Miami Beach: Tantra

I was so excited about the Miami Spice preview week so of course I had to try it out. After looking at all the menus, we decided to go to Tantra. None of us had ever had a meal there, and the menu looked really good. So Tantra here we come! (Sorry no food pics...I forgot my camera).

We had reservations at 9:00 and were seated immediately. The path to get to the bar and dining room is grass, real grass! It's pretty neat. The hostess told me they replace it once a week. The decor is Indian themed, with rich colors and subdued lighting. They have an ample dining area, but it was only about half full. I was surprised it was that empty. We were seated and handed menus, but the menus we were given did not include the Miami Spice menu. We had to ask for it, and our server did not look too pleased. In my opinion, they should include it with their regular menus. It seemed like they were trying to fool the guests (When I looked around, it seemed we were the only ones who even knew about the menu). Also, the regular menu seemed a little but pricey. Appetizers were about $15, entrees were about $40.

The service was very good. After we ordered, we were immediately brought warm bread with olive oil and raspberry vinegar to dip. The water was constantly being refilled at the table. The first course came out and it looked great. It was a Thai Style Shrimp Cake. It was okay. It was served lukewarm, and the cilantro was a little bit overpowering. My entree was the Kobe Sirloin wrapped in bacon and served with roasted sweet potato wedges. It was delicious. The steak came out perfectly cooked and was very tender. The bacon was a nice touch and added a good flavor to the steak (come on...everything is better with bacon). The sauce they served with the sweet potatoes was perfect! It tasted like a garlic aioli with cinnamon, sounds a little strange but it tasted great and accentuated the flavor of the sweet potatoes. Now onto the grand finale...dessert. The server described it as "chocolate cake with ice cream", which did not do it any justice. The dessert was the highlight of the dinner. The ice cream was creamy and just sweet enough for the cake, which was a pyramid shape of dense, bittersweet chocolate. It was rich and slightly undercooked in the middle...which was perfect for me! Overall, it was a great dinner, but I would not come back for the "regular" menu, which was too expensive. Our bill came to $70 per person, which included 2 drinks each & tip. Not bad for a 3 course decadent meal.