Selva Downtown Sarasota

"Dinner for four at the downtown location. We’ve eaten here a couple of times over the years and really like the ambience and the food. This time we accompany in town and had made advanced reservations. We were glad to get an outside table under cover (raining) due to a cancellation. The inside can be noisy and hard to have a conversation. Luckily also, the main windows were closed to the outside area also keeping down the inside sound. The ambience outside is nice. Only after we were served the main course, did we realize how small the tables are. The plates barely fit on the table and in most cases hung off the table a little bit. In questioning who I believe was a manager they agreed the tables outside. we’re smaller than tables inside, so something to be aware of. During the meal my wife actually got her sleeve in her sauce. Joanne, our server was prompt, did a good job, was attentive and never rushed us over the course of the meal. They have a pretty good selection on the beverage menu and we opted to share a bottle of wine. We shared the short rib and lobster tostadas appetizers. Just enough for four people to have a nice taste, and not ruin their meal. We were not in a hurry, and Joanne allowed us to just order appetizers and enjoy the time together. The last thing we like is to be in and out of a nice restaurant in less than an hour. We were here to dine not to eat. For a main course I ordered the Sea-bass. The fish was cooked perfectly and arrived warm. It was a 6-8 oz filet and was light and flaky with a nice flavor. Two others ordered the short rib entrée and the third of the chicken. We also ordered a mac & cheese for the table. All of the food came out hot and had good presentation flavor. All around was very good. The short ribs were tender and fell off the bone. Dinner lasted about two hours as it said before we were never rushed. Service was very good and the ambience was nice. Prices are where you would expect from a nice restaurant. I felt our table was a little small and we were cramped throughout the meal. something to think about if you decide to sit outside"

"Had an amazing experience here for the holidays! It was our first time dining here and our server Christine was amazing! She helped walk us through the menu and gave us some recommendations that were spot on. We will be back for sure and will be asking for her to be our server again!"

"I had a delightful happy hour with the excellent bartender, Travis. He was attentive and super informative about the menu, and made a great Tito's Dirty Martini. The crows at 4 on a Thursday was thin, but the bar was full by 7. The food is amazingly good. I had a Caesar Salad (hold the onions) and a Short Rib Spring Roll. Both were somewhat unusual, but delicious. Portions were small, and they were expensive even at happy-hour prices, but with taste to die for. Nothing is inexpensive, but nothing isn't worth it."