r/finedining

Very lucky to revisit Kataori since it is the highest ranked restaurant in all of Japan on Tabelog and reservation remains one of the most difficult. This dinner was in the middle of April and a good time for hotaru ika and takenoko. At the tail end of Spring season, some sansai, i.e. mountain vegetables like warabi or koshiabura, were also incorporated into the menu signifying a transition into summer. Particularly impressive was the frying of the amadai and the grilling of sakuramasu. Both the quality of the ingredients and the chef's skillful execution came through on these two dishes

Sansai, Fried Amadai, Amasu Ankake

Ichiban Dashi

Ainame, Horenso, Hana Sanmai Owan

Aji, Kasago, Gasa Ebi Otsukuri

Takenoko, Soramame, Warabi Shiraae

Grilled Sakuramasu, Hotaruika, Ingen Mame, Gomaae

Shungiku Goma Tofu

Nodoguro Mushi Sushi

Fried Hotaru Ika

Haru Kabu, Tako Nimono

Sumono Akagai, Koshiabura

Niebana with Chirimen Sansho, Carrot, Beef Maki

Four types of Shime

Aji Tsuke Don

Chiayu Tempura Don

Karasumi Don

Aosa Nori Ochazuke

Uguisu Mochi

Such a fun meal, definitely deserving of the Michelin star, will be back again and again when my budget allows.

This was my first Mexican fine dining meal and I loved it, every dish has punchy flavours and intense uses of herbs and spices.

Highlights were the first bites in picture one, which are served at the bar before you sit down to your meal. Nothing was actually what it seemed, those aren’t peanuts, they are a spicy tajin candy, those aren’t olives but are peanut spheres.

Then some of the most creative “salads I have ever had in picture 6 which is their Caesar salad!

Then the main course is the sharing taco plate which was rich, punchy and delicious. Followed by some delicious sweet treats, would highly recommend.

Just back from a trip to France/Germany/Spain that included 13 total stars but Baga is the one I most want to sing the praises of - Schwarzwaldstube and Hermanos Torres (both 3***) were each tremendous but Baga was 4x cheaper and really not far off of those two flavor- and creativity-wise, it was a really magical experience & it's way more than worth the hour's drive from Granada imo (and Jaen itself is lovely, not sure we saw a single other tourist in an hour walking around).

Tiny restaurant with a small chef's counter (highly recommended) and a few tables, basically a home kitchen setup with 4 or 5 staff somehow able to fit in there. Simple dishes with a few ingredients, no elaborate presentations, just a showcase of the chef's creativity and techniques.

17 total courses, six of which I gave an 11/10 along with these five I gave a 12/10 (which is my "one of the best things I ever ate" score):

• Pic 15, Beef tenderloin cooked in vanilla butter was one of the 3 or 4 best pieces of food I've ever had, the best thing I tasted on the whole trip. The eggplant was their pescatarian substitution and it too was stunning.
• Pic 12, Nori a la meuniere with brown butter and capers again an amazingly deep satisfying rich flavor and the lovely crispy salty capers for crunch
• Pic 14, Cod tripe (swim bladder) with sheep's butter sauce - this was basically a perfect pasta course to me, the texture of the swim bladder was not far off of pasta and the sauce was just wonderfully rich and savory, very Italian feeling with the focaccia
• Pic 9, Coconut ajo blanco with basil/pineapple granita and olive oil - the chef apparently hates this dish but keeps it on the menu because people like it so much, and, yeah, it's a flavor I haven't stopped thinking about, as a basil lover
• Pic 4, Beetroot with kelp butter, one of the heinously complex preparations involving roasting and drying and reconstituting with kelp, with the kelp butter sauce, marvelous combination and depth of flavor
• Pic 8, the 48hr pear with eel emulsion gets an honorable mention, one of their signatures and one of my wife's all time favorites

Even the courses that were merely very good were still super interesting and memorable - the lettuce with ice cream dessert, the hake fat mayonnaise with raw button mushrooms, the green pepper with pistachio emulsion.

$115 USD a person. Extreme outlier on my list as far as greatness-to-price goes.

Been following Curtis Duffy since before he left Alinea, and after 15+ years I finally took a Chicago trip and got to try his food.

Definitely not worth the wait. It was a solid meal, I'd still recommend it, but I don't feel the need to go again. I expected a certain amount of 'avant-garde' that just wasn't there. I did Schwa and Feld on the same trip and would revisit both of those multiple times before Ever.

The positives:

- NA drink pairing - Honestly, I saw more standout creativity here than anything else. Two of them - a chamomile-cocoa soda and a mushroom cordial - were easily my two favorite things of the night.

