Walking in, you sense the soft springiness of grass. It’s wet, cool and pungent. You have to look twice before realizing it’s real! The dining room is draped in exotic cloths with subdued lighting. The floor is so dark you can’t see it. Erotic objets d’art are strategically placed around the room. The music is an emoting world beat. The huge movie screen behind the bar is showing “Kama Sutra.”
Everything here is geared to the senses… including the aphrodisiac menu, created by Dr. Tim Hogle and perfected by Chef Sandee Birdsong. Yes, the same Chef Sandee and Dr. Hogle from afterglo. Considering our unforgettable feast there, we simply HAD to try their other restaurant.
Not based on any particular region, all the ingredients used at Tantra are selected for their ability to provide a blend of aromas, flavors and textures in each morsel. This “tantric” quality transcends the taste buds to tantalize all your senses for a spiritual revitalization. And it’s all delectable!
Chef Sandee, a self-taught cook with a keen sense of “what-looks-good-and-tastes-good-combinations” prepared some very special dishes for us. It’s her feel for the mixing of ingredients, all fresh and many unusual, that arouses the palate above the mundane.
Our "Tantra Appetizer" was a sky-high festival of succulent seafood that included stone crab, shrimp, oysters, ceviche, spicy tuna rolls, seaweed, artichokes, olives and edible flowers filled with crème fraiche and caviar. Culinary and artistic perfection so absolutely beautiful, that we briefly hesitated eating it, especially the purple orchids with caviar placed inside, to look like seeds.
The entrees that followed were equally extraordinary. We shared a Chilean Sea bass (fresh from Chile that morning!) served with a "bundle" of fresh vegetables and flowers; and a lamb chop and filet mignon combination with rosemary couscous and balsamic onions. Each sauce was reduced to perfection, light and flavorful, and served hot, a feat often forgotten on busy bistro nights in high season, but not at Tantra.
Although happily sated and stuffed, we were unable to refuse Chef Sandee when she gleefully insisted we have dessert. "Romeo & Juliet," a rich chocolate lava cake with home made ice cream was heavenly, but her coconut mousse with passion fruit sorbet and passion fruit sauce was nirvana!
When you go to Tantra, plan to have dinner and then stay for a totally different experience. After 11, the lights go down and the music heats up, as disc jockeys appear at turntables and the place turns into a trendy night club. We even discovered the private room with the hammock hanging from the ceiling where lovebirds can go to do what lovebirds do! Keep in mind, Mondays are the hottest, most happening nights at the club.
If you love the sensual quality of food, prepared to near perfection and served in the ultimate romantic setting, Tantra is the place to be.
TANTRA RESTAURANT & LOUNGE
1445 Pennsylvania Avenue
Miami Beach, Florida FL 33139
305.672.4765
http://www.tantrarestaurant.com
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment