Rick Moonen Dives Into Burgers When He's Not in the Kitchen

Sin City is home to a lot of restaurants and bars, but there are tons of hidden gems that the majority of Las Vegans aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's food players to share their recommendations for a weekly feature dubbed Dining Confidential. All this week, we have a special Burger Week edition. Know a chef who wants to share some top dining spots? The tipline is open.

Everyone in the Las Vegas dining world knows Rick Moonen, the chef behind RM Seafood and Rx Boiler Room at Mandalay Place. He’s an advocate for sustainable seafood. His kitchens bring out the best in chefs. And he likes a good burger. Here he shares three of his favorites, and even tells you what side dishes to order.

Which restaurants do you turn to when you’re not working?
Some of my favorite burger joints in Las Vegas include Bachi Burger, Stripburger and of course, In-N-Out Burger.

What do you like to order there?
When it comes to burgers, I am a straightforward cheeseburger guy, except when I am at Bachi Burger. They make burgers with an Asian influence and they do it well. If I had to choose a burger it would be Miyagi-sanʼs Grass-Fed Wagyu Burger complete with chili mayo, fried egg, furikake, caramelized bacon and crispy onion rings.

Stripburger has the best hangover cure I have experienced. The bun to meat ratio is spot on and the garnishes are fresh. One of my favorites would have to be the bacon and cheddar burger with a buttered and toasted bun, beef patty, American cheddar and smoked bacon.

Can't beat In-N-Out! It’s fast, delicious, has great staff, and always busy. I get the Double-Double — toasted buns, tomato, lettuce, two beef patties, and two cheese slices — with raw onions. My wife, Roni, gets hers protein wrap style.

Do you have a favorite side dish at any of these restaurants?
I highly recommend the Oxtail Chili Cheese Fries with any order at Bachi Burger. The crispy fries are bursting with flavor with the tender oxtail, then topped with chili, cheese, a fried egg and green onions.

At Stripburger, the atomic cheese fries with cheese and chili are the perfect combination to be shared with any burger.

I always order the fries at In-N-Out … of course, what’s a great burger without great fries?