- Buckwheat dessert - The only food I had that was truly out of left field. Had the nice tang of a good bread, while still sweet and a perfect final dessert.

- White asparagus with caviar and potato - definitely nothing new, but still absolutely delicious.

Negatives:

- Every dish came with a minute-plus-long explanation of what Chef likes and how he likes death metal and why the butter is skull-shaped and he likes sweetness with his mushrooms so here's some kiwi and he likes candy so here's a room of candy... it got grating, especially after hearing from a friend that he's apparently rarely at the restaurant during service. Came across as insincere.

- 'Thai Curry' coconut soup with roasted chicken - A whole lot of technique and presentation went into something that didn't taste notably different from a $10 tom kha gai takeout.

- Wagyu course - It tasted great, but really didn't feel substantial enough for a final savory course. It came on a giant square plate that the servers literally joked about the size of... it felt like the living embodiment of the "fine dining is never enough food" stereotype.

My wife and I had the chance to dine at Seline in Santa Monica last night, for their spring menu. We previously went for their Alinea collab meal last year, and we wanted to return to try a meal that was entirely a Chef Beran creation. We went to his since-closed first LA restaurant, Dialogue, back when we were first dating (it was the first fine dining place we went together).

Before I talk the food, I want to acknowledge that Seline is quickly becoming our favorite LA fine dining spot. The space is beautiful, the staff are all incredibly friendly and warm, and the vibes are just downright pleasant. It feels premium without feeling stuffy and pretentious, which makes for a much more relaxed environment to enjoy a long meal (about 2.5 hours for the two of us, and we were going fast since we have a toddler and an infant at home).

The Spring menu is broken into two parts, each mirroring the other. The first half is dedicated to the transition between winter and spring, while the second half celebrates the ‘bloom’ of Spring proper. Unlike a normal progression, the meal started with warmer, heavier flavors and then moved into light and bright tastes. This was also reflected in the visuals, as muted tones evolved into color and life as the meal progressed.

PART I

Course 1 – Succulent, avocado, burnt parsley

A really interesting starting point. The flavors were delicate and fresh, and texturally the dish had a frost-like crunch from both the crisp greens and crunchy ‘soil’ underneath. It established the story behind the menu immediately, depicting the moment when the forest floor appears beneath the melting snow.

Course 2 – Green Garlic, artichoke, eucalyptus

The cigar-like bite was pleasantly crunchy and herbaceous, and pared beautifully with the accompanying artichoke ‘sauce’ dip. The flavors here were fairly subtle, but the green garlic was the star.

Course 3 – Dungeness Crab, Kohlrabi, Bay Laurel

A fun play on a pasta course. The ‘pasta’ here is extremely finely sliced kohlrabi, filled with crab meat and topped with finger lime. The broth is pork consume and an herb oil. The pork flavor was a little overpowering on the palette, but the bite taken together was reminiscent of a pork and crab dumpling.

Course 4 – Beef Tendon, fennel pollen

One of the three stand out bites of the night for us. Someone needs to start selling Chicharron with fennel pollen in the snack aisle. Incredibly light and crunchy, and with a bright punch of anise. Presentation was beautiful, but also I’d just as soon get 20 pieces in a bag.

Course 4 – White Asparagus, Farro

A black mushroom gel blanketed deliciously sweet and delicate white asparagus, and crunchy farro. My wife’s favorite dish by far, and a top one for me as well. I will also say the plate itself was stunning, as were all of the dishes used throughout the meal.

Course 5/6 – Roasted Strawberry*, pistachio / Celery Root, Venison, Savory Granola

This dish is typically done with cherry, but as I have a stone fruit allergy, my version was made with strawberry. The cigar served on the antler (provided to the restaurant by Chef Beran’s FIL, who forages for shed antlers) was filled with the roasted strawberry and a pistachio butter. In the bowl, a fine sheet of celery root covered a tender venison tartare. A delicious mix of textures and flavors that began the introduction of brighter flavors while acting as the ‘main’ dish for the first half of the meal.

Course 7 – Celery Root, Miso Fudge

This palette cleanser course featured a celery root ice-cream made from the off cuts from the previous dish’s prep. This may be my favorite bite in a meal filled with excellent bites. The balance of sweetness with the celery root was perfect, and the miso fudge gave the whole thing a salted caramel sundae vibe that made it a joy to eat.

PART II

Course 8 – Maitake, Rose

Another stand-out course. Imagine the most perfect chicken wing texture. The maitake was crispy, and wonderfully earthy. This was served with a rose water sweet and sour sauce that was punchy and warm, balancing beautifully with the maitake. I will say the rose flavor was a little lost against the powerful spices in the sauce, but it was so delicious I didn’t really care.

