Chef Timothy Boyd and his wife, Lara, have a knack for opening restaurants in unexpected places. Fans have followed them from the Upper Crust in Plantation to Milk & Honey in Pembroke Pines and now The Mustard Seed Bistro in a small Cooper City shopping center.

The third time does seem like the charm for the Boyds, who have teamed up here with veteran chef Ernesto Rado, a native of Peru. Business is so good that we were turned away one Saturday night because we hadn't made a reservation. And they're opening a Plantation branch, with a small organic market, in the former Grapevine Gourmet space in November.

The Cooper City restaurant reflects Lara Boyd's whimsical touch, with a fun mural of circus animals on the back wall. Broad stripes of lemon yellow and sandy hues offset the dark furniture, and tables are topped with linen and candlelight.

The wine list, primarily boutique selections, is impressive for a small restaurant, but expect to pay $10 and up for wines by the glass and $28 or more by the bottle.

We could easily feast here all day, starting with vanilla custard French toast for breakfast, a Creole crab burger at lunch and the fresh catch for dinner.

Boyd's creative menu changes weekly and there are nightly specials. At $14, a scallop starter seemed pricey, but we were enticed by its first place in a culinary competition. It's indeed a winner. Three plump, juicy scallops are pan-seared, then finished in the oven on a Himalayan salt brick that gently perfumes the dish. The perfectly cooked mollusks get a sweet-tart kiss from a kiwi garnish and are beautifully presented atop the pink block of salt.

The kitchen kindly divided a delightful chopped salad -- chunks of a warm crab cake over cool, crisp greens and small bites of cucumber, tomato, green apple and Gorgonzola. A simple dressing of extra-virgin olive oil and lime juice let the clean, fresh flavors shine.

Faced with many tempting choices, we took our accommodating server's suggestion and shared a special of wild mushroom risotto as an appetizer -- good move, because while delicious, it was ultra filling, rich with Gouda, goat cheese and Parmesan.

The kitchen aces its fish dishes. A fragrant Pernod butter sauce revs up succulent pan-seared snapper. Breaded, roasted cod is golden brown and moist (though a friend thought it could have been a tad warmer), topped with a perky pineapple salsa.

Lavender-lacquered duck might sound odd, but it's divine, ultra tender and moist with a whisper of lavender in a sauce reduction.

Boyd's culinary magic is a subtle seduction. His discretion shows in the terrific grilled rack of lamb with a hint of rosemary and mint, its pink center oozing savory juices.

His bold innovations don't always succeed. On our first visit, we had an appetizer of unchewably tough grilled and stuffed calamari and an entree that was just OK -- a rustic chicken-penne with an overwhelming smoky flavor. But on our next visit, everything was outstanding, even sides like homey mashed potatoes, perfectly cooked haricot vert and asparagus and glistening barley pearls elevated by a splash of truffle oil.

Desserts of warm, cinnamony apple cobbler with crunchy walnuts and a soufflé-like flourless chocolate cake, both with vanilla ice cream, left us smiling.

The Mustard Seed gets its name from the parable about the little seed that grows into a mighty plant. The Boyds' little restaurant is already growing into a big success.

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