Went to Selanne Steak Tavern to celebrate first wedding anniversary. The ambiance wasn't exactly what I expected, but the service and food were great. It was a nice experience, but I don't know if it was worth the ~$300 price tag for a meal for two.
Curious to hear about anyone else's experience there and if there are comparable restaurants at a nearby location a little lighter on the wallet.
I have been to Selanne's many times, although not recently. I had a birthday dinner there for eight one year. First, always (and I mean always) book a table upstairs. It is much quieter up there, whereas it can be noisy downstairs, particularly near the bar. Second, it always has been quite expensive. Third, it is one of the few restaurants in Orange County where you can always count on a high quality meal.
If you want an alternative recognize that I view many restaurants in Orange County as appealing more to the "scene" at the restaurant than the quality of the food (hint, Javier's in Crystal Cove), or others that are a combination of "scene" with decent quality (such as Maestro's Ocean Club in Crystal Cove, where one time my wife appeared to be the only woman in the restaurant without breast implants). Some alternatives that my wife and I enjoy are: Butcher's House Brasserie in Costa Mesa, Bouillon in Newport Beach (casual, does not take reservations, with a decent quality house wine if you order the premium red or white), Basilic (Balboa Island, must have reservations, open only five nights a week - parking on the street only), and The Dock (Balboa Peninsula, street parking only, reservations are best, expensive). If you really want to spend money and are willing to sit through a fixed menu, Knife Pleat in South Coast Plaza is a Michelin starred restaurant. As such it may be worth the cost, once. We have not gone back since we got hit for a $50 corkage fee. I also would consider Broadway in Laguna Beach or Vaca in Costa Mesa. I think that they are a cut below the restaurants that I names above, but are quite satisfactory. They have the same owner, a semi finalist on Top Chef one year. Vaca is Spanish, so the prices are actually fairly reasonable for sharable tapas. There are other alternatives depending upon where you live and how far you are willing to drive. I generally put a limit of 20 or so minutes top on my willingness to drive to a restaurant for dinner.
