Before Emeril was America's sweetheart chef, he was a New Orleans star. In 1995, he opened an N.O.-style restaurant in Vegas's MGM Grand and hasn't stopped since.

After a recent redo, Emeril's continues to be a shining star in the Vegas dining scene. This place is all about seafood: A 14-foot-tall iron fish sculpture greets you when you walk in the door, mother of pearl and mussel shells are inlaid into the floor and the main bar features oyster shuckers in action. Anyone who watches his shows on The Food Network are familiar with what you'll find on the menu: Seafood and steak standards, all with a Creole twist or, rather, kicked up a notch (sorry, we couldn't help it). Some standouts: Gumbo, fried blue crab with roasted chile cakes, main lobster salad with house-cured bacon, pecan-crusted Texas redfish with shoestring potatoes and Creole-spiced ribeye roasted on a cedar plank. A word to the wise: "BAM!" jokes will not get a laugh here.