Chef Trilk started cooking alongside his grandfather in the Alsace region; an area known for fine wines and a Germanic influence on its regional cuisine. Growing up on the verdant land of his family’s winery, the young chef began his training at the family hotel where he learned about the Spätburgunder and Gewürztraminer wines produced on their land. He went on to attain his Master Chef Degree in 1995 and then set out to explore the world to experience a broad range of foods and cooking techniques. His travels led to an eight year stint as head chef at Grand Old House in the Cayman Islands before he seized the opportunity to launch French 27 alongside Chef Yann Rio.

Chef Rio trained under some of France’s top chefs at Paris’ Hotel Crillon ( 2 Michelin stars), Precatelan (2 Michelin stars), Bernard Loiseau Saulieu, (3 Michelin stars), and Apicius (2 Michelin stars). He went on to launch his own restaurants Le Sequoia, Naturella, and O Flore in Montpellier. Relocating to Miami, he first opened Nothing But the Best before moving on to consult at Greenstreet Restaurant in Coconut Grove. He served as a judge for the BTS of Cuisine, participates actively in the Association of Chefs of France and maintains the title Maitre-Restaurateur of France, an honorific bestowed upon the best French chefs.

The menu at French 27 celebrates seafood with starters of Soy Cured Salmon, Lump Crab Cakes and Maine Lobster Risotto. In classic French style, tiered platters of chilled shellfish include Alaskan King Crab Legs, Florida Stone Crabs and a variety of oysters and clams. Guests can opt for entrees from land and sea including Chilean Seabass, Mediterranean Turbot, Duck Confit and Braised Short Ribs with truffled mashed potatoes. The restaurant features dry-aged Angus beef in small and larger portions starting with an 8 ounce Filet Mignon up to a 20 ounce Bone-in Rib Eye.

French 27 is located at 850 Commerce Street in South Beach. (305) 764-3948. Serving Sunday through Thursday 5:30pm – 11pm and Friday & Saturday until Midnight.

“The design of Boulud Sud will bring together the charm of Provence, the warm spice and fragrant herbs of Mediterranean cuisine to pair with the casual elegance of Miami, ” said Daniel Boulud. “It will be the perfect backdrop for our vibrant Mediterranean menu.”

Former db Bistro Sous Chef Clark Bowen took over as Executive Chef in early 2016 following the departure of Jason Pringle who relocated to California. “When he joined the team at db Bistro, it was apparent that he had great potential,” says Chef Daniel Boulud. “We look forward to his continued contributions to our family in his elevated role.” Passionate about his connections to area farms like Swank and Paradise Organics, Bowen will introduce new seasonaly-inspired dishes utilizing fresh Florida seafood, herbs and tropical fruit.

One of Downtown Miami’s most elegant dining destinations, Boulud Sud at the JW Marriott Marquis offers appealing contemporary cuisine prepared by a kitchen that is steeped in the traditions of classic French cooking. A beautifully-designed Florida offshoot of Daniel Boulud’s cooking empire – which includes a number of highly rated New York eateries – Boulud Sud joins Boulud’s popular hotel ventures in London, Singapore, Toronto and Montreal. The restaurant’s gleaming expanses and 18 foot ceilings showcase the energy and style of a truly professional waitstaff and Chef Clark Bowen’s thoughtfully-executed dishes. Originally launched in New York in 2011, this is the second location for this dynamic Mediterranean menu.

“The design of Boulud Sud will bring together the charm of Provence, the warm spice and fragrant herbs of Mediterranean cuisine to pair with the casual elegance of Miami, ” said Daniel Boulud. “It will be the perfect backdrop for our vibrant Mediterranean menu.”

Former db Bistro Sous Chef Clark Bowen took over as Executive Chef in early 2016 following the departure of Jason Pringle who relocated to California. “When he joined the team at db Bistro, it was apparent that he had great potential,” says Chef Daniel Boulud. “We look forward to his continued contributions to our family in his elevated role.” Passionate about his connections to area farms like Swank and Paradise Organics, Bowen will introduce new seasonaly-inspired dishes utilizing fresh Florida seafood, herbs and tropical fruit.

Well-dressed Miami professionals flock to the weeknight happy hour in the lounge area from 5-8pm where drinks and snacks cost just $7. Thursday nights are especially popular when a DJ adds extra energy to the swank surroundings. Bowen’s team prepares a 2-course chef’s lunch menu starting at $27 (dessert is an additional $7). He notes, “Our new menu includes Mediterranean classics like grilled octopus, Arabic lamb flatbread and seared branzino.”

Boulud Sud
255 Biscayne Boulevard Way, Downtown Miami

With an enchanting atmosphere crafted by Celano Design, Bagatelle Miami follows successful locations in party capitals like New York, Los Angeles, Sao Paulo, St. Barths and St. Tropez with elegant beige and white furnishings and sparkling accents. Catering to visiting internationals and Miamians with a sense of style, the restaurant will curate a selection of pop artworks, fresh flowers and blended musical genres to create a dynamic guest experience. The New York location recently garnered headlines with the addition of a thousand dollar sundae to the dessert menu that includes chocolate truffles, macarons, brownies festooned with edible gold leaf and a limited edition Mauboussin ring presented in a tiny beribboned box.

