vendors to keep the collection updated. He continues to study wine when he’s not at work, fulfilling his passion for the fruit, and he’s even traveled to vineyards across the world and country, including France, Canada, California and Oregon.
But it’s not only working with wine that makes Hamilton happy to be at Emeril’s—it’s the restaurant itself, which has a long history of welcoming guests back again and again and hosting celebrities, sports stars and Vegas entertainers. “We get guests daily that have been coming for 25 years, or it’s someone’s 20th or 18th time coming here,” he says. “It’s the combination of the excellent food and the warm, thoughtful service. The fact that you never know who is going to come inside your door on any given evening makes it exciting in itself.”
Libation: Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1959
“There are many unique bottles of wine here at the Fish House that have accumulated over two decades, but one stands out as being very special for a different reason: Chateau Mouton Rothschild 1959 vintage,” Hamilton says. “The flavor is magnificent. Healthy and bright, while the nose is cedary and infused with cabernet richness. It’s got a tight but stylish structure, creamy texture, and delivers with splendid restraint. (It’s) also special because it’s the birth year of a very famous chef named Emeril.”
Benefit: Ask about how the discount works if you’re an American service veteran.
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