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Destination dining has returned to a stretch of the Peninsula that for years housed the upscale Chantilly and John Bentley’s.
Noted restaurateur Tim Stannard’s Bacchus Group took over Chantilly’s 1930s building and wisely kept the historic exterior and footprint intact, but renovated the interior to evoke the glamour found in Hollywood restaurants of the era such as Chasen’s, Romanoff’s and the Brown Derby.
They named it Selby’s after Thomas H. Selby, one of the first major landowners in the Atherton/Redwood City area. The former San Francisco mayor was known for hosting lavish dinners at his El Camino Real estate.
The restaurant opens to the public on July 23. Here’s a report from our sneak preview:
THE VIBE: Sophisticated and sumptuous, with dramatic black lacquered walls two stories tall, mohair banquettes and walls, leather chairs (with leather-clad menus to match), spectacular sculptural lighting and 175 pieces of original artwork.
Credit goes to Stephen Brady (Ralph Lauren Home, Williams-Sonoma) for the design vision, Oakland artist Magnus Schevene for the two signature lighting works and Rob Delamater of San Francisco’s Lost Art Salon for the curated art.
Want the best vantage points? Schevene’s vertical piece hangs from the ceiling above the marble staircase (he built that by hand too). If you ascend the staircase for second-floor seating, there are tables that afford a great view of his signature work, a massive modernist chandelier. In the bar/lounge, you can dine underneath rarely seen photographs of Audrey Hepburn, Duke Ellington, Truman Capote and Gloria Vanderbilt.
THE FOOD: Exquisite cuisine to match the decor. Michelin-starred executive chef Mark Sullivan (The Village Pub) immersed himself in vintage cookbooks for nearly two years to find heritage recipes he could reinterpret for today’s palates.
The result is a menu that blends the contemporary and the classic. You can start, for example, with a Early Girl Tomato Gazpacho ($15) or stick your fork into into culinary history with Olivier’s Salad ($17), Sullivan’s lightened version of an 1860s Russian dish that can be changed seasonally with produce from the restaurant’s Woodside farm. This version features diced beets, potatoes and cucumbers with a soft-boiled egg and a creamy fresh dill dressing.
Entrees include an updated version of curried Country Captain Chicken ($34); Olive Oil-Poached Wild King Salmon with fresh corn and cherry tomato confit ($38); and a full lineup of dry-aged prime beef, from an 8-ounce butcher’s cut ($31) to the shareable Delmonico and 40/40 Porterhouse ($110, $165). You can drizzle your steak with a trendy Salsa Verde or go with the French Bearnaise or Bordelaise.
If you’re ordering sides for the table to share, don’t overlook Robuchon’s Potatoes ($17). These are the sinfully rich mashed potatoes for which the late chef Joel Robuchon was famous.
Executive pastry chef Janina O’Leary also crosses the decades with desserts ranging from a nostalgic Peach Melba with raspberry sauce and vanilla bean ice cream ($14) to a Chocolate Midnight Cake with salted caramel and fudge sauce ($13).
DON’T MISS: The Roast Crown of Duck by chef de cuisine Jason Pringle, who came to Selby’s from the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. The bird from Petaluma’s 38 North is dry-aged for 17 days, glazed with honey, lavender and cumin, roasted, then served with macerated fresh Empress plums and a drizzle of 25-year-aged balsamic vinegar (for two diners, $98).
THE LIBATIONS: Selby’s cocktail trolley inspired by Duke’s of London delivers chic martini service to your table. It’s a show, whether the bartenders are making you a traditional martini or a James Bond-style Vesper with gin, vodka and Lillet Blanc ($18 each). To keep the drinks icy cold and undiluted, the spirits are neither shaken nor stirred, but rather poured.
The inaugural wine list numbers 4,000 labels from around the globe, with room in the cellars to accommodate up to 20,000 bottles.
NICE TOUCHES: Meals start with complimentary hot popovers and end with a lovely tribute to the previous restaurant here. Chantilly’s owners used to give their female patrons a rose upon departure. Selby’s gifts each customer with a small black box tied with an aqua ribbon; inside is a mini rose-water bundt cake.
GOOD TO KNOW: If you’re one of the many diners who simply can’t stand another deafening meal in a concrete-floored restaurant with an open-ductwork ceiling, Selby’s attention to soundproofing will delight you. The renovation included acoustic padding throughout the building; even the bar/lounge boasts a hand-troweled acoustic tile ceiling.
Although those 1930s glamour palaces no doubt required a certain formality of their patrons, there is no dress code at Selby’s. After all, Stannard says, “This is Silicon Valley.”
PERFECT FOR … Celebratory occasions in the dining rooms; anniversary, engagement and IPO parties in the banquet rooms upstairs; burgers in the bar; and poker games in the card room. (Yes, during the renovation they found themselves with an extra room … perfect for a clubby, exclusive gathering place.)
DETAILS: Open daily from 5 to 10 p.m. at 3001 El Camino Real on the Atherton/Redwood City border. 650-546-7700; www.selbysrestaurant.com. There’s a rear parking lot, street parking, plus valet parking. And this wouldn’t be a 1930s-style supper house without a coat check, would it?
