This is why I fell in love with Semilla: a beet salad with an icy little center of beet granita. Beets have never been happier. That little green driblet is green mayonnaise, but you can't see the fresh cheese hiding underneath.
Semilla is an easygoing and very relaxed place; nobody dresses up, the waiters soon feel like friends, and the is food fresh, simple and always a bit surprising.
Those shiny little slices are raw sardines, tucked among satsuma tangerines, crisp fennel and radishes.
Have you ever seen lovelier turnips? Those little pearls are trout roe, and there's white tarama hiding beneath all those vegetables.
A very delicate risotto with white wine and cepes.
The lightest preparation of bonito, steamed with bokchoi.
We just don't have ducks like the ones in France. I found myself eating it at almost every meal. This one was simple and completely delicious.
Another fall classic: sweetbreads with various mushrooms.
And a satisfying way to end a meal: figs with shiso sorbet.
I went to the restaurant because Alice Waters recommended it. And I instantly understood: if you like Alice's food, you'll like Semilla. And, of course, the fact that they have the wines of Domaine Tempier makes everything taste even more delicious.
I rarely leave Paris without making at least one visit to Huitrerie Regis near St. Sulpice. It's the most perfect oyster bar.... and the place to try the coppery, unforgettable Belons that taste like no other oyster. A fine place to bid farewell to a city where the food has never been better.
