THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Semilla
Well-executed vegetable-forward fare in Williamsburg.
Openings: Dinner Tues.-Sat.
Features
- Dress code: Casual
- Heart-healthy dishes
- Reservations suggested
THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Semilla Restaurant Review:
Step into the diminutive dining room and have a seat in the theater that is a U-shaped table accommodating 18 people. The vegetable-forward menu changes regularly, but prepare to be wowed, as you wonder how anyone can coax this much flavor out of a vegetable. That someone is Jose Ramirez-Ruiz. The chef turns typical dining logic on its head, inverting the meat-is-the-star paradigm. A sole 10-course tasting is available, so settle in for the night. One of the early courses might be a three-bite cabbage sandwich, freeze-dried cracker-like cabbage leaves used as the “bread.” Other dishes could be radish and whipped foie gras, mushrooms and radish with sunchoke purée, or squash blossom beignets. Whatever it is you encounter, know that Ramirez-Ruiz is very good at combining unlikely tastes and adding just enough texture to amuse the palate. Expect the sweet selections to be a refreshingly odd flavor of ice cream --- fig leaf, anyone? The additional wine pairing emphasizes crisp whites that go well with vegetables.
|