"La Semilla flexes the flavors of Cuban and Mexican dishes on a menu rooted in veganism and family recipes. Owned by Sophia Marchese and Reid Trapani, La Semilla (or the seed) was forged from a pop-up launched just before the pandemic. This is a flavor-packed triumph of vegan dishes, like meatless versions of vegan chicken tamals steamed in banana leaves served with a punchy ancho sauce, croquetas de jamon stuffed with seitan ham Tranpani makes himself, and bistec de palomilla made with Lion’s Mane mushrooms. Start off with sikil pak (spicy pumpkin seed and tomato dip) served with fresh tortilla chips. And don’t skip the chochoyotes (masa dumplings filled with corn puree) served atop a thin layer of coconut-corn broth topped with a poblano-corn sofrito and matcha oil and fried tortillas for scooping. Reservations highly encouraged." - Beth McKibben, Henna Bakshi
