Las Vegas Weekly

June 3, 2010 · 1:44 PM

Counter Intelligence: Rick Moonen makes it to Top Chef Masters finals

By Robin Leach

Rick Moonen and his kitchen crew at 2010 Taste of the Nation at Palms Pool on June 2, 2010.

Photo: TVT

Hot off the grill! After nine brutal weeks of kitchen warfare with 19 competing chefs who were eliminated show by show, our Mandalay Bay star chef Rick Moonen has made it to the finals of Top Chef Masters. Last night on Bravo’s hit show, Rick defeated his mentor Jonathan Waxman, and next week on the 10th and final show of Season 2, he’ll face off against Marcus Samuelsson and Susur Lee.

The Quickfire Challenge last night began with the four chefs being instructed to swap recipes from one another’s cookbooks, but with only 45 minutes left on the clock, they were told to turn it into a soup! Rick’s version of a scallop, mussel and pancetta Asian-style cioppino from Susur’s cookbook didn’t win; Marcus won for the first time with his chicken soup, crispy tortilla chips and avocado goat cheese guacamole taken from Jonathan’s cookbook. Susur served up a Tunisian fish soup from Rick’s bestselling cookbook.

I watched last night’s show with Rick at his RM Seafood in Mandalay Bay, and he told me that in becoming good friends on the show with Marcus, he’ll host him here for a Top Chef dinner June 23 when he’ll be a guest visiting chef. In the elimination contest, improv comics from The Groundlings dished out three words to challenge the chefs to make a meal out of them. Rick got red, anger and bacon and made a pork loin with poached oysters and bacon. Marcus was assigned violet, pleasure and salmon -- and he won an Elimination Challenge for the first time. Bravo posted a video from that segment.

The judges voted Susur’s chocolate lust and peanut butter dessert a winner, too, and the ultimate decision came down to Rick and Jonathan for the third spot. “My heart was racing,” Rick told me. “I wanted 20 extra minutes of cooking my meal. I thought it was all over, but then I survived, and I was incredibly relieved.” Bravo also posted a video from that decision.

The finale airs Wednesday, but months before the broadcast date was set, Rick was booked at the Punta Cana resort in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and so he’ll miss the viewing party at RM Seafood. However, he’ll take his laptop and log on to Skype to talk with guests. “I wouldn’t miss that moment, even though I’ll be 3,000 miles away in the Caribbean,” he laughed, refusing to hint at the outcome.

So call and reserve a place at the party. Talk with his son Chris Moonen, who is following in his father’s footsteps, as he’s RM Seafood’s dining room manager four days a week. “I said I’d never work for my father, but he’s the best in the business, so there’s nobody better to learn it all from,” Chris said.

TASTE OF THE NATION AT PALMS

It was a doubly busy night for Rick because he was one of many chefs participating in Taste of the Nation’s fight against childhood hunger held at the Palms. In all, 35 restaurants with 175 chefs prepared signature dishes for guests.

Organizing chef Carlos Guia of The Country Club at the Wynn told me: “Each year it keeps getting a little greater. This is our 17th in Las Vegas but the first year at the Palms. The response from participating chefs this year was so great, we had to do it in both the pool of the Palms and on the three levels of Rain. Last year, we raised $40,000 for the Three Square food bank, and we hope to beat that this year.”

Carlos served the hit summer soup of the night, a watermelon gazpacho with crabmeat, avocados, limes and yucca crisps. Michael Mina’s restaurants served foie gras poppers. Chefs at Tao and Lavo combined forces for double the pleasure taste treats. … Peepshow star Josh Strickland spent his night off from the Planet Hollywood show to meet the chefs and support the cause. … Charlie Palmer’s dessert chef Megan Romano presented an extraordinary selection of chocolates and was kept busy autographing copies of her new bestselling pastry cookbook It’s a Sweet Life. … Valentino chef Luciano Pellegrino told me that he’s teamed with star chefs Julian Serrano of Picasso, Claude Le Tohic of Joel Robuchon, Shawn McClain of Sage and Francois Payard from Caesars Palace for a unique dinner this Saturday night. The five James Beard Award winners (Claude this year) will serve dinner as members of the Las Vegas Philharmonic play at a private residence here as a fundraiser to benefit LVP and the Beard Foundation.

Chef Martin Heierling, who oversees Sensi at Bellagio and Silk Road at Vdara, told me that first lady Michelle Obama paid her third visit to Sensi for dinner this week. President Obama brought her there on two previous trips here. Sensi has proven popular with White House occupants because just a few weeks ago, former President Bill Clinton dined there, too.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

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Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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