Emeril Lagasse to Open 'Emeril's Italian Table' at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem

BETHLEHEM, Pa., March 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- World-renowned chef and restaurateur Chef Emeril Lagasse announced today plans to open his newest restaurant, Emeril's Italian Table, at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem in Bethlehem, PA. Scheduled to open in late spring, Emeril's Italian Table will be the chef's third restaurant at the casino and entertainment destination.

Marking the Chef's first Italian restaurant, the menu will feature Emeril's creative take on rustic Italian-inspired fare including antipasti, cured meats and artisanal cheeses, fresh made pastas, wood-burning oven pizzas, fish, meat and vegetarian dishes. An adjoining cocktail and wine bar will offer a list with selections from Italy and abroad by the bottle and glass.

"Italian food was a staple in my home growing up and one of the cuisines that I've always loved," said Chef Emeril Lagasse. "Fresh, creative and delicious dishes prepared with the very best ingredients is what Italian cooking means to me and what we'll offer at Emeril's Italian Table. I'm beyond excited to introduce my first Italian restaurant at the Sands Bethlehem."

Emeril's Chop House, Lagasse's first restaurant at the Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem, opened in May 2009, offering Emeril's unique twist on traditional steakhouse standards. Burgers And More by Emeril, the chef's first-ever casual burger restaurant, and a play on his signature expression, "BAM!," opened in November 2009.

"We feel very lucky that we are opening a third restaurant with Chef Lagasse," said Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem President Robert DeSalvio. "Emeril's Italian Table, along with our new hotel, marks an important milestone in our continued expansion."

Designed by Floss Barber, Inc. of Philadelphia, Emeril's Italian Table will incorporate features which allow guests to experience the cooking process up close, including Emeril's antipasto bar, a wood-burning pizza oven and a cocktail bar with a large window into the restaurant's kitchen. The restaurant's open facade overlooks the promenade leading from the new Sands Bethlehem hotel to the nearby casino.

In addition to Emeril's Italian Table, Emeril's Chop House and Burgers And More by Emeril, Lagasse has several other restaurants at Las Vegas Sands properties, including Delmonico Steakhouse at The Venetian and Table 10 at The Palazzo, a casual New Orleans eatery with a menu that emphasizes market fresh ingredients. Lagasse's Stadium, a restaurant, sports bar and entertainment venue, also at The Palazzo, has been frequently named as one of the top sports bars in Las Vegas.

Other premier dining options at Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem include the Carnegie Deli, St. James Gate Irish Pub and Carvery, The Market – Gourmet Express and Cobalt Cafe.

For more information, visit PaSands.com.

Statements in this press release, which are not historical facts, are "forward-looking" statements that are made pursuant to the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties or other factors beyond the Company's control, which may cause material differences in actual results, performance or other expectations. These factors include, but are not limited to general economic conditions, competition, new ventures, government regulation, legalization of gaming, interest rates, future terrorist acts, insurance, and other factors detailed in the reports filed by Las Vegas Sands Corp. with the Securities and Exchange Commission

About Emeril Lagasse

Chef Emeril Lagasse is the chef/proprietor of twelve award-winning restaurants including three in New Orleans (Emeril's, NOLA and Emeril's Delmonico); four in Las Vegas (Emeril's New Orleans Fish House, Delmonico Steakhouse, Table 10 and Lagasse's Stadium); two in Orlando (Emeril's Orlando and Emeril's Tchoup Chop); one in Miami (Emeril's Miami Beach) and two in Bethlehem, PA (Emeril's Chop House and Burgers And More by Emeril). He is a national TV personality, who has hosted over 2000 shows on the Food Network, and is the food correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America in addition to shows airing on Cooking Channel and Planet Green. In May, he will launch his latest program, The Originals with Emeril, on Cooking Channel. A best-selling author, his creative approach to Creole cuisine is best summarized as "new" New Orleans cooking, also the title of his first cookbook.  Fourteen more cookbooks have followed including his most recent book Farm to Fork: Cooking Local, Cooking Fresh. In 2002, Emeril established the Emeril Lagasse Foundation to support children's art and educational programs that inspire and mentor young people. To date, the Foundation has given over $4 million to children's causes. Lagasse's restaurant company, Emeril's Homebase, is located in New Orleans and houses culinary operations, a test kitchen for recipe development, and a boutique store for his signature products. Lagasse joined the Martha Stewart family of brands in 2008; Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia (NYSE: MSO) acquired the assets related to Emeril's media and merchandising business, including television programming, cookbooks, and emerils.com website and his licensed kitchen and food products.

About Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem

Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem opened May of 2009 in Eastern Pennsylvania. Situated on the site of the historic Bethlehem Steel plant and located approximately 60 minutes from Philadelphia and the northern New Jersey suburbs, and 90 minutes from New York City, Sands Bethlehem offers over 3,000 state-of-the-art slot machines and 100 table games. Culinary offerings include Emeril's Chop House and Burgers And More By Emeril, two new signature restaurants from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse. In addition, the casino features the Carnegie Deli, St. James Gate Irish Pub and Carvery, Cobalt Cafe, and the varied offerings and cuisines of The Market Gourmet Express. It is also home to the Coil bar, Infusion lounge and Molten lounge, which features live entertainment 7 nights a week.

In addition to the 300-room hotel & over 5000 sq. ft. of meeting space opening in May 2011, The Sands Bethlehem development also consists of plans for a 200,000 square feet of shopping space for popular retailers and designers, and nearly 50,000 square feet of flexible multi-purpose space, which will allow the property to accommodate meetings, conventions, and a variety of special events.

SOURCE Sands Casino Resort Bethlehem