Selva Grill. - Sarasota

Feb 18th 2024 Rainy Sunday 4 for early dinner: TWO parking spots across the street for our friends from Pennsylvania and our car!!! Woo hoo!!! No charge on Sunday. Brisk business and we had EARLY 4 PM reservations as they opened for the evening. line at the door!! Seated promptly, ok seat but a little uncomfortable with two we both have disc and back issues in the booth with no back support. gave the wives the sturdy chairs. Service was TREMENDOUS and Christin was magnificent. Her helper was not too bad either and took our joking and verbal abuse in stride My review is mainly for the food, but I am going to do something I rarely EVER do in my many years as a Yelper....... I am putting the prices with the food items. Why? Well because even after being at places like Bouchon, Per Ce, Peter Lugar, the French Laundry and some of the top restaurants in the world over the last 42 years of travel and working IN NYC for 16 years, there is always a fine balance between Quality and Value. And while I feel the quality, food product, presentation, preparations and culinary expertise here is magnificent and one of the best so far in Sarasota for me....... I just feel we got zaberized [hidden link] and fell into a tourist trap, in season and the value was just not there? 115 per person tags, tax, delivered is at the upper range for what I would love/want to think would be my wife and my goto before the show or out with friends or romantic dinner a few times a year restaurant? This is at the moment in the once a year category for us. 467 for 4 people for a fairly light proportioned dinner and drinks is lofty. There was an almost 80 tip well earned btw We had a variety of beverages for the girls in the 14 to 16 per drink range on the high side even for Sarasota downtown. 8/10 Beck NA and Corona were a competitive 6 . .... 96 in drinks For appetizers we ordered the 4 item scallops 30 7/10 , chopped salad 14 9/10 , a single crab cake 21 5/10 , a summer roll 23 7/10 ..... 88 in apps A bass dinner 47 9/10, Swordfish dinner 42 8/10, Short Ribs 43 9/10, Plato Vegetarian 33 10/10 165 in entrees The presentation and the product was awesome!! Loved it and top of the stack for Sarasota, service world class, and food fantastic......... but a bit overpriced with NYC prices.

Can't believe I've passed this place by for years without trying it, but we finally went last night. We'd made a reservation for outside, and despite it being a Wednesday night, you needed a reservation (we ARE in season now . (Note: indoors is loud, and although the decor is ok, I'm used to NYC caliber restaurant ambience, so most places in Florida can't compare. I tend to choose outdoor tables in Florida because I can enjoy the gorgeous weather. Everything was delicious, presentation was beautiful, staff so professional. On the pricey side, but a very nice treat. They no longer serve bread with meals unless you specifically ask for it, but ask the truffle butter they serve with it is delish! Took a look inside at the lounge area it's just past the bar and seems like it can only accommodate a few people (maybe two or three separate groups? . Something amusing I noticed: Downtown Sarasota was hopping busy on a Wednesday night in March. Our reservation was for 7:30 and tables were packed. But by 9:00 it was almost a ghost town. I realized the majority of patrons were elderly. I guess that's Florida for you. lol Selva was fantastic! I'll definitely be back!

We had an excellent dinner here. We had the Sea scallops (sea scallops on sweet potatoes) and the ceviche trio (my favorite was the traditional one) for appetizers. I had the special of the day which was a Chilean sea bass in a broth that tasted like Thai red curry and my husband had the seared tuna. Both were excellent! Our server was helpful, friendly, and knowledgeable. The outdoor seating is covered on the top and 3 sides with heaters so it seems as if it would be pretty warm.

Incredible food, welcoming to a large party and really great cocktail selection. Freshness and quality were top tier as expected and the service was attentive and kind. Presentation did not go unnoticed, and flavor was matched to the beauty. The corn flan with the seabass was killer and such a unique addition sweetness and texture wise. Only short comings were decor(as usual in Florida restaurants) and a slight funk in the air- unrelated to the seafood? More noticeable able in the cocktail lounge, but stuck with me. Lounge was a nice transition after dinner and again service did not miss. Also worth mentioning they allowed us to push our reservation back due to flight delays without hesitation

We came for dinner and were pleasantly surprised. This place was recommended by our uber driver but I've had Peruvian and this doesn't seem authentic just infused. All of the food was very nicely presented. The service was ok, I wouldn't call it the best I've ever had. The waitress would only come around when the food was dropped off. We sat outside by the street because we didn't have a reservation it was a little chillly but they turned on the heater. Inside seemed a lot nicer and it was really full of people.