Inspired by a love for bold flavors and strong statements, Mary Sue
Milliken and Susan Feniger have made their mark with home cooking from
all over the world. For over two decades, the chefs have transformed
street foods and comfort foods into critically-acclaimed cuisine, and
themselves from a couple of Midwestern gringas into two of the
country's foremost authorities on the Latin kitchen. Trailblazers from
the start, the classically trained culinary grads (Susan from The
Culinary Institute of America and Mary Sue from Washburne Culinary
Institute) met in 1978 at Le Perroquet, one of Chicago's best French
restaurants. They were the first women to break into the all-male
kitchen. Serious about food and ready for new territory, they struck
out for France, Susan for the Riviera and Mary Sue for Paris, knowing
even then they would work together again some day.
That day arrived in 1981 when they opened City Cafe on Melrose Avenue
in Los Angeles. With only 39 seats out front and just enough room in
back for a 24" x 24" prep table, a hot plate, and a hibachi grill in
the alley, they quickly outgrew the little space and moved to a larger
site. CITY Restaurant (1985-1994) changed the culinary landscape of
L.A. forever with eclectic dishes from Thailand, India, and Mexico, as
well as France, Italy, and their mother's own recipe boxes. CITY wowed
customers and critics alike.
In 1985, Mary Sue and Susan turned the cafe site into Border Grill, a
"taco stand" serving authentic home cooking and street foods of Mexico.
It too outgrew the tiny space and in 1990 moved to its current home on
4th Street in Santa Monica where it now serves upscale, modern Mexican
food in an urban cantina setting. In 1998, the partners opened Ciudad
in Downtown Los Angeles, presenting the bold and seductive flavors of
the Latin world, from Havana to Buenos Aires to Barcelona. In 1999,
the Border Grill concept grew to encompass another restaurant located
at Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Natural teachers, Mary Sue and Susan share their passion for food
through many media outlets. Their television careers began in 1993, as
two of sixteen chefs invited to cook with the legendary Julia Child in
her PBS series "Cooking with Master Chefs". Veterans of 396 episodes
of their popular "Too Hot Tamales" and "Tamales World Tour" series with
Food Network (1995-1999), the duo often appear as guests on TV shows
around the country. Since 1996, they have had several homes on the
radio dial in Los Angeles, including KCRW, KFWB, and KFI. Prolific
writers, they have authored five cookbooks: City Cuisine, Mesa
Mexicana, Cantina, Cooking with Too Hot Tamales, and Mexican Cooking
for Dummies. In 2001, their Border Grill and Ciudad dishes "starred"
in Samuel Goldwyn's feature film, "Tortilla Soup". The chefs also have
a line of prepared foods under their "Border Girls" brand at Whole
Foods Market and a line of signature peppermills and salt mills
manufactured by Vic Firth Gourmet.
Mary Sue and Susan are also active members of the community, playing
leading roles in many educational programs, culinary associations, and
charities. They take time to teach students participating in C-CAP,
Careers through Culinary Arts Program, a non-profit organization that
prepares high school students for careers in culinary arts. They are
active members of numerous culinary associations like the Chefs
Collaborative and they played a founding role in Women Chefs and
Restaurateurs. They contribute real leadership and time to both the
Scleroderma Research Foundation (SRF) and Share Our Strength (SOS),
with SRF searching to find a cure for scleroderma, a life-threatening
and degenerative illness affecting over 300,000 people in the United
States alone, and with SOS striving to create a hunger-free generation
and mobilize industries and individuals to create community wealth and
promote lasting change.
At the core, Mary Sue and Susan's love of food shines through and is
intermingled with their love of interacting with customers and staff.
They still take time to teach cooking classes and work the Border Grill
booth at the Santa Monica Farmer's Market as time and travel allows.
Their days are spent in the kitchen, writing and testing recipes,
creating menus, managing their businesses, researching their shows, and
creating new products. Most nights you can still find them visiting
with guests and working with staff at their restaurants. More than
twenty years into their partnership, these girls keep pushing the
borders.
Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger, two of America's most beloved chefs, are hands-on owner-operators of the popular and critically acclaimed Border Grill restaurants in Santa Monica and Las Vegas, serving upscale, modern Mexican food in a hip, urban cantina setting. The pair also own and operate Ciudad restaurant in downtown Los Angeles, featuring the bold, seductive flavors of the Latin world. And with the onset of the gourmet food truck phenomenon in metropolitan America, Mary Sue and Susan are very excited about their latest endeavor--the Border Grill Truck! In addition, Susan recently took on a solo venture, Susan Feniger's Street, exploring the culinary horizons beyond Latin cuisines with a spin on street foods from around the world.
Business partners for over 25 years, Mary Sue and Susan are prolific in many media outlets. They are authors of five cookbooks, including Cooking with Too Hot Tamales, Mesa Mexicana, and City Cuisine. They are television veterans, starring in nearly 400 episodes of Food Network's popular "Too Hot Tamales" and "Tamales World Tour" series. And in 2010, Susan is set to compete on the second season of Bravo's "Top Chef Masters". Since 1996, they have had several homes on the radio dial in Los Angeles, including KCRW, KFWB and KFI. In addition, Border Grill and Ciudad dishes starred in the 2001 Samuel Goldwyn feature film, "Tortilla Soup." Mary Sue and Susan are also the creators of a line of signature peppermills and salt mills manufactured by Vic Firth Gourmet.
Mary Sue and Susan are active members of the community, playing leading roles in many charities, notably Share Our Strength and the Scleroderma Research Foundation. They also are passionate about the environment and practice many eco-friendly policies at their restaurants, including serving only sustainable seafood as part of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch program.
"Wild Alaska Halibut Veracruzana is one of our most popular dishes at
Border Grill. Alaska halibut is one of our favorites because it sears
well in the pan, cooks evenly without flaking, and doesn't overcook
easily, which makes it a good choice for a party. Plus, it's
sustainable!"
~ Chefs Mary Sue Miliken and Susan Feniger
Wild Alaska Halibut Veracruzana
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless Alaska halibut, cut in 4 portions
3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 to 3 jalapeños, stemmed and sliced in 1/4-inch disks
1 lime, cut into 8 wedges
1 tomato, cored and seeded, cut in strips
1/2 bunch fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped
1/2 cup Spanish green olives (picholines), sliced
1/2 cup white wine
3/4 cup fish stock or clam juice
Preparation:
Heat one very large or two medium sized sauté pans over medium high
heat for a minute then add olive oil. When hot, add fish fillets
seasoned with salt and pepper and turn the heat to very high.
Sear the fillets until golden brown and flip to sear on the other
side. Remove fillets from pan and reserve on a rack over a plate to
catch juices.
Return the pan (or pans) to the heat, add onions, and cook,
stirring often over high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the garlic, jalapeño slices, lime wedges, tomatoes, oregano,
and olives and sauté briskly for 1 minute more.
Add white wine and reduce by half. Add fish stock and bring to a
boil, reduce to a simmer, and return fish filets along with the juices
to pan to finish cooking, covered, about 1 to 3 minutes depending upon
the thickness of fillets.
Taste broth and adjust seasoning.
To Serve:
Serve immediately in soup plates with a generous puddle of broth and garnish of vegetables atop.
