Sel

Sel is doing a really smart thing and has set up a special happy hour menu for summer! It's great but don't think you'll just strong in and do a tasting. They are staying very busy. We grabbed a reservation last night at 5:15. Within 15 minutes the place was full. Service was impeccable and there was no shaming that we were just there for the happy hour. Our waiter was friendly and helped us make our drink selections. Cocktails were fabulous and I'm only sorry that I can't remember the names to share. We split an order of warm olives (cured in house), a roasted beet salad, and the short ribs buns. Perfection. I loved the complexity of the salad; blue cheese arugula, beets, pistachio, pear, balsamic vinagrette. Short rib surprised me too! It had daikon and grated carrots and maybe radish sprouts?Next time, I'll be back for the full 5-course menu but this is a great way to engage with a top restaurant especially during the hot months.

We have eaten at Sel before and it was amazing food... And so when they joined Restaurant Week and we saw their menu, we knew we had to go. It did not disappoint. I was a little worried as we had to make a reservation for outside but the outdoor seating is on the east side, so you are not in the sun, has a lot of beautiful greenery and flowers, misters and some swamp cooler A/C units. So it was actually quite pleasant! We could hear each other talk without having to raise our voices, heard the server perfectly and we weren't overwhelmed by other patrons' conversations. The service was also excellent..our server was very attentive and our waters, for the most part, stayed full. I did run out at the very end but it wasn't a huge deal. The food... Now... The fun part.... The asparagus soup was good. I probably wouldn't order it outside of this fixed menu. The garnishes were definitely needed to add depth to the soup. The prawns had an amazing char on them and the potato pancakes underneath was delicious! The winner of the appetizers, in my opinion, was the charred sweet corn and tapioca pearl ragout. The flavors blended together extremely well and just gave so much depth to this dish. It was delicious and I could have eaten much more.For the entree my husband got the halibut and I got the filet. We always share...His halibut... Oh wow... It was perfectly cooked, had an amazing sear on the outside. It had a wonderful squash puree and some wild ramps. Everything complemented each other for an amazing dish. The filet... I make a mean steak.... And so I find steaks are often times subpar. When I can find a good steak at a restaurant... It's... . This. Steak. Was. Perfectly. Cooked! And seasoned! It had a wonderful sear on the outside, the seasoning wasn't overpowering but made the meat shine. The sauces and potatoes underneath were a wonderful addition! The only thing I wasn't impressed with was the oyster mushroom..one end actually was quite delicious but the wider part lacked flavor and was just chewy. Now for the desserts. We decided to try three. The blackberry-sake cobbler was good... The blackberries were a bit underwhelming. I didn't notice a distinct pop of flavor I would have expected. Th gelato was delicious.The white chocolate pine nut date bread pudding was delicious. I would get it again. It was served hot and the flavors all blended together in a sweet yet savory dish. The bread pudding melted in your mouth. The winner of the desserts was the strawberry Marzipan Shortcake. The chef had won an award for it and it is clear why. You wouldn't expect the depth of flavors... But the shortcake is nice and airy and he adds a sea salt to it that makes everything pop. It was like.. oh this is good... Oh wow... Type of moment. The second the salt hit.. so good. I wasn't sure anything could top the bread pudding but that shortcake was the clear winner for the whole table..In the pictures, there are sometimes two of th same dish. That is because even the plating was unique and added a fun element to the experience. The fish was served on a dish that reminded me of half of a clam shell.. the steak was served on a plate that looked like a white stone .. and the appetizers were in a unique bowl that was admired by all at the table. Apparently we weren't the only once to notice and comment on them per our server I love Sel and would love to eat there more often but it is quite expensive for the average Joe. It is a great place for special celebrations or, if they join restaurant week again, a great chance for some amazing food, beautiful ambiance and excellent service! Highly recommend

Some of our friends recommended this restaurant to us. So my husband booked a surprise date night. Ambience - The ambience is very intimate and romantic. Service - The service was very good. Our server was knowledgeable and helped us decide if we should go with an appetizer or dessert. Food - Both of our entrées were fantastic! I had the herb roasted venison loin rack. It was encrusted in a pinenut black truffle brioche and served with smoked caramelized onions and celery root purée. It was absolutely delicious and I wish I could have picked my plate up and licked it clean.My husband had the 12 ounce grilled New York strip served with caramelized onions and truffle fries. His steak was also delicious and cooked perfectly.For dessert we had the strawberry marzipan shortcake. It too, was scrumptious. I enjoyed the reduced balsamic glaze. I felt it brought the dessert together nicely. Next time I will save my appetite and try their tasting menu. You can view it in my attached photos.

