A Rare breed

Tucked just out of sight from Ponce de Leon ave. in Miramar lies the month old steakhouse, Rare 125°. A fusion of sizzle, copper and clanging glasses with a low-key glamorous profile, this trendy addition to the booming restaurant district has been jam packed with hawk eyed foodies looking for the next big thing since the day it soft opened. Many of us have already been back several times and while we tell oursleves it’s because we just love a good steak, it’s really because this place feels right on so many levels. Rare 125° refers to the ideal preparation of the perfect steak and while this is not a house rule overriding your preferences, it is a mantra of committment to providing the ultimate restaurant experience.

patio

That ultimate experience doesn’t happen by accident. It is a meticulous calculation of hundreds of small parts that are glued together by collision physics and the resulting beautiful chaos is then brought to order by masters of the art. Xavier Toro, a 17 year industry veteran and foodiespr favorite, is one of those masters. You’ll find him at the expo of his half open kitchen, cooly shielding his cooks from a barrage of tickets while keeeping a second eye on the bustling dining room. You’ll see him massaging a group of regulars with a passionate discourse about a personally selected wine for their meal. There he is again, rearranging the layout to free a bottleneck at the host station. Always ears twittched like a doberman pincher, simultaneously digesting every nuance of the operation with a Spiderman danger sense. This is the reason Rare 125° is poised to become this upscale neighborhood’s favorite go-to. Well, that, and because the food really rocks…

Genrel Manager/Restaurateur Xavier Toro — General Manager/Restaurateur Xavier Toro

House specialty appetizers are the Beef Tataki and Pork Belly Chicharron. The pork belly is a crowd pleaser of crispy comfort served with a whipped black bean refrito and a cleansing lemon creme fresh that you can’t go wrong with. The Tataki however, is pure genius. This dish serves a few slices of the house specialty pastrami rubbed steak, a small mound of dulcet mushroom escabeche, ponzu sauce and thinly sliced cucumber. Designed for assembly at table, the result is a lightning bolt that zaps all four sides of the tongue and thunders a big “fuck you” to haters of deconstructionist theory. If you’re feeling a little less complicated there are steakhouse classics like Beef Carpaccio with truffles and lemon vinaigrette or Tuna Tartare served with mango jam and yogurt, both executed to white tabelcloth standards.

por belly chcicharrones w/ black bean refrito — pork belly chicharrones w/ black bean refrito

Our choice amongst the signature steaks is a 14.oz New York cut, embalmed in pastrami spices and topped with a hedonistic glob of foi gras butter. This hell-why-not would be considered incomparable if not for the other top choice; a richer-than-Trump 10oz. Beef Tenderloin in a creamy-peppery au poivre. Both dishes have salty fronts, sweet finishes and bursting flavors layered into heavenly textures. Personally, I’d say the New York needs to be tamed by a big red from Xavier’s personally selected wine list featuring several lesser known gems and that’s exactly how he paired it for us. The Tenderloin however, can be jetpacked with a wicked black pepper martini that hails from the house cocktail list (dooo eeeet). Good luck coming down from that one.

tenderloin au poivre

Rare 125° is worth multiple visits because the menu is strong and deep throughout. A few other selections deserving mention are the pan seared diver scallops in a ginger lemon sauce for seafood lovers and the braised short rib with dauphinoise potatoes. You can also order the horseradish truffle creme for that ribeye steak or get the blackened tuna a caballo from a lengthy list of gourmet sides and sauces. Rare 125° opens for lunch every day and features wraps, burgers and $15 lunch boxes like the pork tenderloin with vegetable risotto and gauva marmalade from 11:30am-3pm.