Talula

[JMT]

this will be a sub-standard review, as i am unable to locate the Spice menu in order to recapitulate the meal. they change the menu weekly, and the one on the Spice website is outdated. my request to have a copy of the menu sent to me electronically has been thus far ignored. i have a hard enough time remembering what i had for breakfast today, so remembering the ingredient details of a meal 4 days ago is going to be challenging.

with that said, on to the review...

after discovering that 8 1/2 was still closed, my stomach was not going to fill itself, thus nourishment was required and a plan B was needed. after the enjoyable meal i had at Wish, it was learned that the head chef at Talula was the former head chef at Wish and was responsible for their first 4-star rating.

walking in off the street, they were accomodating as the full dinner crowd was winding down. the place is not very big, but there is enough table space. the decor is contemporary and nicely dark.

appetizer:
a portabello mushroom dish with a creamy cheese spread - off the spice menu. liked it, and i don't like mushrooms. the other option for appetizer was something i did not want at all. if i had the menu i could tell you more, but alas i don't. my pick was the lesser of 2 evils and it was a good decision.

"cork braised" mediterranean octopi - served with hearts of palm, artichoke, arugula, and a pepper-lemon dressing. i would tell you how it was, but i didn't have any of it. however, it got a mild thumbs up from my friend.

grilled sonoma valley foie gras - served with carmelized figs, blue corn cakes (think pancakes), candied walnuts and chile syrup. it was delish. the grilling added a nice robust flavor to it. the big negative though, was the portion size. it was too small.

entree:
basically a london broil-like flank steak - off the spice menu. i loved the meat, cooked and tasted very good. but i did not care for the sauce. i have no idea what it was (no menu, again), but the only way to describe it was a sweet bean sauce, with almost a fruit-like quality. i did not think it complimented the beef very well, so i pretty much left it alone on my plate. it also came with mashed potatoes and some garnish vegetables, which were both satisfactory.

fine herb capunti pasta and cheese - tasted like a fancy mac and cheese. not bad, but didn't blow my skirt up either.

"rothkase" wisconsin gran queso & vidalia onion tart chorizo - tasted almost like a mini gourmet pizza. pizza anything gets a thumbs up in my book. i liked it, but nothing out of this world.

dessert:
banana bread pudding - off the spice menu. it was delicious. i can't elaborate any more on the preparation as (yep, you guessed it) i don't have the menu. but banana bread pudding is banana bread pudding and this was a decent one.

a couple other notes... the service was good. the wine list left a lot to be desired as there was not a very large selection. also, i'm not sure if the AC wasn't working properly but it was very warm.

in synopsis, i would say overall it was a somewhat enjoyable meal. i am not sure i would recommend rushing there for the Spice menu, especially if the AC has not been improved. but as it turns out, their Spice menu is changed weekly, so i guess you can ignore my entire review. i will say that the regular menu looked solid and i would have some faith in the chef's abilities. there is also a very nice garden patio where they have some outdoor dining. on a cool day, that would probably be the play.




Talula
210 23rd Street
Miami Beach
305-672-0778

[CrzyC]

Thanks for the review. This place is on my Spice List but as you know from my bday if there isnt sufficient A/C I am nt a happy camper.

[Lola]

nice review