Course 9 – Tuna, Fermented Poblano

Eaten like a taco, the herbaceous leaves were surprisingly the most dominant flavor, even against the presence of poblano and jalapeno. The tuna was melt-in-your-mouth tender. Delicious and well-balanced.

Course 10 – Rhubarb, ginger, Sakura

Presented as Rhubarb ‘Sashimi,’ this was as bright, punchy, and acidic as you’d expect. It really established the theme of the second half of the menu, and set up your palate for the next run of dishes that were more vegetable focused.

Course 11 – Green Asparagus, Sunflower

A delicious fried ball of asparagus and cheese. Not much more to say. Excellent bite.

Course 12 – Peas, Fava Bean, Shiso Koji

The peas were unsurprisingly the stand-out flavor here. Bright and at the peak of freshness, with a pleasant grassy sweetness that balanced well with wilted shiso and crunchy fava bean. NOTE: This one is not my photo, as I somehow forgot to take one for this course

Course 13 – Black Cod, Mussel, Fennel

The black cod was impossibly tender, and the mussel cream was subtle and let the sweetness of the fish shine. Fennel oil rounded out the sauce with a sharp anise accent.

Course 14/15 – Lamb, Wild Greens, Burnt Strawberry / Brioche, lamb fat

The ‘main’ dish for part II, the lamb was perfectly rendered and tender. I am not always a fan of lamb as it can be a little too gamey for me, but that wasn’t the case here. The vegetables are selected for the dish daily based on freshness. The strawberry added much needed acidity that lifted the whole dish. The brioche was fluffy and warm, and the lamb fat made it incredibly decadent.

Course 16 – Coffee, Caviar

The closest thing Chef Beran has to a ‘signature’ dish. This is the third time we ate it (previously at Dialogue, and then again at the Seline x Alinea meal). That said, we were definitely not disappointed to get it again. The surprisingly not-salty caviar pairs beautifully with the sweetened coffee cream beneath. Truly deserving of repetition.

Course 17 – Caramelized Honey, Earl Grey Tea, Lemon

A capsule of honey, encased in white chocolate, placed atop crunchy earl grey granola and covered in a lemon crème. A delicious and deceivingly complex combination of flavors that somehow wasn’t too sweet.

Course 18 – Sorrel, blackberry, olive oil

The last plate of the meal featured a wonderfully herbaceous sorrel ice cream, paired with a wonderfully tart blackberry sauce. A perfect end to a memorable meal.

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I feel like when it comes to more ‘adventurous’ tasting menus, restaurants often have to walk a fine line between interesting and actually tasty. I’ve been to many restaurants where one or more courses, while certainly unexpected, didn’t actually taste good. Style over substance. With Seline, I think Chef Beran absolutely nails it. There were plenty of surprising flavors, and every dish was thoughtful and beautiful. But most importantly, everything was delicious. There wasn’t a single dish on the menu I wouldn’t eat again. I cannot recommend Seline enough.

 

Totally ridiculous, over the top dining. If you have the disposable income for the living table, it’s very special. Unfortunately I didn’t take a picture but the table comes to life as the waiter takes you into the cellar for a port tasting. It comes alive with a gluttonous number of desserts.

The pan chino with caviar and Sour Cream the highlight, as well as the “golden egg” which is in fact a velvety and rich intense prawn curry.

Truffles, caviar, smears and everything over the top and pretentious, loved every second.

experience felt incredibly intentional without being stiff or overly formal. Service was probably some of the best, super warm, relaxed, and somehow perfectly timed all night.

The food was very seasonal and delicate rather than flashy. A few dishes were genuinely memorable, especially the duck liver mousse with the cherry salad and the first dessert, Sonoma milk and honey, which ended up being my favorite courses of the night. You can tell they obsess over ingredients, balance, and texture. Nothing felt heavy, even after the full tasting menu.

What surprised me most was how calm and personal the experience felt for a 3 Michelin star restaurant. It didn’t have that intimidating fine dining energy at all. The Japanese influence throughout the meal and hospitality style was really thoughtful and cohesive.

That said, it’s obviously expensive, and I can understand why some people leave thinking the value doesn’t fully match the price. If you want huge, rich, over-the-top luxury portions, this probably isn’t the place. But if you appreciate precision, seasonality, and hospitality, it’s pretty special.

Have yall been? If so where does it rank on your fine dining restaurant list? Would you go back? Is it worth $600?