Seline (Santa Monica, CA)
Seline Restaurant
3110 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
424-744-8811
www.selinerestaurant.com
Sat 02/08/2025, 08:25p-11:20p
Back at the start of 2024, I visited Pasjoli and wrote that Chef Dave Beran was "working on a follow-up to Dialogue, his high-end tasting menu place that closed back in November 2020." Well, that long-awaited restaurant is finally here, having opened on December 3rd in partnership with frequent collaborators Ann Hsing and Michael Simkin. The place is named after Beran's daughter Harvest Moon (Seline means "moon" in Latin), and represents the "dream" restaurant that he's been wanting to do for years. Obviously, given my previous experiences with the Chef, a priority visit was certainly called for.
Seline occupies a space that was previously home to 31 Ten Lounge, Caché, Hidden, Schatzi on Main, and Buon Gusto. Shown here is the kitchen, which is front and center right when you enter.
The kitchen transitions seamlessly into the 38-seater dining room, which was penned by Rugo/Raff Architects, a Chicago-based firm that also designed Pasjoli and Dialogue, in addition to Grant Achatz's various projects. It's a generally dimly-lit environment featuring artwork by David Choe, and was quite a comfortable place to dine.
Pictured above is Seline's menu, which was priced at $295 a head without tax, tip, or tipple. To drink, Beverage Director Matthew Brodbine (Pasjoli, Gjusta, NeueHouse, Trois Mec, Petit Trois, Marché Wine Bar) offers a wine pairing at $225 and a non-alcoholic pairing at $125, along with a surprisingly brief, French-leaning wine list. Corkage is $100 a bottle, limit two. Click for larger versions.
1: mushroom tea
Dinner commenced with a saucerful of wondrously savory, smoky, woodsy roasted mushroom tea, perfectly perked up by the aromatic zip of spruce. Intensity and depth and finesse all in one--a spare, yet bold start that really set the tone for the rest of the meal.
2: roasted leek & eucalyptus
Next was a course that saw its genesis in the wake of the devasting fires that Los Angeles experienced in January. Apparently, a farmer-friend had to harvest his crops in a rush and asked if the Chef could purchase the produce. Thus, the restaurant ended up with an abundance of leeks. The team started experimenting and came up with this, which was so good it stayed on the menu even after the fire-leeks were exhausted. Thus, what we had was a dish made almost entirely of the vegetable. The main component here was leek slow-cooked with eucalyptus, then charred and set atop roasted leek cores puréed with banana. Meanwhile, a sauce was made from the braising liquid of the leek, while rounding things out was leek top oil and fried leek roots. The end result was super smart, founded on the sweet-smoky-zesty nature of the Allium, but taken up a couple notches thanks to the counterpoint offered up by those sugary bananas, which was a next-level pairing. I also appreciated the savoriness of those fried bits, while that tangy sauce lightened things up just a tad. While eating this, I remarked that it reminded me of Albert Adrià's current obsession with one-ingredient dishes over at Enigma--similar in conception I'd say, but not presentation.
To drink, one of my dining companions brought along a magnum of the 2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. The nose was heftier than expected, going in a buttery, nearly popcorn-esque direction with lots of caramel-y yellow fruit. On the palate, the wine was rich and round, its somewhat oxidative character joined by grassiness, brackish salinity, and over-ripe fruit. The bottle wasn't quite what I was anticipating, and seemed like it might've been a bit "off."
3: mussel, kombu, cucumber
The third course was based loosely off the idea of a tide pool cooling and semi-freezing during winter, with additional inspiration coming from Korean mul naengmyeon, specifically the crunchy ice sometimes found in the broth. The dish comprised charred mussels paired with a mussel broth, cucumber, pickled daikon, braised sea kelp, ice plant, artichoke purée, and a finish of nasturtium oil. Boosted by the potency of that broth, the salinity of the bivalves was so elegantly displayed, while serving as a foil were all the light, bright flavors present, with the artichoke working to ground everything. I was also a big fan of the wide array of textures present, which made for a real treat in terms of mouthfeel. I'd probably place this among the top three mussel dishes I've had.
4: maitake, burnt onion, date
Hen-of-the-woods was roasted, set on top of a smoked date purée, and dressed with a sauce of burnt onion. What struck me first was the mushroom's texture, which was fantastic--fleshy, firm, and feathery--and just what I wanted. What struck me second was the date, which proffered this smoky-sweetness that really reminded me of barbeque. Thankfully, this sensation was pervasive but never domineering, and matched up swimmingly with the maitake's delectably savory, roasty, woodsy qualities.
