Spring is in the air at Seline. Almost a completely different menu for our visit. I get why people find the food polarizing. Even more so than Dialogue, which I loved. Unusual flavor and texture combinations abound. It will not be to everyone’s taste. Things that stood out were the use of medicinal (leek, eucalyptus, banana course), vegetal (leaves on the sweetbreads), bitter (sea bass with penang curry) flavors. Also not afraid to highlight funky fermented flavors in the torn prawn dish that has a salad referencing Som Tum Tua. Sometimes too much for me: the bitter cooked greens in the grilled bass dish were overwhelming the curry sauce. Sometimes very successful like the frozen mustard leaf with passion fruit and freeze dried ginger powder.
They are trying to push the boundaries, if you’re thinking of going you should be prepared for that.
Not sure how I felt about how often they doubled or tripled up the courses for a beverage pairings. I think it made it hard to get a good match for everything. Nothing was a bad match, but depending on the course one of the wines or NA pairings was clearly superior. If you share one of each it’s fun to compare.
Service and pacing were pretty dialed in, even without Chef Dave in the kitchen that night. Price is fair, we found it was plenty of food, and most people will leave full,. Unfortunately you can’t get the intimacy of sitting at the counter in the old Dialogue, which I think is impossible in this day and age at this price point.
Highlights
- Venison tartare draped with celery root and savory granola. Great flavors and textural contrast.
- Spring herbs, sweetbreads, buttermilk. I heard one of the staff say they were shooting for popcorn chicken and ranch.
- 45 day dry aged Flannery NY strip with fennel, housemade “A1”, and pillowy fried bread
- Black truffle milkshake!
- Caviar and coffee making a return from the Dialogue menu. This version was heavier on the toasted hazelnuts
- Olive oil ice cream sandwich. Good balance of the fruity olive oil flavor and not too much sweetness to distract.
2023 Arnot-Roberts, Ascona Vineyord, Santa Cruz Mountains, Sauvignon Blanc
apple pond
leek & eucalyptus
2009 Kabaj, Ghost Rider, GoriSka, Beda
“a gently wilted salad”
celery root, venison, savory granola
2022 Pivnica Cajkov, Godfather, Cajkov
sorrel & rhubarb
torn prawn, gooseberry, burnt lettuce
frozen mustard & passion fruit
2019 Marcel Deiss, Schoenenbourg, Alsace Grand Cru
grilled bass, broccolini, stone rose leaf
spring herbs, sweetbreads, buttermilk
2022 Domaine Charles Audoin, Les Longeroies, Marsannay
aged and smoked new york strip, fennel, tamarind brioche & bone marrow
Rare Wine Co., Historic Series, “Charleston Sercial,” Madeira
black truffle milkshake
puffed beef tendon & caramelized onion
caviar & coffee
2023 Domaine Huet, Le Mont, Demi-Sec, Vouvray
orange, beet, earl grey tea
olive oil & chamomile
