Mustard Seed Bistro

Tim and Lara Boyd sure have built a following over the many years they've been running restaurants in South Florida. Like their last few ventures, the Mustard Seed is a quaint, chefy place set in the bistro mold. The room feels classic but not antiquated, with rust-brown chandeliers, white chair rails along the walls, and lacy curtains that obscure the orange strip mall outside. The restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it packs up at almost all times. At lunch, you'll find the place stocked with well-heeled ladies canoodling over bistro favs like crab cakes with black bean salsa and tuna Niçoise as host Lara works the room. For dinner, the lacquered wood tables get covered in white linen and service stiffens up a notch. Entrees tip the scale in terms of price, and though some deliver, the rough edges are slightly exposed - examples: excellent cherry gastrique coating a so-so portion of duck, perfectly cooked bison tenderloin mounting uninspired mashed potatoes. Still, in terms of charm, this bistro has it. Just book early, and bring your good card.