With no mention of such sweet extravagances planned for the Miami menu, Chef Godard will focus upon contemporary French cuisine with an ahi tuna tartar, gnocchi in a truffled parmesan sauce and jumbo prawns sauteed with Ricard Pernod taking pride of place in his kitchen. Offering a homey touch, the chef will prepare a whole roast chicken with country style potatoes and cipolini mushrooms that can be shared by two. In the coming months, expect to hear more about the restaurant’s signature champagne brunch parties which often get diners so excited, they shake up their bottles and spray crowds with showers of French bubbly!

Bagatelle Miami is located at 2000 Collins Avenue at the Villa Bagatelle boutique hotel, (305) 704-3900. Open Sunday through Wednesday 6pm-midnight, Thursday through Saturday 6pm-1am.

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.

After launching his own restaurant Le Clos St Honore when he was only 25 years old, Chef Joulin chose to bring his talents to South Beach and started out with a bistro called Cafe des Arts on Miami Beach. This season he launches an approachable modern gastropub on South Beach called Semilla. We recently spoke to the ambitious French chef about his new Alton Road eatery. “The restaurant’s name means ‘seed’ when translated from Spanish to English,” 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. We aim to go back to the basics—the initial ‘seed’ (so to speak) of preparing gourmet cuisine—the period before processed food and unpronounceable ingredient names.”

What are your impressions of living and working as a chef in Miami. How do you make it work?
As of today, it’s still like a dream. I would never have imagined my life outside of France and now that I’m here for almost 9 years, I feel like home again.

I feel blessed living and working in Miami. It’s truly a pleasure to live in a beautiful city with the best weather in the world. We have everything here, the sun, the beach and so the motivation and inspiration for working. I’m happy to share my passion with my staff, happy to teach them one of the most beautiful jobs in the world. I work in my restaurant every single day because there is no secret to making a business successful in South Florida. If you want to build customer loyalty, people need to trust you, they are looking for a quality, they need to see your product, they want to see you in your kitchen.

Is it tough to find a balance between the discipline of running a successful kitchen and the temptations of a fun location like South Florida for you and your team?
For those who are night life addicts it can be hard, especially to wake up in the morning. Semilla is open every night so the staff have some time to recover. Night clubbing is not my principal interest and the only temptation I authorize to myself is to go to the Keys and rent a boat. But honestly, it’s not that often – I don’t have the time for that. It’s a privilege to live on the Beach, even if I don’t go to the sea, the most important thing is to know that the beach is here and you can go whenever you want during the whole year.

My family always reminds me that I don’t need to take vacation because I live where people go for vacation. I love to drive my Harley-Davidson in South Beach, I could not do the same in Paris. It’s a way to feel free despite all this work. Don’t forget that Miami is a city like other cities and people need to work like everywhere else. What we see on TV is not the real life for everyone – a lot of people have a normal life in Miami, the week-ends just look like more vacation time.

When you’re not at work, where do you like to dine in South Florida?
I like to go to Juvia on the rooftop, it’s very romantic and the view is quite amazing. With the children we like to go to Lucali, the New-York pizzeria where the pizza are huge and you choose your ingredients.

When you are cooking at home, for yourself or your friends & family, what’s your go-to dish?
First the Chef at home is my wife. When you cook everyday at the restaurant you really appreciate that someone does the cooking for you and she is better than me for family cooking. We like simple things but with good product. Our popular dish is Ribeye with Pommes Dauphine (like hashed browns) and a mixed salad with shallots and herbs.

What are the dishes you remember most from your childhood (or your experiences as a young chef) and how do those flavors influence your menu at the restaurant?
I remember when I was a kid my parents use to make me eat a variety of vegetables. It was a simple cuisine, family cuisine, shredded carrots, tomato salad, mixed greens, celery root remoulade that we now find served on my menu with the lobster. So from a family cuisine, we can combine many products and rediscover true tastes and products that we are not used to cooking anymore.

How has cooking in Florida changed or inspired you as a chef, and do you find your menu is influenced by the great produce available in Florida?
I’ve learned to adapt myself here in Florida because the products are different from France of course but with the weather here, we find all we need. Products are the most important, whatever you decide to cook, you have to find the real taste of the primary produce. That’s why I like to work with farmers from Florida state, local product is the best (no travel from far and it helps the farmers here). Of course my menu is influenced by the produce in Florida, I usually look for my produce first and that inspires me to craft a new dish.

What’s one thing you want diners to know about the menu at your restaurant—perhaps your favorite dish, an unexpected entree or the inspiration behind one of the dishes you decided to include on the menu?
I’ve learned a lot, observed this city with this different culture, a South American cuisine and a big influence of Asia. The ceviche inspired me a lot for my new cuisine. Mixing now different cuisines in my restaurant, I know today what the customer will appreciate because I’ve listened to them from the beginning. I understand their expectations and try to do my best to find the dish they will love. The beef pot stickers are Asian cuisine with American flavor, it’s a very popular dish on my menu right now.

Semilla Eatery & Bar
1330 Alton Road
Miami Beach
(305) 674-6522

More about Semilla

Friday evenings, A la Folie has a magnificent Champagne party, offering vintages straight out of the Champagne region in France. The quaint restaurant is the perfect place to come and enjoy a leisurely glass of wine on the patio or in the rustic interior at a price that is friendly enough to encourage you to come back again and again.

The superior atmosphere, service, food and low prices are responsible for making A la Folie a neighborhood favorite for over five years.