“Rick Moonen Reinvents the Fine Dining Experience”

I was thrilled to attend the grand reopening party for the upstairs dining room of one of Las Vegas’ Top Chefs Rick Moonen, Executive Chef and Owner of rm Seafood, inside the Mandalay Bay Resort.  Whether upstairs or downstairs, dining at Rick’s has always been very special and now he has added so much more!   

Rick was beaming with enthusiasm as he showed me his newly decorated upstairs dining room.  I have never seen him look happier.  Rick explained, “We are putting a fun menu together, a $65 five-course prix-fixed menu which is my redefinition of fine dining.  From my perspective, dining has to be a little more whimsical, a little more interactive.  So we create dishes here at rm Seafood in the fine dining arena that makes you pause and think a little more where your food comes from.    

We have to send a message and ultimately, I hope people realize that sustainability is not that difficult to support and it tastes fantastic.  Down to my inner core, sustainability has always been a part of me.  For the last 30 years, I sang that song and now have an opportunity to really serve the courses which would be a real “experience” for people.  We as a society have lost track of that.  We are privileged, as chefs, to be able to get wild products and present them just outside the box.

Even more in the fine dining arena because it is a full ride from the very beginning with the ‘amuse’, the little tastes that are not on the menu.  Something you did not order that tantalizes your appetite and gets your palate working.  So you try the full spectrum of wines and everything you could possibly want either with the $65 prix- fixed dinners or any of the other luxury roads you want because it is all here!       

We have gone through some interesting and challenging economic times, but they are not going to continue forever.  It gave me time to pause and think about what is next.  Our pricing structure is such that anyone can really afford it.  When I say fine dining, I am talking about that old haute cuisine, the top, top of the top.  All the steps of service, the linen, the appointments, the accruements, everything is still here but the stuffiness is gone.  The pretences have dissipated because there is really no reason for it.  The Las Vegas mentality of redoing something is putting a stick of dynamite in the middle and showing it on the evening news as it implodes.  Well, no, I think I have always had a beautiful dining room so the actual physical structure has not changed much, but the lighting, colors, ambiance, everything else has gone through a soft metamorphous.  It has become more fun. 

As an adult, people ask me all the time, “Where did you grow up?”  I love to give the answer, ‘I haven’t yet and neither has the dining experience!’ There is no reason for it.” 

In addition to the party, something else was happening this evening.  Rick said, “Just as luck would have it during our celebration, Top Chef on BRAVO is airing an episode in which I just happened to be making my debut.  It is exciting!  Of course, this has been engineered to have the party on the same night.     

A lot of things are happening for me, reopening upstairs, appearing in Top Chef on BRAVO, and being invited to go to New York in a couple of weeks to possibly get the James Beard award for the “Best Chef in the Southwest”.  My life has been working toward this for 30 years.  Tonight marks the tipping point of Rick Moonen’s career.”    

The party moved into the screening room to see Rick in Top Chef.  He competed with several other top chefs and faced the judges to hear the results.  After everyone’s efforts, Rick was chosen as the second place winner to have the chance to continue vying for the championship next week.   

The servers kept bringing the food and each dish was an incredible balance of flavors and tantalizing surprises.   

For information, call 632-9300.  Now rm Seafood has a choice of two restaurants, the dining room downstairs with a full varied menu and fine dining upstairs.  www.rmseafood.com

Sandy Zimmerman is a syndicated features columnist published in Dubai, Japan, England, South America, as well as other countries and in the United States; 

She is talk show host of the Las Vegas Today Show programs and Discover the Ultimate Vacation travel specials taped on location in Las Vegas and around the world;

Celebrating 29 years as the longest running talk show host, columnist, and entertainment reviewer in Las Vegas, Sandy also covers dining reviews, travel, spas, health and lifestyles;   sandyzimm2003@yahoo.com

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