Bites Bulletin: Selba

 Last night Mister and I went out to a local restaurant Selba.  Selba features healthy fresh flavorful food, made with natural ingredients from local and regional farmers. Our first impression of the place was this is really charming (my words not his) it has real character; it was the type of setting where you could sit, talk and have a couple drinks and not realize hours had passed.  The décor was welcoming, the lighting was flattering, the staff was attentive and the food arrived quickly *the makings of a favorite dinner spot*.  The food and drink menu were very fresh and modern, featuring creative and unique pairings.  Starter prices average around $12 and dinner plates average around $20. The food was not heavy yet very filling.  The bar was inviting and for some reason I thought they had some of the best water I’d ever drank *I’m serious*. The location was convenient and it even offered parking, YES a restaurant on Cary Street that actually has a parking lot *wonder how they got that deal*

We started with the Selba Mezza Platter, House-pickled vegetables, marinated olives, hummus, house-made crackers and grilled pita.  Safe choice *I know* but you can never go wrong with hummus and olives (right, yes/no, whatever).  The dish was pretty damn tasty, the house crackers added a unique touch, they were a tad on the hard side but flavorsome nonetheless. The grilled pita was more like charred pita but Mister dug in with no complaints so I reluctantly followed.  What the pita bread lacked the hummus and olives more than made up for (told you, you can’t go wrong with hummus and olives). This gets 3.7 stars, burnt bread and all.

I ate an olive before I took the picture *was hungry*

I had the Chesapeake fresh Crab Cake, Meyer lemon, dill, arugula-beet salad and fresh herb remoulade.  While I enjoyed the fresh herb remoulade, I didn’t find the dressing on the salad to be very tasty and I’m a little finicky when it comes to beets but I didn’t want to be difficult.  The crab cakes were about 70/30 (70% crab, 30% filler), but that’s not shocking around these parts.  All in all, I’ll have to give it 3.5 stars. 

I had to take a bite before this pic too *it was calling me and I'm new to this so*

He had Pan Seared Chicken Breast, Local Organic chicken, miso-sweet potato mash, roasted apple and sour cherry jus.  What is cherry jus you might ask, its cherry sauce (why they just didn’t say that, I have no idea but moving on).  The sweet potato mash was like eating baby food (you probably don’t remember what eating baby food is like but it’s not so pleasant.  That’s probably why after around age 2 we stopped that).  Oh and Mister pointed out they were stingy on the roasted apple which helped to improve the mush they called sweet potato on the plate. If you managed to get everything on the fork at the same time though, it was basically a remnant of Thanksgiving dinner just a really really really toned down version.  While I could tell this wasn’t his most favorable dish of the year (and we are only 13 days in) he did clean his plate and he was full so *shrugs*.  So speaking for him I’ll go ahead and give it a rocking 3 stars.

Can you find the tiny apple???

All in all Selba get 5 stars on the ambiance and 3.5 stars on the food. While going back to this spot  for dinner is  little up in the air right now, we will definitely be visiting again for drinks and appe’s. While I enjoy others cooking for me just as much as the next gal, I’m not a food critic or anything so check it out for yourself: 

Selba 2416 W. Cary St., Richmond, VA 23220

Until we meet again OXOX