Delmonico Steakhouse
Emeril's take on the Vegas steak house puts wine front and center

When Emeril Lagasse opened Delmonico Steakhouse, his second Las Vegas restaurant, in 1999, wine director Kevin Vogt envisioned a wine list with 600 to 800 selections. But that soon proved inadequate.

"I couldn't keep the good stuff in stock," Vogt says. "I had to expand the list to satisfy the demand."

Today, Delmonico offers 1,600 wine selections, based on an inventory of 14,500 bottles. "We'll probably peak at about 1,800 selections," Vogt predicts. "I don't have a budget. Emeril saw that when I bought more wine, I sold more wine." Vogt, 42, reports that Delmonico customers uncorked more than 46,000 bottles in 2003.

Perhaps it's the power of suggestion. Wine is ubiquitous in the restaurant, from the glass-walled cellar at the entrance to its function as a design accent in the cool, contemporary dining room, a series of open areas unified by vaulted ceilings, muted colors and comfortable leather chairs. Or maybe it's the pricing. The list offers more than 200 selections at $50 or less, with more than 600 at less than $100; customers spend an average of $90 per bottle in the restaurant.

But most likely it's the seamless way Vogt and his sommelier, J.D. Moots, match wines with the hearty, New Orleans-inspired food.

"In a steak house in Las Vegas, California Cabernet is where people look first," Vogt says, adding that this category represents 40 percent of the restaurant's wine sales. There are more than 300 listed, including a vertical of Shafer Hillside Select back to 1990 ($500), and cults such as Harlan Estate and Dalla Valle Maya.

Even customers who aren't looking for Cabernet tend to stay in California, according to Vogt. He keeps on hand Pinot Noirs from Martinelli, Kistler, Williams Selyem and Siduri (plus 34 from Oregon), more than a dozen different Turley Zinfandels, and a selection of Syrahs that includes a vertical from Araujo back to 1996 ($250).

Australia is the second most popular region for red wine. The selections range from Barossa Shiraz (a 1996 Henschke Hill of Grace is $450) to Tasmanian Pinot Noir (a Ninth Island 2003 is $40). For classicists, the deep Bordeaux offering includes a dozen vintages of Mouton-Rothschild back to 1959 ($3,500) and, for diners who have hit the jackpot, three wines from 1900: Margaux, Yquem and Pétrus ($15,950).

Big red wines make terrific matches with Delmonico's house-aged prime beef. The signature cut is an extraordinary bone-in rib steak, but there are plenty of other options. Chef de cuisine Dana D'Anzi is a master at cooking the meat to exactly the degree of doneness requested by the customer.

Lagasse's down-home influence is evident in dishes such as pan-fried oysters Bienville and barbecued salmon served with andouille sausage. They make fine partners with the extensive white wine offerings. These range widely, from a comprehensive collection of California Chardonnays to half a dozen New Zealand Sauvignon Blancs (all $45 or less) and nearly 50 German Rieslings.

On a busy Friday night, the restaurant is jumping, but never feels chaotic thanks to an army of professional yet friendly servers. One table orders Merlot by the glass, while another watches Vogt decant a 1970 La Mission-Haut-Brion. The restaurant's ambience, grown-up yet never intimidating, manages to make everyone feel at home.

Lagasse has created a family of restaurants that embody his energy and hospitality. He is passionate about wine but never allows it to distract from the fun of eating out. Vogt and his team embody that philosophy, and in only five years have made Delmonico one of the top wine destinations in Las Vegas.

-- Thomas Matthews