Tambourine Room By Tristan Brandt - Review - Miami Beach - Miami - The Infatuation
"After our fifth course—a scallop with seared foie gras in arugula foam—we were stopped by our server on the way back from the restroom. He wanted to inform us that a double rainbow had appeared outside, over the ocean. We ran out to look and reflect on dinner so far: beautifully plated dishes with plenty of foams, emulsions, and purees. But none of it felt egregious enough to elicit an eye roll. Flavors were complex yet balanced and service was—well, they paused the meal so we could enjoy a natural phenomenon. This tasting menu restaurant inside the Carillon Resort exceeded all expectations except the one waiting for us back inside: its dining room. The lighting is too bright and flickers like an old streetlamp. A mirrored brick wall reflects every morsel of light and sound in the quiet space. You can hear other people's conversations while warbling music from the hotel lobby clashes with Bach in the dining room. And yet, we still left happy, because the food and service are special enough to make up for the faults. photo credit: Tambourine Room photo credit: Tambourine Room photo credit: Tambourine Room photo credit: Tambourine Room photo credit: Tambourine Room Pause Unmute Tambourine Room’s tasting menu varies from season to season, not just in ingredients but in size. During the fall, winter, and spring months, they serve 10 courses for $265 per person. In the summer, it’s pared down to five courses for $169. The food has French influences, but it’s a restaurant with a Miami soul that uses guava, passion fruit, and pineapple alongside lemon curd, tarragon oil, and meringue. There are also unexpected elements from around the world like India and Asia. You see it in a langoustine plated with curry sauce and bok choy in pork belly foam. Or hamachi tartare topped with a fresh wasabi espuma served in an eggshell. And dishes aren’t just pretty. They have depth and texture. The dining room is not what you’d expect from the kind of fine dining restaurant that pays attention to all the other details. But the food is creative, polished, and lights up the synapses in our brain like a pinball machine. Even if we hadn't seen a double rainbow that evening, the food would have made us feel just as lucky. Food Rundown 7-Course Tasting Menu The tasting menu starts with an amuse bouche that could include bites of fried tapioca with caviar, and then builds from light seafood to heavier flavors like scallops with foie gras, or an onion with truffle wrapped in dough like a wellington. A refreshing intermezzo gasses your taste buds back up before throwing them into high gear with a rich meat course like venison strip loin with a coffee and yuzu hollandaise. You don’t leave feeling hungry, but you also don’t feel gorged. Dessert is served in two courses, and the meal officially ends with petits fours. You’re offered an additional course (ours was pasta), but that feels unnecessary. PlayMute" - Virginia Otazo
