Semilla Eatery & Bar

Miami foodies have cause to celebrate now that a number of top-rated chefs have opened small bistros across the city serving unique comfort food at an affordable price. Semilla Eatery & Bar is a labor of love for Chef Frederic Joulin who once cooked exclusively for French President Jacques Chirac but now creates modern gastropub fare on the west side of South Beach. The Alton Road restaurant has a cozy industrial design with wood accents, stainless steel finishes and burlap covered tables. Lucky patrons can opt to sit at the gleaming bar which faces Joulin’s open kitchen where he prepares the day’s specials.

The restaurant’s unique focal point is a vertical garden lining the wall of the dining room with 50 terra cotta pots filled with fresh herbs. “The restaurant’s name means seed,” said Chef Joulin. “ We chose this name to elaborate on the fact that each of our freshly prepared menu items is made using primarily organic ingredients.” The seasonally driven menu includes lobster with a mango remoulade, grilled branzino and seared ahi tuna in a ginger miso broth. A glass wine cellar at the back of the house is filled with a carefully curated selection served with dinner and also available at happy hour seven nights a week from 6-8pm. Specially priced beers, appetizers and house wines draw appreciative crowds to the bar and alfresco tables where this celebrated chef crafts his magic.