In Las Vegas, a city that has been turning every grand opening into a spectacle for years, Maroon is taking a different approach: telling a cultural story through food (and pairing great wines with pop dishes!)
Cover photo of the sommelier: Maggie May
The Concept
The aroma of jerk rising from the coals reaches you even before the menu arrives. Then come steaks marinated in rum, Caribbean milk bread served with malted sorghum butter, collard greens sautéed in coconut milk, and a wine list designed to surprise those who think they already know everything about pairings. The new restaurant by Kwame Onwuachi, which opened last April inside the Sahara Las Vegas, marks an important milestone in the American chef’s career. Following the success of Tatiana in New York and Du014dgon in Washington, this is his first steakhouse and his first venture in the western United States. Maroon takes its name from the Jamaican Maroons, communities descended from escaped slaves who, beginning in the 18th century, managed to establish their own autonomy in the Blue Mountains and other parts of the island. Onwuachi transforms this legacy into a culinary language, blending history, contemporary techniques, and influences from multiple continents.
Jerk, as Wine Spectator explains here, plays a central role in the concept. Not merely as a folkloric reference, but as a defining element. Numerous scholars trace this technique back to the ancient cooking methods of the Taíno, the indigenous people of the Caribbean, which were later enriched by the knowledge and ingredients introduced by the African communities that arrived on the island. At Maroon, this tradition takes shape through a large, custom-built jerk pit, where lamb, pork, chicken, and other specialties are prepared, serving as the central theme of the entire dining experience. The atmosphere retains the elegance of a contemporary steakhouse, letting the dishes and glasses tell the rest of the story. And it is precisely the wine that represents one of the most interesting aspects of the project. Leading the wine cellar is Chris Gaither, a Master Sommelier whose career has been forged in some of the most prestigious American restaurants, including The French Laundry in Napa Valley and Restaurant Gary Danko in San Francisco.
Together with his wife Rebecca Fineman, also a Master Sommelier, Gaither runs Ungrafted, a California wine bar and restaurant highly regarded by wine enthusiasts. Maroon’s wine list already features over four hundred labels and continues to grow. The goal is not to amass prestigious names to impress customers, but to create a selection consistent with Onwuachi’s philosophy. Great attention is paid to female winemakers, African American winemakers, and wineries that approach their terroir with particular sensitivity. Bordeaux, Champagne, the Rhône, California, and Oregon are among the most well-represented regions, but the selection also extends to less obvious territories.
The character of the selection is already evident in the names given to the various sections of the wine list. Some pages are dedicated to wines from the Rhône and Provence, exploring the theme of spices and pepper, while others feature New World Syrah, Malbec, and Zinfandel under the evocative title “Purple Rain.” This approach makes the wine list easier to navigate without sacrificing technical expertise. Gaither emphasizes that showcasing often underrepresented producers is one of the project’s fundamental elements. Among the labels he loves to tell customers about is J. Lassalle, a small, women-led Champagne house that’s also available by the glass. Great attention is also given to South Tyrol, featuring wines from the Novacella Abbey, one of the oldest wineries still in operation in the world.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the wine cellar, however, emerges in its interplay with the kitchen. The challenge isn’t simply to pair a steak with a great red wine, but to find connections with flavors that blend spices, smoky notes, tropical hints, and unusual textures. The perfect wine for Maroon’s burgers? According to the sommelier, it’s Moët & Chandon Brut Imperial, an elegant Pinot Noir-based Champagne. For the “toro bujol”—a reinterpretation of a traditional Trinidadian cold salad made with bluefin tuna instead of the classic salted cod—Gaither even suggests a German Riesling of great precision. Steaks are, of course, one of the restaurant’s main attractions. Among the most popular are those that have been dry-aged and then marinated in rum. In this case, the wine cellar offers almost endless possibilities, ranging from great Napa Valley Cabernets to classic Bordeaux wines or select Tuscan labels.
Of all the possible pairings, one remains particularly representative of the restaurant’s identity: jerk chicken served with a Kerner from the Novacella Abbey or a Californian Grenache from Tribute to Grace. Two different interpretations, yet both equally capable of enhancing the dish’s spicy and smoky character. Observing Maroon’s evolution, one gets the sense that Onwuachi hasn’t simply opened a new steakhouse. Rather, he has created a place where contemporary Caribbean cuisine engages with one of the most deeply rooted traditions of American dining, using wine as a bridge between seemingly distant worlds. A venture that illustrates how contemporary gastronomy is becoming less and less a matter of geographical boundaries and increasingly a matter of identity, memory, and the ability to forge new connections around a table.
