Where I get inspired “I’m a yoga person. For inspiration, I really just need to clear my head. I go to Vegas Hot, which is bikram-ish. Super-fun, kind of a detox thing. But the poses work me more than the heat ... I’m used to being in hot environments.”
New restaurantof theyear
Rx Boiler Room Sure, the steampunk theme is clever. Beyond the cogs and beakers, however, churns a perfect flavor machine Much has been made of the theme of Rick Moonen’s new casual eatery, which is the most original concept to hit the Strip in years. But this isn’t some cliquey clubhouse reserved for devotees of the steampunk fad. The purpose behind Rx Boiler Room’s theme is to encourage a childhood sense of wonder with mechanics and classic science fiction, laced with a dose of good oldfashioned fun. The room is decorated with glass skulls, sequined animal heads and plush couches. Jules Verne films run on video moni58 | Desert
Companion | DECEMBER 2013
tors. Bartenders tend to bubbling potions. And the drop-dead-gorgeous waitstaff is decked out in Victorian corsets. “Everybody that walks into this restaurant is intrigued by the way it looks,” Moonen says. In other words, the decor is merely prepping your palate for the real source of intrigue and wonder: the food. Rx Boiler Room’s menu features some of the most original and playful creations in town. Who else but Moonen (aided by skilled Executive Chef John Church) could create such mischievously delicious dishes as bacon-wrapped bacon with quail egg, or Squid-E-O’s: squid “pasta” in squid ink tomato sauce with merguez sausage meatballs? Countless high-end chefs are making their food more affordable and approachable these days — thus the glut of gastropubs, burger joints and pizza places. To do it with something this unique sets Moonen top hat-and-shoulders above the crowd. — Al Mancini In Mandalay Place, mandalaybay.com, 632-7200
Boiler plates: left, inside-out French onion grilled cheese; above, salmon smoked under glass
R X B o i l e r R o o m : S a b i n ORR ; Fat i m a h M a dy u n : B r e n t H o l m e s
Fatimah Madyun chef de cuisine, Rao’s