5: celery root, dry-aged beef, savory granola
Whole celeriac was wrapped in a salty dough, salt-baked, thin-sliced, then layered over a beef tartare seasoned with savory granola, horseradish, cherry, and a light Dijon-style dressing. The effect made for perhaps the most beguiling steak tartare I've had, with a delightful sweet-nutty crunch to go along with the meat, the whole shebang moderated by that beautifully-textured celery root.
6: chestnut, brown butter, malted banana
Our mid-meal treat brought chestnut ice cream, brown butter, toasted banana powder, banana malt syrup, and sorrel that the Chef ostensibly foraged himself. I loved the texture on the ice cream, which linked up easily with the ultra-ripe banana flavors present, making for a decidedly dessert-y dish that definitely gratified.
7: frozen mustard & passion fruit
Transitioning us back to the savory side was a time-sensitive course of wild mustard greens laced with passion fruit and ginger. This was a showstopper, a genius amalgamation of super tropical fruit flavors and the bitter, peppery zing of mustard that wowed me.
8: "a salad cooked in squash" | watercress, shiso, cabbage
This humble looking dish traces its origins to the kaiseki menu at Next, implemented in 2012. For that menu, Beran consulted with Kyle Connaughton, a friend since the latter's days at The Fat Duck. The two discussed the "energy transfer" aspect of kaiseki, basically the idea of using one cooked item to cook another--never wasting that energy. Thus, what we had tonight started with a very aggressively roasted squash, which was stuffed with a salad once taken out of the oven. The squash therefore heats and wilts the salad, while the salad in turn perfumes the squash. The salad portion arrived first, and comprised ginger, shiso, watercress, scallion, and mushroom. Though seemingly simple in description, the dish delivered in spades taste-wise. I loved the bevy of bright, bitter, vegetal flavors present, accented by some nutty nuances and this familiar, comforting savoriness that actually reminded us of Chinese-style stir-fried noodles. Very neat.
At this point, we requested a glass of the 2018 Marcel Deiss Schoenenbourg Alsace Grand Cru [$70], which was actually part of the wine pairing, meant to go with the fish course below. The Riesling-dominated blend showcased aromas of super juicy stone fruits commixed with a petrol element. Taking a sip, I found the wine richly-flavored and concentrated, with those luscious fruit notes joined by more petrol, honey, mineral, and this distinctly "green" component. Lovely.
9: grilled bass, broccolini, stone rose leaf
Grilled sea bass arrived with a smoky, astringent, almost austere quality that was juxtaposed against a heady sauce made from the fish's roasted bones, peanut, coconut, and citrus leaves. At the same time, a wreath of charred broccolini, pea tendrils, stone rose (a type of succulent), and mint worked for contrast, and certainly lightened the mood.
10: "the squash that cooked the salad" | squash, apple, périgord truffle
The aforementioned squash then made its appearance, paired in expert fashion with roasted apple, black truffle, and brown butter. I was a huge fan of the well-caramelized, assertively-flavored nature of the squash and how that married with the earthy, musky truffle. It was a perfect pairing, though more interesting was the tangy sweetness of the apple, which actually reminded me of the Mott's apple sauce of my childhood. This was no doubt one of the best preparations of squash I've ever experienced.
Our second bottle was another Burgundy, the 2011 Louis Jadot Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses. The bouquet on this one had that "wild" character that warranted descriptors such as animale and sauvage, with additional herbaceous and iron-y notes. In terms of taste, the wine brought dark red fruit--cherry mostly--commingled with more herb, earth, and this ginger-like element. An apt pairing for the bird below.
11: "the obvious parts of the squab" | breast, leg, bones
The first of two multi-part squab courses consisted of roasted breast, a leg stuffed with fennel sausage, and a jus made from the bones. I began with the breast, which was spot-on texturally and imbued with a wonderfully peppery spice. However, the leg was even better thanks to its sausage filling, which I found utterly delicious, with this almost "hamminess" to it. Meanwhile, accoutrements of sprouting cauliflower and dollops of roasted fennel and squash helped complete the equation.
