When you give the team at an award-winning restaurant a chance to let their creativity run wild, you get the kind of ultimate, well-curated culinary experience that VIII By Selanne delivers. The inspiration was, in a way, born out of practicality: A small-ish structure adjacent to Selanne Steak Tavern wasn’t being used much, so the team came up with the idea of doing a series of special eight-course dinners with cocktail and wine pairings, available for up to 20 guests and offered on weekends throughout the summer. It was so popular that it extended into the fall, and then the winter, and then the decision was made to make it a whole new restaurant. The concept remains the same, however—an exclusive, high-caliber dining experience available on Friday and Saturday evenings. Cocktails are crafted and wines are selected only after the menu has been set and a tasting confirms their compatibility. Each dish incorporates ingredients that are at their seasonal peak. And the chefs play with textures, introduce flavors that might be unfamiliar to some, and present familiar flavors in unexpected ways.
A main course served this past summer featured a luscious red snapper fillet, with the scales fried to a lovely crisp. “That dish came from a conversation about texture and how to bring out the full potential of a single ingredient,” Executive Chef Vince Terusa told me at the time. “By basting the fish in scalding oil, we not only crisp the skin but also make the scales edible. It’s always fun to explain to guests that the crunch they’re enjoying isn’t something added—it’s actually the fish’s own scales, transformed into something completely new through technique. That kind of dish reflects exactly what we’re trying to do at VIII: Celebrate creativity, elevate the unexpected, and honor every element on the plate.”
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