RM Seafood's Lead Bartender J.r. Starkus Wins Local Campari Cocktail

J.R. Starkus, lead bartender at Rick Moonen's rm seafood located inside Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, took top honors last week after winning the local round of the first-ever Campari "Best Aperitivo" Cocktail Competition in conjunction with the U.S. Bartenders' Guild (USBG).

The competition was open to all active members of the USBG, the leading non-profit network for professional bartenders, and was held at Southern Wine & Spirits Las Vegas. Twelve local bartenders were required to design one, original cocktail utilizing the legendary one-of-a-kind red spirit, Campari.

Starkus' next step will be a trip to New York on Sunday, May 13, where he will go up against the 23 other USBG winners from across the United States during the Manhattan Cocktail Classic. The judges include industry luminaries: USBG President David Nepove, The Modern Mixologist Tony Abou-Ganim, master mixologist Francesco Lafranconi, and aperitivo expert Jacques Bezuidenhout. The USBG national winner will receive a trip to Beijing to compete in the 2012 International Cocktail Competition.

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Lead bartender @JRStarkus at @rmseafood receives top honors at @Campari "Best Aperitivo" Cocktail Competition in #Vegas.

@rmseafood 's @JRStarkus takes win at #Vegas @Campari "Best Aperitivo" Cocktail Competition. Moves on to nationals in #NYC on May 13.

About Chef Rick Moonen and Rick Moonen's rm seafood
Since opening Rick Moonen's rm seafood at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in 2005, both the restaurant and Chef Moonen have enjoyed critical acclaim from some of the country's top news organizations. For the past 20 years, Chef Rick Moonen has been one of the country's leading advocates for the sustainable seafood movement, bringing national awareness to this subject. Rick Moonen's rm seafood showcases this commitment to sustainability without foregoing culinary creativity and innovation. In 2008 Chef Moonen published Fish Without a Doubt, a practical, hands-on guide to buying, preparing and cooking a wide variety of seafood. That same year his signature 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 2010 Rick was a contestant on Bravo's Top Chef Masters second season, where he was the runner-up, raising both national awareness and thousands of dollars for Three Square Las Vegas. Keep current with Chef Moonen on Twitter @RickMoonen, Facebook.com/ChefRickMoonen or online at rmseafood.com. Rick Moonen's rm seafood downstairs is open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; upstairs is open Tuesday - Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Reservations can be made by calling (702) 632-9300.