Usually, when a celebrated chef or restaurateur opens a restaurant in Las Vegas, it is a bigger, bolder, at times Epcot Center-esque version of the restaurant that earned them their renown.  Sometimes it works: Sometimes it doesn’t.  

But where others have zigged, James Beard Award-winning Chef Kwame Onwuachi—the chef/restaurateur behind the much-celebrated and acclaimed Tatiana in New York City and Dōgon in Washington, D.C.—chose to zag, creating something unique for the Las Vegas market, and the result is Maroon, the new upscale Caribbean steakhouse at SAHARA Las Vegas.

I’m not sure what I was expecting from Maroon, but after dining there recently, I can confidently say it surpassed any expectations I might have had.  The décor is lovely, with dark mood lighting and a great playlist curated by Chef Kwame himself.  Par example, waiting for the hostess to seat you is an activity made infinitely more pleasant when the hostess stand features two large arrangements of fresh tropical flowers (think: proteas, ginger, and anthuriums), and you find yourself bopping along to the funktastic sounds of Ain’t Nobody by Rufus and Chaka Khan.

Having spent a considerable amount of time traveling throughout the Caribbean, I was not unfamiliar with these flavors, but the ways in which Chef Kwame and his team wielded them and presented them were new and exciting, an absolute pleasure to experience.

I began with the Curried Goat Agnolotti with Blend-up Velouté, Confit Pearl Onion, and Chicken Jus.  It was easily the most tender preparation of goat I’ve ever eaten, and not the least bit gamey.  The use of seasoning was masterful, and the pasta was ideally al dente.  [To be perfectly frank, it was so tasty and appealing that I Hoovered it up before I could take any notes beyond “piquant” and “tender.”]  

While I was devoting all my attention to the agnolotti, someone delivered the Coco Bread with Malted Sorghum Butter topped with Maldon Salt.  I can’t recall previously having bread and butter that tasted like pancakes, but now that I have, there’s really no going back.  

This was followed by the Toro Bujol with Bluefin Tuna Belly, Hamachi, Braised Octopus, Scotch Bonnet, and Deep-fried Saltines, which has a fun origin story, which my server, Delarno—in whose section I highly recommend you request being seated, as he proved to be an integral part of the enjoyment I experienced—began by telling me, “You see, the chef had a dream!”  Upon hearing this in his melodic Jamaican baritone, I immediately looked behind me, and when he asked what I was looking for, I jokingly told him I was expecting the ghost of Mahalia Jackson to appear, shouting, “Tell him about the dream, Delarno!” [He cracked up.]  Anyhow, it turns out that the Toro Bujol (Chef Kwame’s take on buljol, a spicy, cold Trinidadian salad dish with chopped fish, tomatoes, and chilies) was originally presented one way, but after having a dream in which he envisioned it prepared differently, Chef Kwame reimagined the dish, and it was this new, dream-inspired version that I was served.    

Now, the dish consists of thinly sliced bluefin tuna belly and Hamachi in a zesty sundried tomato nage, covered with avocado, scotch bonnet (the hot chili pepper that gives jerk seasoning its kick), and tender slices of braised octopus, and is served with a side of deep-fried Saltines.  The slurp-inducing quality of the nage adds a bit of levity to this flavorful dish, and there’s certainly no shame in any game that evokes this much sensory joy.

And speaking of sensory joy, the sheer quantity of black truffles that were shaved tableside over the top of the Truffle Mac Pie with Rigatoni, Black Truffle Mornay, and Parsley Panko elicited so much glee that I found myself laughing as the gentleman shaved more and more and more truffles until I assured him I had plenty.  Served in a gratin pan, the rigatoni is firm, and the six cheeses (six!) used to make the rich and creamy mornay are divine, making this elevated take on mac n’ cheese one you will think about long after the meal is over.  [It also tastes great leftover, straight out of the to-go container!] 

Moving right along, I was served the Fried Rice + Peas with Braised Oxtail, Curry Spiced Shrimp, and Brown Stew Chicken, which is best shared by a few people as it is quite a large portion (which explains why it appears in the “To Share” section of the menu, as do the previously discussed dishes).  The oxtail was silky and so tender that it seemed to fall off the bone when I merely glanced at it, and the shrimp was packed with flavor, but the chicken absolutely stole the show for me.

When it came time to order the entrees, having heard much about Maroon’s jerk pit (the only one you’ll find in a Las Vegas steakhouse), I decided to double down and ordered both the Jerk Chicken (Half) and the 16oz. Pork Tomahawk (from Iowa’s Vande Rose Farms).  Now, I’ve had jerk chicken on more occasions than I can count, so I used it as a baseline.  It was seasoned beautifully and tasted exactly as I’d hoped.  But as much as I enjoyed the chicken, the showstopper here was the pork.  Tender, succulent, and slow-cooked over pimento wood, which imparts its signature jerk aroma, this is no mere pork chop but rather a pork presentation to which others should aspire.  As mouth-wateringly scrumptious as it looks in the photo [see slideshow, above], it tastes even better.  What’s more, I made a sensational sandwich the next day from the leftovers.

After gorging myself on Chef Kwame’s delicious dishes, I was quite full and considered passing on dessert.  But Delarno convinced me to get over it and suggested I try the Soursop Lime Pie with Graham Crust, Italian Meringue, and Lime Zest.  Now, work with me here, and imagine the best key lime pie you’ve ever had, only with a creamier, more velvety texture; with a brighter, more balanced flavor and more aromatic; in a crust that is so incredibly good and buttery that you wonder why nobody has made it into a cookie.  Suffice it to say, I ate every morsel.  Soursop: Who knew?  

All of which is to say that the question you should be asking yourself is not whether you should go to Maroon, but rather how soon you can secure yourself a reservation.

Maroon by Kwame Onwuachi
SAHARA Las Vegas
Click HERE for info, menus, and reservations

Get into it!
#Maroon