Lion & The Rambler’s Taste of the Season
The Weekend Tasting Menu Showcases Intricate Seasonal Flavors
Lion & The Rambler is a cozy, yet modern restaurant on Ponce de Leon just short of 8th Street, offering an ever-evolving seasonal menu with carefully sourced ingredients. Opened just last year, Chef Michael Bolen (also the proprietor) has made a name for his eatery with a distinctive dining experience, earning this year’s “Best Restaurant in Coral Gables” title by Miami New Times and a listing in the 2023 Michelin Guide.
On Fridays and Saturdays, the kitchen showcases thoughtfully crafted dishes with elaborate four-course ($125 per person) and seven-course ($185 per person) tasting menus, paired optionally with a selection of wines ($65 and $90 respectively). Here, you’ll set aside a couple of hours for a complex culinary journey that explores the season’s most pristine ingredients.
As we sat down for the seven-course dinner, we were greeted with two glasses of refreshing Prosecco alongside damp towels to prepare our hands for the snack course. To open our taste buds, we sipped a tea of Cox’s Orange Pippin apples.
Now prepared, we were served three snacks: a bluefin tuna tart sandwiched between avocado and jalapeño slices, drenched in homemade ponzu sauce; a four-layer Koginut squash croustade with whipped French feta, hazelnut miso, pear jam, and brûléed squash; and a spiced apple bread with foie gras and serrano ham. We savored each small, profoundly flavored bite.
The second course consisted of a thrice-fried chicken, topped with hot sauce, prized ossetra caviar, and white truffle — a luxurious appetizer paired with an aperitif-style champagne. The next course was lobster. As with each plate, Chef Bolen came tableside to explain the complexity of his craft. He detailed how he used every part of the lobster — from the crispy grilled tail to a soufflé caramelized and topped with a salad made from the claws and knuckles. It was beautifully plated with vibrant roasted beet and broccolini sauces.
We prepared for the following course with a sip of light French rosé and slices of warm sourdough and focaccia lathered in honey butter — a palate cleanser for the flavorful porcelet belly dégustation up next. This highly regarded delicacy of baby pig cuts came plated with scallops and three colorful sauces of roasted pear, koginut squash, and chanterelle mushrooms with hazelnut. Throughout the meal, the dollops of inventive sauces complemented each dish exquisitely.
Powering through three more courses, we enjoyed line-caught cod steamed in dashi, served with coconut bisque, spiced couscous, Thai basil sauce, and grilled negi onion.
With our next glass of dry Gamay, we dug into our favorite plate of the night: the boniato pelmeni. These sweet potato dumplings were cooked in garlic butter and topped with sour orange sauce and aleppo pepper. The final entree was glazed short rib paired with black truffle fried bread and honeynut squash sauce.
The night concluded with a bonus: a selection of desserts, from passion fruit macarons to mandarin ice cream and lemon tarts, paired with a rich port. Our favorite was the brownie topped with mascarpone ice cream and garnished with miso caramel and chocolate crumble. For hardcore foodies, Lion & The Rambler’s tasting menu is a unique gastronomic experience, combining creativity, passion, and technique.
Lion & The Rambler
804 Ponce de Leon
305.603.7612
lionandtherambler.com