Selene brings an earthier Aegean fantasy to SoHo | amNewYork

"Selene, the new coastal Greek restaurant debuting in SoHo at 23 Grand Street on May 18, does not seem interested in giving New York another postcard vision of Santorini or Mykonos. Instead, it reaches for something older, deeper, and far more sensual: the Greece of terracotta, stone, salt, fire, grilled fish, exceptional olive oil, and late dinners that seem to stretch beyond time. This is the Aegean without cliche. Less whitewashed wall, more ancient vessel. Less beach-club fantasy, more elemental seduction."

"At Selene, Greece feels submerged in clay and earth, then draped in downtown luxury, lobster, citrus, herbs, and the kind of coastal cooking that makes leaving feel almost unreasonable. Selene's LavrakiPhoto Courtesy of Selene/AKSSS Studio Spread across nearly 10,000 square feet and three floors, Selene arrives with real scale and atmosphere. The space is designed as a modern Aegean escape in the middle of downtown Manhattan, complete with multiple dining rooms, a lush garden terrace, and a retractable-roof atrium that opens to the New York sky."

"The nod to Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, gives the restaurant its mood: luminous, feminine, elemental, and just slightly mythic. The menu leans into ingredient-driven coastal Greek cooking, which is exactly where the cuisine is at its most persuasive. Whole grilled fish, crudos, tartares, lamb chops, bright Mediterranean vegetables, citrus, herbs, and olive oil form the backbone of a table that feels both abundant and restrained."

"Nothing has to scream when the ingredients know who they are. One imagines lobster, glistening fish, glossy vegetables, and pasta with the ease of a favorite Mediterranean spot by the sea. The food appears to understand the quiet glamour of Greek dining: simplicity made luxurious through sourcing, confidence, and restraint."

Selene opens in SoHo at 23 Grand Street on May 18, offering coastal Greek cuisine without postcard clichés. The concept centers on terracotta, stone, salt, fire, grilled fish, exceptional olive oil, citrus, and herbs, paired with late dinners that feel timeless. The nearly 10,000-square-foot, three-floor space creates a modern Aegean escape with multiple dining rooms, a lush garden terrace, and a retractable-roof atrium opening to the New York sky. The restaurant’s mood draws from Selene, the Greek goddess of the moon, creating a luminous, feminine, elemental, and slightly mythic atmosphere. The menu features whole grilled fish, crudos, tartares, lamb chops, Mediterranean vegetables, and pasta, relying on sourcing, confidence, and restraint to make simplicity feel luxurious.

Read at www.amny.com