The 20 Best Restaurants In Santa Monica - Los Angeles - The Infatuation

"This midnight-black fine dining restaurant in Santa Monica comes from the same chef as Pasjoli. But while that restaurant is all about luxurious, mostly classic French food, Seline is a place where the kitchen gets cerebral with seasonal ingredients presented in out-there ways, like geoduck liver crackers served on metallic orbs, banana puree with roasted leeks, and crumbly chestnut ice cream as a mid-dinner palate cleanser. It’s the type of precise high-brow cooking you’d expect from a $295 tasting menu, but you’re splurging on delicious food that’s fun to eat, too. Add the not-too-serious servers who make you feel like houseguests, a dining room with enchanted garden views, and a playlist that slips in the occasional house track, and you’ve got the making of a special occasion spot you’ll still be thinking about days later." - brant cox, sylvio martins, arden shore, cathy park