Modern Garden

Fun food and great atmosphere but not worth the price for the taste. They pay very close attention to the looks of the food and locale but I felt that they still need to focus on the flavors. Hopefully they work on it because it has potential.

Came here back in July and called for a reservation for a Tuesday night. I even got called on Tuesday afternoon to confirm. When we arrived at Modern Garden we were shocked to find it not opened on Monday or Tuesday!!! They said we could eat next door at Seasalt, but still order off the Modern Garden menu. Huh? We sat down outside, but with such a bad feeling about being deceived we got up and left. Headed over to the Eating House for a great meal. If you’re not open, just tell me. Don’t make me schlep all the way downtown for the «old bait & switch»

Great place. Absolutely delicious menu items and cocktails. Our waiter John explained the menu so well very knowledgable and helped us pick out some really fantastic dishes along with chef Sabastian who recommended the Meli Melo Tartar. The flavor combination and texture is perfect. Loved the diver scallops in smoked potato purée with hazelnut butter and cooking the tenderest cut of meat on an 800 degree lava stone with sauces right at the table was really unique. The chefs at this restaurant are well trained in the art and presentation. You can’t go wrong with the Wagyu beef burger or any of the desserts. The décor is artistic with a huge wooden tree and doors open to the view of the intercostal where boats tie up and patrons hop out to eat. Chef Ben does a fine job managing this kitchen. Pastry chef Jill recommended a fried pastry filled with creamy center that was just enough to top the night off. I wish I had not forgotten the name. If you are looking for a special place to have a delightful culinary experience try Modern Garden.

This place is absolutely… Amaaaazing!
VISUALS: Carefully planned and designed fit the «Modern» theme. Ranging from the white ethereal décor to– the radiant purple orchids to– the awesome view of the river! They even go as far as putting intricate details such as using white linen napkins that are embroidered with the «Modern Garden» logo.
SERVICE: The hostess booth is shared between «Sea Spice and Modern Garden»,
Our server was John, a well dressed gent who took the time to explain the concept of the restaurant and the seasonal menus that they have and knowledgable about each dish!
Aside from meeting John, we also met Chef Benjamin, Pastry Chef Jill, & manager Attila, who checked on our dining experience several times throughout the evening.
EATS: So we broke the ice and got all aquatinted, John presented with a starter…
— Edaname Pesto: which was like a hummus, but was made of edaname and pesto. It was lightly salted and served with chip that lightly fried similar to wonton chips. After we finished the starter out rolled out the first course and Chef Benjamin! He was professional, savvy, and very passionate about making his dishes unique and different from the normal dining that Miami has to offer. Majority of the dishes are tappas style made to share with a significant other or a group of friends! Also Chef Benjamin likes to create off the menu items based on what was locally sourced for the day! Think about how he has to create a new dish per sourced item? You can’t get any more creative than that right? He presented us with the following «crudo» items:
— Suzuki Tartare: 5 pieces of white bass wrapped around cucumber and topped with thin slices are raw radish and ikura roe. This tasted so fresh and light with the combination of the bass and crunchy julianne pieces of cucumber. *off the menu item
— Yellowtail Snapper: adorned with curled pieces serrano ham, dried apple, and topped with serrano powder and micro floral and greens. This has a subtle hint of smokiness from the serrano ham which perfect and not overwhelming! *off the menu item
— Kanpachi: slices of kanpachi atop of candy pecan smear (that wasn’t sweet) topped with dehydrated blackberries to provide texture, but not the tartness of a fresh blackberry and garnished with micro greens and micro dandelions (which as a slight pungent taste). * off the menu item
–Fish and meadow: slices of seared tuna topped with MELT in your mouth foie gras! I would never imagine putting these two types of protein together! This dish a must try if you like tuna and if you LOVE foie gras! It has right amount of foie gras that is not in your face and the tuna off sets and cuts down the richness. Then came along the «hot stone» items:
— Waygu hot stone: The slab of hot stone is supposedly heated ²⁴⁄₇ in a oven and it comes with an assortment of DIY seasoning ranging from fresh lavender, black lava salt, sea salt, limes, and house made aioli sauce. The slices of Waygu beef served is of the highest quality level 9. It was buttery, soft, and melts in your mouth. There is also a spinelis aka ribeye cap that you can order and that has the right amount of marble that cooks perfectly on the hot stone. Along side of the hot stone items we also had the fresh hearts of palm salad, I never had a salad as such and will never forget how amazing this salad was! Imagine thin ribbons of fresh palm hearts lightly dressed with a special soy vinaigrette topped with granola and strawberries. Perfect paring with the beef hot stone!
— White fish hot stone: also came with an assortment of sea salt which helps with the fish to not stick to the stone. They like to use salt to cook both the fish and beef with rather than dredging the protein in oils. The fish is light and not fishy and was served with slices of fresh romanesco broccoli! If you are still reading this review, I am sure you are committed now and wondering what next? Well desserts of course! Pastry Chef Jill created 2 delightful dishes that was like Yin and Yang.
The Yin-​Chocolate Cremoso: which was decadent and rich dessert consisting of toasted rich mousse on top of a crumbly cookie like base created from seaweed snow and coco nibs.
The Yang –Garden of Eden: Light, tropical, and refreshing. Coconut granita with a icy texture on top of strawberries. Alongside the granita is a passion fruit custard, slices of starfruit, dehydrated strawberries, braised pineapple, and a thin slice of seasoned white chocolate! Overall my experience here was phenomenal, it’s out of the box and with a twist of modern food artisans that dedicate their time to make your dining experience content, pleasurable, and happy.

What a very special meal we had. The décor is so modern, an open, converted industrial warehouse right next to the Miami River that seems to grow branches and form two large wooden trees (the design was featured at Art Basel this year). It was very elegant and chic. And the food! We are vegetarians and the chef, Benjamin, came out to speak with us before we ordered and told us he would prepare something for us from scratch, not on the menu. That turned out to be his take on an eggplant parm –perfectly crisp eggplant topped with Moroccan tomatoes and fresh herbs de provence served on a bed of forbidden/​purple rice topped with the creamiest burata we’ve ever had. The entire dish was served atop a lava stone that continued to crisp the rice to form a wonderful soccarat. We also ordered a heart of palm salad (on the menu) which was so creative. The hearts of palm almost had the texture of flat Asian noodles, paired with spicy granola and a light soy vinaigrette. So well balanced and unique. We also met Jill, the pastry chef, who created an appetizer for us – fruit «tartare» wrapped in mille feuille spring rolls and topped with a raw quail egg – so creative and whimsical, the perfect light bite. And wait until you try her dessert! We had all three! John, our server, gave us attentive service and was very knowledgable. If I had one suggestion it would be that their mushroom side was a bit slimy in texture. I usually love mushrooms but didn’t love these. Also, wish the wine selection was bigger and more varied– there was no sommelier on duty. Still, that is a small thing when their cocktails are so perfect – highly recommend the one with lychee syrup – not as sweet as you would imagine. Everyone went out of their way and went the extra mile, including the two managers who checked in with us. Everyone takes such pride in this restaurant. I am from NYC and this experience was on par with the best restaurants in NYC. The best part was being able to meet everyone who contributed to our very special meal. There is heart and a sense of fun that permeates all the food. You can’t imitate that. We can’t wait for our next trip to come back again.

Artful, amazing dishes, intimate atmosphere and cool interactive experience. Salmon rosettes are divine.