Selanne Steak Tavern Proudly Wins its First Wine Spectator Award

It has been announced that Selanne Steak Tavern, the sophisticated contemporary steak house located in an historic 1934 bungalow along Pacific Coast Highway and owned by retired ice hockey legend Teemu Selanne and local businessman Kevin Pratt, has received its first Wine Spectator Restaurant Award – an Award of Excellence for 2016.

Since 1981, Wine Spectator has been honoring restaurants with extraordinary wine programs, giving deserved recognition to those restaurant wine lists that offer interesting selections, are appropriate to their cuisine and appeal to a wide range of wine lovers. Selanne Steak Tavern was given the Award of Excellence based on the 240 wine selections it offers from its inventory of over 2,100 carefully stored bottles in the restaurant’s upstairs wine cellar, in three other climate- regulated wine storage rooms and in an offsite professional warehouse facility. The wine strengths of Selanne’s list are cited as featuring wines from California and France.

“Achieving this Wine Spectator Award of Excellence distinction has been a sought-after goal for the restaurant, which we opened in late 2013,” said owners Selanne and Pratt. They continued, “Our wine and spirits program is an important complement to the outstanding aged steaks, chops and other seasonal fare masterfully prepared by Chef Joshua Severson. This commendation is also a special tribute to our talented sommelier team.”

Selanne’s wine program features California cult wines and highly rated world-class selections on its Libation List, via its “The Exclusive 100 Point Club” and its exclusive private reserve list, “The Black List,” which is presented to guests on an iPad. In addition, in 2016 the restaurant started holding special wine dinners highlighting exquisite California, specifically wines from Dana Estates and Bond Estates, to date. All wine service is further enhanced by serving wines in Riedel glassware and using Riedel decanters.

Previous kudos and recognitions for Selanne Steak Tavern include: California Golden Foodie awards for “Best New Restaurant,” “Best Steak” and “Best Wine List,” being named one of “The 10 Most Beautiful Restaurants in Orange County” by the Orange County Register in 2016, and designations by the Santé Awards 2015 committee, “Wine Hospitality Award” and “Fine Dining and Spirits Hospitality Award, Restaurant Bar,” the sole restaurant in these specific categories in the California geographical area, one of eight areas in the U.S.

The awards will appear on the magazine’s website and will be in the August 31 print issue of “Wine Spectator’s 2016 Dining Guide.”