Las Vegas Weekly

May 20, 2010 · 12:58 PM

Susan Feniger and Rick Moonen advance on Top Chef Masters

By Robin Leach

Chef Susan Feniger at her Border Grill in Mandalay Bay on May 19, 2010.

Photo: TVT

Chef Susan Feniger of Border Grill in Mandalay Bay won both challenges on last night’s Top Chef Masters on Bravo, and the win was doubly sweet. Susan has now brought her charity winnings to $32,500 for the National Scleroderma Foundation, and more than 100 fans gave her a standing ovation at her restaurant’s patio viewing party last night. Susan’s college roommate died from the disease, and she’s supported the foundation ever since.

In the Quickfire Challenge based on animal legs, she cooked up a chicken dish from its leg and thigh in the 20-minute deadline. She won four stars, plus $2,500 for the dish served up on pilaf with Cuyban sauce. In the tailgate challenge, she was faced with an enormous Weber grill to feed a horde of football fans. Susan served carne asada tacos, and they won wows from the judges and sports fans.

A video of chef Kevin Gillespie re-creating Susan’s winning skirt steak tacos with black bean salsa and guacamole and photos from last night’s show have been posted on Bravo.

Fellow Mandalay Bay chef Rick Moonen of RM Seafood grabbed onto octopus legs when the chefs ran to a fridge together and blindly reached in to take whatever they felt. His flash fry won kudos from the judges, and he also received praise for his culinary magic with a baba ghanoush pita presentation.

Susan and Rick move on to next week’s competitions with just three others in the final fabulous five. We will preview the challenges next week and join Rick for his screening party.

I erred on my Twitter report last night -- it was Chicago chef Tony Mantuano who was dismissed and not my pal Johnathan Waxman! Apologies, but I was given incorrect information while en route to another event from Border Grill. Tony, who has cooked for President Obama at his Spiaggia and Terzo Piano in the Windy City, was pleased with his grilled pizza, but the ferocious judges condemned the crust. Johnathan scored only a half-point more for his steak tacos and told the judges that they were wrong in their remarks about the steak’s over thickness.

Susan entertained at Border Grill by serving five appetizer portions of the items she’s cooked so far on Top Chef Masters, with the exception of last week’s sloppy sea cucumber. “That’s probably the grossest thing I’ve ever seen and cooked,” she laughed. “It looked disgusting, but to be honest, it wound up actually being delicious.

“I honestly thought last week I was being kicked off. You cannot imagine how stressful it is on Top Chef Masters. I’ve done other shows, including Iron Chef, but nothing as high-pressured as this.” Our photo shows the combined Malaysian shrimp from the first-episode first-date challenge and the potato bhujia with yoghurt sauce and cilantro for the wedding challenge.

Susan, who will appear on NBC’s Today on June 24, also is over the moon this week with the eight-page layout in Oprah Winfrey’s O -- complete with recipes -- of her new L.A. restaurant Street. She hopes to eventually open a branch of it here.

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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