This place is very interesting and it is very accessible. We got the 5-course tasting. I liked the presentation and flavours. For the main course I would suggest the Filet over Venison because it was very dry. One issue I had with some dishes was that they were too salty unfortunately. Otherwise they were great! With regard to the cocktails I would say they're very typical and I think there could be more innovation. The service is good and the ambiance was very cozy!I do suggest this place and hopefully their dishes arent that salty next time :)

What an absolutely breathtaking meal. One to remember for a lifetime. My husband and I had a gift card to blow and Sel was the perfect choice. It's a small and romantic restaurant with big talent brewing inside. Chefs Brandon and John deserve a James Beard award immediately! We did the chef's tasting menu and my husband did the wine pairing. I got champagne, and it was so refreshing! They brought out complimentary homemade sourdough bread and amuse-bouche. The different dishes they served us included gazpacho (with peach sorbet inside?!), prawn, crudo, and venison/filet mignon for our entrees. The one that blew us away the most was the gazpacho - it was legitimately better than gazpacho that we recently had in Spain. Whoever thought about putting the sorbet inside it was a genius. Dessert was bread pudding and peach cobbler, with homemade whipped cream. We could not stop drooling over these decadent desserts. We left so full and even more impressed. The quality of each bite and the care to craft each plate was on another level. This is one of the best meals I've ever had and I recommend you go for a special evening with someone who appreciates good food! Also, thank you to Omar the GM, the host, and the servers, who explained each dish for us and were extremely friendly and welcoming! I especially loved how Chef John came out and checked on us. I really felt like everyone took care of us and was invested in our experience at Sel.

We came to Sel for my birthday celebration! We were looking for a not so crazy expensive multiple course dinner. Sel has five courses for $120 and that is very good for a Scottsdale restaurant. The place was not as busy as I expected it to be for 5 pm on a Saturday. We did get sat in the corner which didn't give the best vibes but it is a cute place. My main concern was the speed of the dishes coming out because I do eat fast. They were very speedy with clearing plates and getting the next course out! The wait staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about each dish. The food had amazing flavors! The must try's are the CITRUS CURED HIRAMASA CRUDO, GRILLED WHITE ASPARAGUS and the STRAWBERRY-MARZIPAN SHORTCAKE. Some that didn't quite hit the mark for us was CRISPY COLD WATER LOBSTER TAIL and the worst tiramisu I have ever had being the FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE TIRAMISU. I do recommend this place for the experience but not every dish really wowed us like we could hope for the price tag.

We had a great dinner at SEL last night. This is a very unique dining experience when choosing a chef menu. Each course is perfectly prepared, the culinary creativity, presentation, and thought behind all of the small dishes is outstanding.The filet was one of the best filets we have ever enjoyed. The desserts are unique, full of great flavors and equally beautiful in the way they're prepared and served. The restaurant is small and nicely done with a very well trained staff that provides exceptional service, and knowledge of a complex list of ingredients used in the various dishes. My only complaint would be that the wine pairing for $120 per person seemed to lack the sophistication and quality that the food and the rest of the experience provided. I would not do the wine pairing, but rather choose off the wine list if we went to again. There are also several unique dishes on the à la carte menu that I would like to go back and try, and the pricing on the à la carte menu, seems reasonable for such a wonderful culinary experience. If you get a chance to go, and want an upscale date night, it would be an excellent choice. The four dollar signs is accurate as this is an upscale and expensive experience.

Last night was our second time going to Sel. Both times, we went for Restaurant Week. Everything about Sel is wonderful: classy but warm ambiance, impeccable service, and their delicious and creative cocktails and food. We both started with asparagus cream soup. I wanted to lick the bowl clean. Second course, I had a delicious corn dish. Third course, I had gnocchi with fiddlehead ferns. I was blown away. The texture of the gnocchi was perfect, the sauce was so flavorful, and the ferns were so unique and a tasty surprise. My husband loved his filet mignon. I really appreciate that so much creativity and care goes into crafting their vegetarian dishes. Other restaurants have such boring and lackluster vegetarian options. I can always count on Sel to impress me!

I don't have enough wonderful things to say about this place!!Small place in old town with an amazing chef. We did the tasting menu and if you're looking for an experience you MUST do it. If you thought you'd never try a food before I promise you your pallet will diversify when you try this food. Now, this IS a very fine dining experience and I truly felt that the portions were bigger than expected. Vegetarian tasting menu as well which is cool, very inclusive. Drinks were amazing and bartender recommended drinks were a hit. Service was great too! Our party was 6 people. Given the smaller atmosphere it will be less servers I imagine but it was about half full inside and outside and still run very very well. Chef came by our table which was nice. I will definitely be adding this to my list of favorites for fine dining.

I had an early dinner at Sel in a party of five. I felt lucky to get a dinner reservation on the patio at the last minute on the Saturday just a week before Christmas. I felt even more fortunate that the weather was perfect for dining outside that evening.Although I was looking forward to the Chef's Tasting, I was feeling a little bit bloated that evening. Thankfully, the Chef's Tasting is not a "for the whole table" kind of thing and I was able to order just an entree, while the rest of my party was able to enjoy it. My a la carte Grilled Spanish Octopus was tender and delicious.The service and the food were both pretty terrific. Our party thoroughly enjoyed the entire meal.