Celebrity Chef Rick Moonen Unveils His “Tacos for Strength” Creation at Mercadito Beginning May 1
Tasty Taco Fundraising Goes North with Moonen’s True North Salmon Taco
A perfect springtime taco is coming to
Mercadito in the River North neighborhood as part of Mercadito
Hospitality’s national Tacos for Strength campaign. This May, Mercadito
will feature a refreshing and light salmon taco by Chef Rick Moonen of
rm Seafood and Rx Boiler Room in Las Vegas.
Perfect for the increasing temperature, Moonen’s creation is available
for dinner and lunch all day for $18.50. A percentage of the proceeds
will benefit Share Our Strength.
For May, Moonen
introduces his signature True North Salmon Taco featuring a True North
Salmon filet, brown sugar, lapsang souchong tea, cucumber cabbage slaw
with horseradish crema and
Sriracha. “This dish is like a picnic. The salmon has the smokiness
of a hot dog from the tea, the horseradish gives you the bite of
mustard, and the slaw provides the sharpness of a pickle relish,” said
Moonen. “That said, it is one elegant and delicious
dish.”
Chef and cookbook author, Rick Moonen, has been the
country’s leading advocate for the sustainable seafood movement for the
past 25 years, bringing national awareness to this subject near and dear
to his heart.
His flagship restaurant, Rick Moonen’s rm seafood at The Shoppes at
Mandalay Place in Las Vegas, showcases his commitment to sustainability
without foregoing culinary creativity and innovation, and has been
critically acclaimed by local and national press
alike. In 2010, Rick made a memorable appearance on Bravo’s “Top Chef
Masters,” nearly taking home the title and raising thousands of dollars
and national awareness for Three Square Food Bank in Las Vegas. In May
2011, Monterey Bay Aquarium honored Rick
as their “Chef of the Year” for his tireless efforts towards
sustainability. In 2013, USA Today named him one of Earth’s “Power
Players” as one of five leaders helping the health of our planet and was
named “Humanitarian of the Year” by the American Culinary
Federation. Later that year, Rick transformed rm upstairs into a
steampunk-inspired restaurant and lounge named Rx Boiler Room, with
décor reminiscent of industrialism during the 19th century Victorian
era. Combining the alchemy of food and drink, Rick showcases
his spin on classic comfort food, offering guests a variety of playful
creations in small and large plate portions, ideal for a shared dining
experience. Rx Boiler Room was named Best New Restaurant of 2013 by
Desert Companion magazine. In 2014, Rick was
appointment as one of the top twenty leading culinarians in the
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Blue Ribbon Task Force and was honored as one of
the prestigious Vegas Dozen by Saks Fifth Avenue, Greenspun Media
Group, VEGAS Magazine and Keep Memory Alive. He’s been
featured on CNN, TODAY, “Good Morning America,” “CBS Early Show,” “Dan
Rather Reports” and many more. Find him on Twitter @RickMoonen,
Facebook.com/ChefRickMoonen
, on Instagram @ChefMoonen or
www.rickmoonen.com.
Each
month, chef and owner Patricio Sandoval invites a different chef to
“think outside the tortilla” and create a taco inspired by their
culinary or personal
passions, which will be served in all Mercadito restaurants with a
portion of proceeds going to Share Our Strength. Since its inception,
Tacos for Strength has sold more than 5,000 tacos and raised thousands
of dollars to benefit Share Our Strength.
Mercadito
offers a variety of special promotions including: Taco Tuesday, 2 tacos
for $6.50 every Tuesday, 50 percent off your entire check
all day Sunday for industry guests, and Cooking Demos with Chef
Patricio monthly.
Mercadito
is open seven days a week. Dinner and late-night dining begin at 3
p.m. until midnight Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Wednesday and Thursday
beginning
at 3 p.m. until 1 a.m. Friday 3 p.m. until 2 a.m. and Saturday 4 p.m.
until 3 a.m. Lunch hours are Monday – Friday, 11:30 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Mercadito brunch service is 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Reservations are recommended through Open Table or by
calling 312.329.9555. Mercadito is located at 108 W. Kinzie in
Chicago.
About Mercadito Chicago
Drawing
from culinary experiences of Mexican markets, Mercadito features a wide
variety of creative tacos made with handmade corn masa tortillas,
guacamoles,
refreshing ceviche and classic dishes like enchiladas and chile
rellenos. The Tippling Bros., Mercadito’s exclusive beverage partner,
creates a perfectly designed drink menu featuring “on draft” cocktails
including margaritas, sangria and a variety of signature
drinks, as well as frozen libations, an impressive tequila list and
non-alcoholic aqua frescas. For additional information, please visit
www.MercaditoRestaurants.com
, like on Facebook (facebook.com/MercaditoChicago) or follow on Twitter (@MercaditoCHI).
About Mercadito Hospitality
Mercadito
Hospitality has grown from its first New York City restaurant location
in 2004 to become a renowned restaurant group. The popularity
of the group’s restaurants can be attributed to Partners Alfredo and
Felipe Sandoval, innovative culinary interpretations created by
Chef/Partners Patricio Sandoval and Guillermo Tellez, and its joint
venture with renowned beverage consultants Paul Tanguay
and Tad Carducci – the Tippling Bros – who bring inimitable flavor
profiles to the group’s beverage programs.
Based
in Chicago, the group owns and operates restaurants and bars across the
U.S. including the flagship concept Mercadito in Chicago and at
the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas; Double A, an exclusive cocktail
lounge located beneath Mercadito Chicago; Mercadito Kitchen at Chicago’s
Talbott Hotel; Tippling Hall and Mercadito Counter in Chicago’s River
North neighborhood; and Mercadito Taqueria in Chicago’s
Loop. MH Catering was launched in 2013 and the group’s newest
locations, Tippling Hall (Las Vegas), Mercadito Green Valley Ranch (Las
Vegas) and Mercadito & Double A (Philadelphia and Washington DC)
will open in 2015. For more information, please visit
www.mercaditohospitality.com
