South Plaza Master Chef Cafe

If you’re at the US Open, this is the perfect place if you are looking for a bit more finesse than the regular food court fare, but don’t want to be bothered by having to wait for a sit down table at one of the «proper» restaurants.
Enter through the south gate, and take a hard left to find yourself at the mercy of some really great food. Rick Moonen’s shrimp dog is absolutely a punch in the mouth of heat, flavour and textures — the shrimp comes encased so that it «looks» like a sausage, but still preserves the great flavour of shrimp. Not satisfied with just a crisp Asian slaw for contrast, there are crushed potato chips sprinkled on top for added crunch. The «chipotle dude» sauce refuses to be ignored, and gives a noticeable, but not overwhelming, touch of heat.
The hanger steak panino is great because the meat is prepared beautifully and presented between two thin, crisp pieces of bread. However, the dish that drew the most attention was definitely the pulled pork sandwich. I literally had four people ask me what it was while I was taking a picture of it in the café. Visually, it is very inviting: generous slices of mango intermixed with slaw, plated atop a moist serving of pulled pork, then served upon a buttered brioche with toasting marks still visibly fresh. Taste wise, a beautiful blend of savoury and sweet. Although not as «adventurous» a flavour profile as the shrimp dog, it was no less delicious, and perhaps even a preferable choice if you just feel like eating something just so you can walk away with a full belly and a satisfied grin on your face.

Whoa… Top Chef Masters come to the 2010 US Open… over-​hyped? Nah, believe it — this place is legit. If anything, I finished my meal astonished that I completely underestimated the place.
The Soulth Plaza Master Chef Café «features dishes created exclusively for the US Open by a roster of celebrity chefs.» Top Chef’s if you will! You can only access this restaurant by going to the US Open of Tennis.
Each of 5 Top Chef’s have 3 – 4 signature dishes available. The chefs include Susan Feniger, Carmen Gonzalez, Tony Mantuano, Rick Moonen, and Jonathan Waxman. Check here for info of all the dishes available:
and here for pictures of the dishes:
I was privy to try the pulled pork BBQ sandwich — rum-​barbecue sauce soaked swim-​marinate-​and-​melt-​in-​your-​mouth pork, mango cole slaw (this was seriously the fireworks of the sandwich) on a bun toasted way past perfection (meaning, it was a new type of perfection I never considered possible for a toasted bun). I can’t remember a sandwich with such flavor synergy — these ingredients were like a freaking ballet. Footsteps from such a performance lingered on my tongue as I would pause and examine my heavenly hog vessel, apparently strategizing about the next best place to bite. A futile endeavor since all points of attack would seduce my stomach with equal aplomb. Taking stock of recent sandwich memory, this is my personal pinnacle of sandwiches.
I have the Pulled Pork Quesadilla waiting for me to devour with equal relish… head here first, but be forewarned, the lines can be brutal (unless you go for a very early lunch or after the night matches have started) — they take a while to prepare each order (except the paninos). I’ll be back with updates, God willing!