Culinary Inspiration from "Top Chef"

It’s getting down to the wire on Top Chef, Bravo TV’s cooking competition reality show, and an ongoing source of inspiration for foodie travelers. In tonight’s episode, the four remaining contestants will leave New York City, and head to New Orleans. But before they made that trip, they had a meal at Perilla, the restaurant owned by Harold Dieterle, the winner of the show’s first season. This cozy and romantic restaurant in New York’s Greenwich Village is definitely worth a dinner visit for foodies visiting the city -- if only to sample the spicy duck meatballs, served with mini cavatelli, water spinach and a quail egg.

When the cast arrives in New Orleans-- where Mardi Gras season is already underway-- none other than Emeril Lagasse will be guest judging. New Orleans is where Lagasse got his start in the food business, and he still has three restaurants in The Big Easy: NOLA, Emeril’s Delmonico and Emeril’s New Orleans.

Emeril also has restaurants in Orlando, Miami Beach, and Gulfport, Miss., but the only other city that equals his presence in New Orleans? Las Vegas, where Emeril supervises Delmonico, Table 10 and New Orleans Fishhouse. That's a natural second base of operations for Emeril, as celebrity chefs tend to be attracted to the cutting-edge food scene in Vegas.