Windstar Partners With Steven Raichlen on New Barbecue Restaurant

Windstar Cruises is launching a new modern, casual outdoor restaurant in partnership with famous barbecue chef Steven Raichlen. Star Grill by Steven Raichlen, currently in development, will be a modern, casual, alfresco restaurant that serves up grilled, smoked and rotisserie specialties, including seafood, meats and vegetables cooked with global flavors and techniques, alongside craft side dishes and sauces.

The new restaurant will debut on Star Breeze in February 2020, followed by the Star Legend in July 2020 and the Star Pride in November 2020. The addition is part of the cruise line’s Star Plus fleet enhancement program. 

At Star Grill by Steven Raichlen, guests will enjoy seafood, lamb, beef and more from the grill, smoker, and slow-roasted on the rotisserie, along with innovative sauces. The top-deck, alfresco restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner service and will feature menu items such as Danish smoked shrimp, lemongrass pork skewers, and Hill Country brisket. On sea days, guests will be able to enjoy a mid-morning Frühschoppen with artisanal grilled sausage and pretzel rolls.

The new restaurant will be close to the Star Bar, the ship’s open ocean-view, top-deck bar. It will have seating for 95, including dining tables starboard and lounge seating portside, all with sea views. 

In addition to the new restaurant partnership, Raichlen will sail onboard one culinary-themed cruise each year with Windstar Cruises, leading grill demonstrations and lectures, as well as socializing with guests on board the small ships.

The new restaurant is part of Windstar’s $250 Million Star Plus Initiative, and will be available in 2020 on the line’s three, soon-to-be-reimagined Star-class ships. The extensive revitalization of these small cruise ships also includes a new eclectic Spanish restaurant from chef Anthony Sasso, an enhanced spa and fitness center, new pool and whirlpool, more deck space for lounging, the addition of 50 new suites, and additional upgrades.

International TV host and author of 31 books, Raichlen is considered the man who reinvented modern barbecue, according to Windstar. His most recent television series, Project Fire 2019, debuted this July on PBS, and his latest book, The Brisket Chronicles, was released in May. Raichlen was inducted into the Barbecue Hall of Fame in 2015, and his books have won multiple James Beard Awards and IACP Julia Child Awards. Raichlen is the founder of Barbecue University and has lectured on the history of barbecue at institutions including Harvard, the Library of Congress, and the Smithsonian.

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