12: "the less obvious parts of the squab" | liver and bitter chocolate, skin and hazelnut, heart and strawberry
The offal-y bits of the squab were then masterfully incorporated into a trio of desserts:
13: caviar & coffee
Next came what I believe to be the only dish that was brought back from the Dialogue days: caviar, coffee crème anglaise, roasted hazelnut, and Alyssum flowers, all served in some uncommonly weighty, custom-made concrete plateware. The melding of that salty roe with the dish's nutty, coffee-tinged flavors was so, so clever and oh-so effective, presenting an interplay of tastes and textures in such a precise, focused manner. A standout for sure.
A particularly intense Espresso [$6] was served in an uncustomary vessel.
14: orange, beet, earl grey tea
Humorously, this dessert was described by our server as "things that go with Orange Julius," which meant vanilla, tea-infused shortbread cookies, beets, tarragon, fennel jam, and red shiso. Having never tasted Orange Julius, I'm not quite sure what pairs well with it, but I can say that these ingredients came together absolutely gorgeously, with the dish's fruity-floral disposition making a bunch of sense with the herbier nuances present. I loved the array of disparate textures here, too--a triumph.
15: olive oil & chamomile
Last up were these Choco Taco-looking bites, which were essentially miniature ice cream sandwiches stuffed with olive oil custard, olive oil jam, and freshly-picked herbs. They were a superb conclusion to the meal, and did a great job conveying the fruity pungency of the olive oil, accented by all that greenery, with the waffle cone offering just enough textural play and sweetness.
I was a big proponent of Dialogue back in the day, and it's crystal clear that what we have here is a logical evolution of that restaurant. Seline seems like a much more personal endeavor, and one more intimately tied to the place's location in Southern California. The food is hard to pin down to one particular style, and indeed, there's nothing else quite like it around these parts. Beran's cooking is unquestionably creative, contemporary, distinctive, thoughtful, enchanting even, but there's also this comfort, this warmth, this familiarity to the cuisine that's difficult to describe. It's a combination that I reveled in, and all things considered, this was a tremendous meal. In fact, I'd say that, even in its young age, Seline is a contender for the best restaurant in LA.
3110 Main St, Santa Monica, CA 90401
424-744-8811
www.selinerestaurant.com
Sat 02/08/2025, 08:25p-11:20p
Back at the start of 2024, I visited Pasjoli and wrote that Chef Dave Beran was "working on a follow-up to Dialogue, his high-end tasting menu place that closed back in November 2020." Well, that long-awaited restaurant is finally here, having opened on December 3rd in partnership with frequent collaborators Ann Hsing and Michael Simkin. The place is named after Beran's daughter Harvest Moon (Seline means "moon" in Latin), and represents the "dream" restaurant that he's been wanting to do for years. Obviously, given my previous experiences with the Chef, a priority visit was certainly called for.
Seline occupies a space that was previously home to 31 Ten Lounge, Caché, Hidden, Schatzi on Main, and Buon Gusto. Shown here is the kitchen, which is front and center right when you enter.
The kitchen transitions seamlessly into the 38-seater dining room, which was penned by Rugo/Raff Architects, a Chicago-based firm that also designed Pasjoli and Dialogue, in addition to Grant Achatz's various projects. It's a generally dimly-lit environment featuring artwork by David Choe, and was quite a comfortable place to dine.
Pictured above is Seline's menu, which was priced at $295 a head without tax, tip, or tipple. To drink, Beverage Director Matthew Brodbine (Pasjoli, Gjusta, NeueHouse, Trois Mec, Petit Trois, Marché Wine Bar) offers a wine pairing at $225 and a non-alcoholic pairing at $125, along with a surprisingly brief, French-leaning wine list. Corkage is $100 a bottle, limit two. Click for larger versions.
1: mushroom tea
Dinner commenced with a saucerful of wondrously savory, smoky, woodsy roasted mushroom tea, perfectly perked up by the aromatic zip of spruce. Intensity and depth and finesse all in one--a spare, yet bold start that really set the tone for the rest of the meal.
