Steak-house dining takes to the high seas at the Wake, a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence winner aboard Virgin Voyages’ Scarlet Lady, exclusively for guests ages 18 and older. The first ship in the Virgin Voyages cruise line, Scarlet Lady made its inaugural voyage in 2021 and currently takes guests from Miami, Fla., to destinations along the coasts of Florida and Mexico and around the Caribbean, including Bimini in the Bahamas and Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic.
Through its menu and beverage program, the Wake winks to the history of classic U.S. steak houses. Wine director Charles Steadman and sommelier Ivan Matijevic oversee a list of about 166 labels, drawn from a cellar of about 1,000 bottles, with particular focus on wines from France and California, especially those made from Bordeaux grape varieties. Regions in Chile, Italy, Oregon and beyond are also featured, and leading wineries include the likes of Australia’s Penfolds, Champagne’s Moët & Chandon, Napa’s Ramey and Tuscany’s Ornellaia.
There are, of course, plenty of meat-friendly red wines to pair with choice cuts—New Zealand lamb chops, hanger steak and a cowboy bone-in ribeye, among others—prepared by a revolving crew of executive chefs, such as Edward Richard and Christopher Phillips. While sipping wine in the sleek, elegant dining room, guests can, alternatively, choose from a range of seafood or vegetarian options. To cap off the meal, the restaurant’s namesake dessert—a chocolate mousse in a short pastry crust with caramel cream and hazelnuts—or options like the Meyer lemon cheesecake will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth.
Design firm Roman and Williams conceived the Wake’s dining room as a testament both to modern sailing and to mid-20th century chop houses. The space sometimes hosts special wine and dining events. For instance, in Nov. 2022, as part of Virgin Voyages’s Eat & Drink Month, chef Brad Farmerie offered a fall-inspired, four-course menu with Napa wine pairings.
The Wake is but one of the restaurants offered aboard Virgin Voyages’ cruise ships, joined by the Mexican-cuisine Pink Agave, the cruise line’s signature Razzle Dazzle Restaurant and its experimental Test Kitchen.
