The Wake on Virgin Voyages Scarlet Lady

The Wake is the steak and seafood restaurant on the Scarlet Lady.  Of all of the restaurants onboard, this might be considered the "fanciest" - although there is still a resort casual dress code.  Men can wear dress shorts and sandals. I think the big "no no" would be a bathing suit or anything that shows armpit hair. Always best to avoid that in any restaurant.  

The menu does have a selection of seafood and steak that is included plus some shellfish and oysters that have an extra charge.  

They start out with a bread service.  

I thought it was strange to serve with a spoon, but it is actually the perfect method to get a portion of bread.  The bread was pillowy and soft, topped with coarse salt. The butter was a whipped version with hints of Bourbon cheese.  

First course was the Hamachi Crudo.

Thin slices of raw fish with some pickled rhubarb and basil.  There was also a sauce, similar to a mignonettte which had more of the rhubarb flavor.  Our server said it also had some rose water which made me a little nervous since that can sometimes be overdone and become perfumey.  Yes - that is a word.  But in this casez the sauce added a mild sweetness with balance of the sour rhubarb. 

Next was the roasted bone marrow. 

This had pickled onions and parsley.  Well roasted and tasty!!  I thought there might be more marrow based on the size of the bone. The brioche bread was perfectly toasted.  An unusual combination where each crunchy bite melted into your mouth.   The bread would have also been great in a grilled cheese.  

Mains were the pan roasted salmon and a salt crusted dorade.

Our server asked how the salmon should be cooked and the first option was medium rare. How wonderful since that is how salmon should be cooked. And it came out just that way.  Most and flavorful. 

I had never heard of dorade before.  Looking it up on the interwebs, it is a type of bream.  It came incased on a salted pastry crust.  Tableside, through a series of maneuvers, our server unveiled what was inside.  

A perfect filet, already deboned and without skin.  I am not sure of the cooking technique but I was most impressed. I have had salt crusted fish where the fish is encased in a saltpaste and then baked.  That is also served tableside and filleted. Here is what the fillet looked like on my plate.  

Perfectly seasoned and not salty as you might expect. The fish was served with  clarified melted butter that has some shallots and capers. That really took the fish over the top. 

Sides were butter mushrooms, twice baked potato and grilled asparagus. 

The mushrooms were terrific.  Savory and meaty.  The potato was more like an au gratin potato.   Very creamy and delicious but not what I was expecting as something called "twice baked". 

The asparagus was my favorite.  Cooked perfectly al dente and served with a mustardy hollandaise!!  Some of the best I have ever had!!

No room for dessert and we also had to get to one of the evening shows.