What a hidden gem!!! On our way back to the Cape from Tampa we decided to stop in Sarasota for dinner at a place we had heard about from a friend, Selva Grill. We were seated immediately at the table of our choice which was by the water fountain and looking out on to the street. Our server was there at once to take our drink orders and to inform us of the specials. We asked what the chef specialized in and he said, “why don't we ask him ourselves”, and brought the chef, a handsome young man named Eric Houseknecht to our table! Eric sat with us for several minutes and explained many of the items on the menu to us and made several recommendations that we of course took. I had the whole Red Snapper and my wife had the skirt steak. Both were superb and the presentation was incredible. Dessert was even more beautiful and at that time we also found out that Eric was also the pastry chef! We will be back and we will tell all our friends. It is well worth the hour drive from Cape Coral.

On a Saturday night after a theatre show four of us had reservations at Selva Grill and believe me reservations is definitely a must. We had 8 pm reservation and had to wait at the bar almost an hour which we did not appreciate but after the meal we had it was well worth the wait!

For an appetizer I had the Mayya Shrimp Ceviche, $12 marinated in orange and lime juice, avocado, tomatoes, red onion, corn and a crispy plantain came with it in a beautiful white ceramic dish that looked like a wave is how I can describe it. What a presentation!
Two of us had the Salmon de la Selva, $21 which was pan seared with cilantro rice wrapped in a plantain leaf with a champagne vinaigrette. Delicious!! My husband had the Cornish Hen with vegetables and it came with two sauces. He loved it. My girlfriend had the Pork tenderloin with purple mashed potatoes and she took have of it home. It was quite large. We all had a bottle of white wine which our waitress recommended. I can't remember the name but it was wonderful and we all enjoyed it! Two of our party had coffee and no one had dessert. We all said we would definitely be back and now that it is off season maybe we won't have to wait for our table again.