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This is one Project Dinner Table not to miss: celebrity chef Rick Moonen of Rick Moonen’s rm seafood at Mandalay Bay will prepare the signature six course dinner. The event will take place Saturday, Oct. 30. The second to final dinner of the 2010 season will begin at 4 p.m. at Gilcrease Orchard in North Las Vegas, Nev. The dinner will also be inspired by the Halloween season, complete with fresh apple cider and hayrides. Benefitting from the dinner will be HELP of Southern Nevada. Only 150 seats are available.

Chef Moonen developed the menu with Chef Adam Sobel. Together, they will create the dinner beginning with passed canapés: potato blintz with hot smoked sturgeon and oscetra caviar; Kushi oysters with green apple mignonette, frozen horseradish and duck pastrami with poached quince and rye crumble. Following courses:
• First course: sugar pumpkin soup, peekytoe crab and toasted hazelnut
• Second course: Fuji apple salad, aged white cheddar, bitter greens and maple vinaigrette
• Third course: Whole roasted Sunburst Farms Rainbow Trout, Brussel sprouts and double smoked bacon
• Fourth course: grilled Duroc pork chops, Seckel pears, turnips and grain mustard
• Fifth course: pistachio French toast, coffee ice cream and golden raisin sauce

Project Dinner Table is the local dinner series that has taken off in popularity during its inaugural season. Since its spring debut, every single dinner has sold out, with each event donating a percentage of its proceeds to charity giving back nearly $14,000 to the community with two dinners still remaining. To date, five charities have benefited from Project Dinner Table. What also makes Project Dinner Table so special is the delicious sense of community each event brings. Every dinner is hosted in a unique location, unavailable typically to the public for dinner with each location selected based on its ability to host the event’s signature long, white dinner table seating more than 100 guests and serving dishes family style. Local chefs work with local growers and purveyors to not only create a one-night-only menu, but also to educate Las Vegans on all that is available while feasting on an organic dinner.

Gilcrease Orchard is located at 7800 N. Tenaya. Since establishing in 1977 by Ted and Bill Gilcrease, it has become known throughout the community for its “pick and pay” concept. Depending on the season, customers can pick produce right off the trees including apples, oranges, pears and squash. Gilcrease is a non-profit foundation governed by a volunteer board of trustees.

The October dinner will the second to last dinner for this year. The final dinner will take place at on Sunday, Nov. 14 at 2 p.m. with Chef Roy Ellamar from Sensi at Bellagio and supporting Teach for America to round out the season.
Based on a philanthropic passion, Project Dinner Table selects a local charity to be honored at each dinner and a donation will be presented to the charity on behalf of our guests, the chef and sponsors. The founding group of organizers includes myriad local professionals dubbed, “The Kitchen Cabinet,” further reinforcing Project Dinner Table’s sense of community. From community activists to purveyors to marketing professionals to Web designers, the committee has literally rolled up their sleeves to get Project Dinner Table off the ground.
Project Dinner Table’s 2010 season is sponsored by Nevada Beverage Company Las Vegas, Whole Foods, Bacardi and Vegas Valley Book Festival. Local partners and purveyors include; Renaissance Catering, Quail Hollow Farm, Bar 10 Beef, Bon Breads, Hy-Desert Tomato, Riverbend Farm, Colorado River Coffee Roaster, China Ranch Dates, Gilcrease Orchard, and UNCE Orchard.

Tickets are $125 per person and include dinner, entertainment, gift bags, philanthropy as well as all cocktails and coffee.

ABOUT CHEF RICK MOONEN
Chef Rick Moonen devotes his career to being the country’s top culinary advocate for sustainable seafood. A native New Yorker, Moonen graduated first in his class from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York in 1978. He apprenticed at L’Hostellerie Bressane in Hillsdale, New York where he built both his confidence and experience working side by side with Chef Jean Morel. From there, Moonen assumed the position of saucier at Manhattan’s La Cote Basque. This experience was followed by two years at Le Cirque working with the legendary Alain Sailhac. In the ensuing years, Moonen continued his career in New York, becoming executive chef at some of New York’s most iconic restaurants, including Le Relais, Century Café and Chelsea Central before joining Buzzy O’Keefe at The Water Club.

After six years, Moonen left to become executive chef and partner at Oceana where he helped garner the restaurant national recognition and three stars from The New York Times. His next step was partnering to create Molyvos, a Greek fish house, further demonstrating the range of his culinary skills. Here he brought Greek cuisine to another level, and Molyvos was the first Greek restaurant to earn three stars from The New York Times.

After five years Moonen decided to develop his own restaurant. As executive chef and owner of New York City’s rm Moonen earned critical acclaim and once again, received three stars from The New York Times. In 2005, he was drawn to the rapidly developing culinary scene in Las Vegas and closed his doors in New York City to bring his unique flavor and specialties of the seafood world to the West Coast.

In February 2005, Chef Moonen opened his multi-level restaurant Rick Moonen’s rm seafood at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The lower level of the restaurant offers “State of the Art Sustainable Seafood” and a world-class sushi and raw bar. The upper level offers a more elegant dining experience featuring globally inspired cuisine from Chef Moonen’s fun and whimsical tasting and á la carte menus.

Since opening rm seafood, Chef Moonen has enjoyed national attention and acclaim. In 2008, Moonen accomplished a lifelong dream with the publication of his cookbook Fish Without a Doubt, a practical, hands-on guide to buying, preparing and cooking a wide array of fish. That same year, his Catfish Sloppy Joe was highlighted in Esquire magazine’s “Sandwich Encyclopedia”, prompting a guest spot on The Oprah Winfrey Show where he served the talk show queen this signature dish and earned the title of “Best Sandwich in America.” In 2009 he made a memorable appearance as a contestant on Bravo’s hit TV series Top Chef Masters, followed by a stint as a judge on Top Chef Las Vegas where his eponymous restaurant served as the location for the show’s popular “Restaurant Wars” episode – which led to an invitation to participate in the second season of Top Chef Masters where Moonen finished as runner-up – raising thousands of dollars for his charity of choice, Three Square.

When not behind the stove, Moonen can be found throughout the country educating about ocean conservation and the dangers of over fishing. As an industry leader, he has testified for environmental and sustainability policy issues in Washington, DC and New York. He is a founding member of the Seafood Choices Alliances, which named him “Seafood Champion” in 2006, as well as an active member of Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch and Seaweb. Second only to his passion for sustainability is his commitment to ending hunger, Moonen puts that commitment into action serving on the chef’s advisory board for the Las Vegas Three Square Food Bank.

ABOUT PROJECT DINNER TABLE
Project Dinner Table blends a philanthropic approach and appreciation for the farm to table movement, while focusing on what we love: food, community and fun. A series of once-in-a-lifetime, white tablecloth dinners hosted on-location in unique and adventurous settings, Project Dinner Table pays homage to and educating guests regarding local growers and sustainable sources. The gatherings celebrate community, local food sources and the lost art of conversation. Guests break bread with local growers, food artisans, restaurateurs and other spirited community members. Project Dinner table is a tasty reason for people to gather, give back, connect and share in a phenomenal culinary adventure. A donation will be made to a selected charity at each dinner. For more information, go to www.projectdinnertable.com or find on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pages/Las-Vegas-NV/Project-Dinner-Table/197400746943?ref=ts or follow on Twitter @Food4Good.

Related Links:

rm Seafood Information
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino

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