2: roasted leek & eucalyptus
Next was a course that saw its genesis in the wake of the devasting fires that Los Angeles experienced in January. Apparently, a farmer-friend had to harvest his crops in a rush and asked if the Chef could purchase the produce. Thus, the restaurant ended up with an abundance of leeks. The team started experimenting and came up with this, which was so good it stayed on the menu even after the fire-leeks were exhausted. Thus, what we had was a dish made almost entirely of the vegetable. The main component here was leek slow-cooked with eucalyptus, then charred and set atop roasted leek cores puréed with banana. Meanwhile, a sauce was made from the braising liquid of the leek, while rounding things out was leek top oil and fried leek roots. The end result was super smart, founded on the sweet-smoky-zesty nature of the Allium, but taken up a couple notches thanks to the counterpoint offered up by those sugary bananas, which was a next-level pairing. I also appreciated the savoriness of those fried bits, while that tangy sauce lightened things up just a tad. While eating this, I remarked that it reminded me of Albert Adrià's current obsession with one-ingredient dishes over at Enigma--similar in conception I'd say, but not presentation.
To drink, one of my dining companions brought along a magnum of the 2010 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses. The nose was heftier than expected, going in a buttery, nearly popcorn-esque direction with lots of caramel-y yellow fruit. On the palate, the wine was rich and round, its somewhat oxidative character joined by grassiness, brackish salinity, and over-ripe fruit. The bottle wasn't quite what I was anticipating, and seemed like it might've been a bit "off."
3: mussel, kombu, cucumber
The third course was based loosely off the idea of a tide pool cooling and semi-freezing during winter, with additional inspiration coming from Korean mul naengmyeon, specifically the crunchy ice sometimes found in the broth. The dish comprised charred mussels paired with a mussel broth, cucumber, pickled daikon, braised sea kelp, ice plant, artichoke purée, and a finish of nasturtium oil. Boosted by the potency of that broth, the salinity of the bivalves was so elegantly displayed, while serving as a foil were all the light, bright flavors present, with the artichoke working to ground everything. I was also a big fan of the wide array of textures present, which made for a real treat in terms of mouthfeel. I'd probably place this among the top three mussel dishes I've had.
4: maitake, burnt onion, date
Hen-of-the-woods was roasted, set on top of a smoked date purée, and dressed with a sauce of burnt onion. What struck me first was the mushroom's texture, which was fantastic--fleshy, firm, and feathery--and just what I wanted. What struck me second was the date, which proffered this smoky-sweetness that really reminded me of barbeque. Thankfully, this sensation was pervasive but never domineering, and matched up swimmingly with the maitake's delectably savory, roasty, woodsy qualities.
5: celery root, dry-aged beef, savory granola
Whole celeriac was wrapped in a salty dough, salt-baked, thin-sliced, then layered over a beef tartare seasoned with savory granola, horseradish, cherry, and a light Dijon-style dressing. The effect made for perhaps the most beguiling steak tartare I've had, with a delightful sweet-nutty crunch to go along with the meat, the whole shebang moderated by that beautifully-textured celery root.
6: chestnut, brown butter, malted banana
Our mid-meal treat brought chestnut ice cream, brown butter, toasted banana powder, banana malt syrup, and sorrel that the Chef ostensibly foraged himself. I loved the texture on the ice cream, which linked up easily with the ultra-ripe banana flavors present, making for a decidedly dessert-y dish that definitely gratified.
7: frozen mustard & passion fruit
Transitioning us back to the savory side was a time-sensitive course of wild mustard greens laced with passion fruit and ginger. This was a showstopper, a genius amalgamation of super tropical fruit flavors and the bitter, peppery zing of mustard that wowed me.
8: "a salad cooked in squash" | watercress, shiso, cabbage
This humble looking dish traces its origins to the kaiseki menu at Next, implemented in 2012. For that menu, Beran consulted with Kyle Connaughton, a friend since the latter's days at The Fat Duck. The two discussed the "energy transfer" aspect of kaiseki, basically the idea of using one cooked item to cook another--never wasting that energy. Thus, what we had tonight started with a very aggressively roasted squash, which was stuffed with a salad once taken out of the oven. The squash therefore heats and wilts the salad, while the salad in turn perfumes the squash. The salad portion arrived first, and comprised ginger, shiso, watercress, scallion, and mushroom. Though seemingly simple in description, the dish delivered in spades taste-wise. I loved the bevy of bright, bitter, vegetal flavors present, accented by some nutty nuances and this familiar, comforting savoriness that actually reminded us of Chinese-style stir-fried noodles. Very neat.
At this point, we requested a glass of the 2018 Marcel Deiss Schoenenbourg Alsace Grand Cru [$70], which was actually part of the wine pairing, meant to go with the fish course below. The Riesling-dominated blend showcased aromas of super juicy stone fruits commixed with a petrol element. Taking a sip, I found the wine richly-flavored and concentrated, with those luscious fruit notes joined by more petrol, honey, mineral, and this distinctly "green" component. Lovely.
