Seasalt and Pepper

Looking for a special place to take your date to that will score you some serious points? Or how about going to indulge on some fresh Mediterranean seafood while running into celebrities like Beyoncé, Jay Z and Ryan Phillippe. Yup, whether you're starstruck or planning a romantic night out, Seasalt and Pepper, the new seafood restaurant located at 422 N.W. North River Drive on the Miami River, is making waves.

 

Created by developer and designer Stephane Dupoux, who is also the mastermind of places like Pearl, Nikki Beach and Buddha Bar Resorts, along with a team of visionaries, Seasalt and Pepper brings the river a stylish, Miamiesque vibe complete with sleek, sultry curtains and a nautical theme. I totally loved the decor from the moment I walked in. Set in one of the area's industrial warehouses, the 200-seat eatery offers on-the-water dining, an event space, an outdoor lounge and an eclectic menu.

 

Beef Tomato Burrata

Meli Melo of Tartar

To start off with, let me tell you that it was a weeknight and the place was packed.  I was extremely glad I had a reservation (Make sure you do too). We kicked off the evening with a bottle of wine and ordered two appetizers, their Beef Tomato Burrata and the Meli Melo of Tartar. The Beef Tomato Burrata was a generous portion of flash fried burrata cheese, sitting on top of black heirloom tomatoes and a pool of pesto dressing. The tartar was a party for the palate of tuna, salmon, scallops, crab, watercress pesto with a soya pesto marinade, served with avocado fries. It's one of their signature dishes and I can see why.

Chilean Sea Bass

Next up, we had two of their casseroles as entrees: the Alaskan Black Cod and the Chilean Sea Bass. The Alaskan Black Cod was served with fennel, broccolini and pernod. It was very fresh and flavorful. Of the two, however, my favorite was the Sea Bass. It was quite possibly one of the best I've had. The fish was tender and buttery, practically melting in my mouth, and the sauce bathing it and the potatoes was exquisite. I didn't leave a drop in the casserole.

 

Alaskan Black Cod
 

Seasalt PB&J

Sorbet of the Day

The evening ended with dessert, of course. Our very attentive server didn't have to twist my arm too much to entice me. We chose the Seasalt PB & J, a ricotta cheesecake with peanut butter crunch; served with a strawberry balsamic jelly over a berry sorbet. It was very refreshing and light. Then I just had to try their sweet and savory Sorbet of the Day with bits of bacon and eye-rolling caramel. I would do unspeakable things for a gallon of this.



For more information on Seasalt and Pepper or to book a reservation, which I highly urge you to do if you want to try it for yourself, you can contact them at 305-440-4200 or visit them online at Seasalt and Pepper. It took me a long time to get through, since the call goes to voicemail most of the time, but keep trying.