During an early morning visit to the Westside’s Obodo Collective urban farm last August, chef Kwame Onwuachi had some thoughts on the state of Las Vegas dining.
“There should be more Caribbean restaurants on the Strip,” he said. “Seeing yourself on a plate of food is also representation, and I don’t think we should forget that.”
Fast forward to April, when the James Beard Award-winning chef opened his first West Coast restaurant at the Sahara, the unique steakhouse Maroon. After establishing acclaimed New York City restaurant Tatiana and Washington, D.C.’s Dōgon, he has now added the first significant presence of African and Caribbean flavors at a Strip resort.
Maroon patties, crispy Chilean sea bass, rum-aged steak and piri piri chop salad
A smoky-sweet aroma hangs in the air from the moment you step inside. It’s the fragrance of marinated and dry-rubbed meats roasting in custom-built jerk pits. Maroon’s whole atmosphere vibrates on a wavelength of sexy. A slow-burn soundtrack of R&B—Joe’s “I Wanna Know,” Wale’s “Lotus Flower Bomb”—sets the mood like a precursor to the main event: the food.
Onwuachi’s Nigerian, Jamaican and Trinidadian upbringing leaps off each plate. The Maroon patties ($40) are rich bites of oxtail and Ossetra caviar, truffles and parmesan rounding out an exceptionally decadent starter.
Don’t even think about skipping the sauces. Maroon’s flight of condiments ranges from tangy sweet to fire-pit smoky, but Onwuachi doesn’t play about his spice. It’s a buildable kind of heat, lingering after each bite. Maroon’s steaks are also rum-aged, offering a hint of sweetness with a molasses glaze. It all pairs perfectly with the steakhouse’s Caribbean-infused sides like crawfish mashed potatoes ($18).
Your palate is in for a crash course in adventurous eating all night. Bowls of bluefin tuna, hamachi and braised octopus ($42) arrive with saltines and brightly acidic sauces. The agnolotti ($32) comes stuffed with peppery curried goat and a vibrant velouté sauce. And Maroon’s piri piri chop salad ($32)—a signature the chef loves to switch up at each of his restaurants—took months to develop. Beautifully dressed with Green Goddess marinade, spicy curry sauce, parmesan, yellow tomatoes and gooseberries, this leafy work of art has crunch and complexity.
Onwuachi’s braised oxtails, a Jamaican staple, appear throughout the menu, in his oxtail Wellington ($120), which feeds two, and the curry shrimp fried rice ($72). But if you’re truly craving Caribbean cooking—the kind rooted in the legacy of the Jamaican Maroons who inspired the restaurant’s name—order a rack of lamb ($70) or 16-ounce pork tomahawk ($75) directly from the jerk pits.
Dining at Maroon offers a taste of culture rarely seen anywhere in Las Vegas. Onwuachi cooks from a place of memory and home. It’s evident even when you order something as simple as plantains, as servers gently remind you the regional pronunciation is actually “plantins.” Tiny details like that offer a window into Onwuachi’s culinary world, one we’re happily living in.
MAROON BY KWAME ONWUACHI Sahara, 702-761-8888, saharalasvegas.com. Sunday-Thursday, 5-10 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5-11 p.m.
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