9: grilled bass, broccolini, stone rose leaf
Grilled sea bass arrived with a smoky, astringent, almost austere quality that was juxtaposed against a heady sauce made from the fish's roasted bones, peanut, coconut, and citrus leaves. At the same time, a wreath of charred broccolini, pea tendrils, stone rose (a type of succulent), and mint worked for contrast, and certainly lightened the mood.
10: "the squash that cooked the salad" | squash, apple, périgord truffle
The aforementioned squash then made its appearance, paired in expert fashion with roasted apple, black truffle, and brown butter. I was a huge fan of the well-caramelized, assertively-flavored nature of the squash and how that married with the earthy, musky truffle. It was a perfect pairing, though more interesting was the tangy sweetness of the apple, which actually reminded me of the Mott's apple sauce of my childhood. This was no doubt one of the best preparations of squash I've ever experienced.
Our second bottle was another Burgundy, the 2011 Louis Jadot Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses. The bouquet on this one had that "wild" character that warranted descriptors such as animale and sauvage, with additional herbaceous and iron-y notes. In terms of taste, the wine brought dark red fruit--cherry mostly--commingled with more herb, earth, and this ginger-like element. An apt pairing for the bird below.
11: "the obvious parts of the squab" | breast, leg, bones
The first of two multi-part squab courses consisted of roasted breast, a leg stuffed with fennel sausage, and a jus made from the bones. I began with the breast, which was spot-on texturally and imbued with a wonderfully peppery spice. However, the leg was even better thanks to its sausage filling, which I found utterly delicious, with this almost "hamminess" to it. Meanwhile, accoutrements of sprouting cauliflower and dollops of roasted fennel and squash helped complete the equation.
12: "the less obvious parts of the squab" | liver and bitter chocolate, skin and hazelnut, heart and strawberry
The offal-y bits of the squab were then masterfully incorporated into a trio of desserts:
- The liver was lightly smoked and transformed into a bonbon, one with a delicate exterior hiding a mélange of savory and chocolate flavors.
- The bird's skin was made crispy, then filled with a sugary hazelnut panade, and the whole bite had this salty, spruce-y edge that I really appreciated.
- A cool, dense peppercorn custard was crowned with a tangy, caramel-y sauce of burnt strawberry and squab heart.
13: caviar & coffee
Next came what I believe to be the only dish that was brought back from the Dialogue days: caviar, coffee crème anglaise, roasted hazelnut, and Alyssum flowers, all served in some uncommonly weighty, custom-made concrete plateware. The melding of that salty roe with the dish's nutty, coffee-tinged flavors was so, so clever and oh-so effective, presenting an interplay of tastes and textures in such a precise, focused manner. A standout for sure.
A particularly intense Espresso [$6] was served in an uncustomary vessel.
14: orange, beet, earl grey tea
Humorously, this dessert was described by our server as "things that go with Orange Julius," which meant vanilla, tea-infused shortbread cookies, beets, tarragon, fennel jam, and red shiso. Having never tasted Orange Julius, I'm not quite sure what pairs well with it, but I can say that these ingredients came together absolutely gorgeously, with the dish's fruity-floral disposition making a bunch of sense with the herbier nuances present. I loved the array of disparate textures here, too--a triumph.
15: olive oil & chamomile
Last up were these Choco Taco-looking bites, which were essentially miniature ice cream sandwiches stuffed with olive oil custard, olive oil jam, and freshly-picked herbs. They were a superb conclusion to the meal, and did a great job conveying the fruity pungency of the olive oil, accented by all that greenery, with the waffle cone offering just enough textural play and sweetness.
I was a big proponent of Dialogue back in the day, and it's crystal clear that what we have here is a logical evolution of that restaurant. Seline seems like a much more personal endeavor, and one more intimately tied to the place's location in Southern California. The food is hard to pin down to one particular style, and indeed, there's nothing else quite like it around these parts. Beran's cooking is unquestionably creative, contemporary, distinctive, thoughtful, enchanting even, but there's also this comfort, this warmth, this familiarity to the cuisine that's difficult to describe. It's a combination that I reveled in, and all things considered, this was a tremendous meal. In fact, I'd say that, even in its young age, Seline is a contender for the best restaurant in LA.
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