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Las Vegas East?
Susanna Foo is a great example of a celebrity chef who is really not a celebrity in terms of the entertainment part of it. Credit goes to the Borgata in selecting such an accomplished chef who knows how to cook and run great restaurants. Flashy is not part of her persona, but she is at the Bogata for all the right reasons.
I give Susanna Foo a tremendous amount of credit because prior to her signing an agreement to open at the Borgata, she turned down an opportunity to open in Las Vegas. Her reasoning was one of geography - Las Vegas was too far to travel on a regular basis and unless she could devote the time there, she would be too nervous controlling the quality of a restaurant that had her name on it.
The Borgata was another matter because she could drive there in a little over an hour, and still maintain her presence at her highly regarded restaurant in Philadelphia. Other Philadelphia chefs and owners have opened, or are soon to open in Atlantic City and the proximity is a big plus in the name of quality.
Susanna Foo on Walnut Street opened in 1987 and year after year, it's a steady diet of Four-Stars and Four Bells and all kinds of accolades that keep this place in the forefront of the area's great restaurants. The lady from Inner Mongolia, who arrived in the United States in 1967, has been successful over a long period of time doing her rendition of Chinese influenced French dishes along with an array of classic Chinese delicacies. At a cost of about $7 million, she opened her 166-seat restaurant at the Borgata in July of 2003. Almost immediately, Esquire Magazine named Sulian (her actual name in Chinese) one the country's "Best New Restaurants."
Las Vegas has the big names and the big reputation as one of the top culinary destinations in the world, and Atlantic City is only beginning their version of the star-chef concept. Vegas will be difficult to match with a list that includes Wolfgang Puck, Thomas Keller, Stephen Hanson, Emeril Lagasse, Tom Colicchio, Charlie Palmer, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Michael Mina, Nobu Matsuhisa, Hubert Keller, Guy Savoy, Bobby Flay, Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse and Daniel Boulud. It's like a who's who of celebrity chefs. It's just that if you travel to Vegas and dine in one of their restaurants, you won't be seeing these guys anytime soon. They have delegated chefs who run their restaurants, and while they undoubtedly do it well, it's just not the same and in this regard, Atlantic City might have a slight advantage.
This is not to suggest that a chef must be in their kitchen cooking on a nightly basis. It just doesn't happen that way, but a truly great chef will remain in charge and you have to maintain a presence in order for this to happen. Being in charge takes more than an occasional appearance, and Susanna Foo understood this from day one. The AC Expressway is a lot more interesting and workable than flights back and forth to Las Vegas.
The Borgata itself has been an incredible success story and their concept of placing independent restaurants in their casino is quickly changing the culinary approach in Atlantic City as other casinos are adopting their formula. Sulian by Susanna Foo has been a big hit, and Susanna could not be happier. She just published another book called "Susanna Foo Fresh Inspiration" that features new approaches to Chinese cuisine.
"I have come to really love my restaurant in Atlantic City because it enables me to introduce my cuisine to a whole new audience. In Philadelphia, the average customer is a bit older and the restaurant attracts the businessman especially during the week. I see so much of the thirty-something guests at Sulian. They appreciate my food and it has been a big thrill for me. Typically, we do somewhere between 500 and 600 covers on the weekends.
"The people at the Borgata have made this happen for me and they have been honest and totally accommodating to me, and it's been a great experience. I have been very fortunate because we have had very little turnover in the kitchen. We did lose our sous chef who decided to return to the Philadelphia area with another new concept. The Borgata people reached out and helped me replace him with one of their own talented chefs by the name of Martin Doyle. He has been wonderful, and it was a big problem solved."
"I have continued to use my own purveyors for the most part because I have become so comfortable with their quality and service. The Borgata people guided me to a local lobster company that we now use because we sell so much of this product."
"Other restaurateurs have asked me about Atlantic City, and I tell them to get involved. I was very hesitant at first, but it turned out to be a great decision and something big is happening here. Atlantic City is going in the right direction, and I am thrilled to be a part of it."
Sulian
Hours: Sunday, Monday and Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 5 to 11 p.m.
Closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
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"Susanna Foo brings her trademark Chinese-French fusion fare to Atlantic City in the form of this "spectacular", "very upscale" entry in the Borgata's all-star lineup; "from potstickers to sashimi to complex preparations of fresh fish", "you'll be in for the experience of a lifetime" and be "doted on" by the staff amid "soothing" surroundings".