Siba

Such wonderful food. And it's not your run of the mill Italian restaurant. They consider it Italian with Mediterranean influences, but there are so many different things here I would just call it Mediterranean. I definitely recommend the sampler platter with the flat bread as a starter, after that you're on your own because it's all good. :)

We were excited to meet some friends for dinner at Siba. The atmosphere here was nice. Unfortunately, dinner was a disappointment. The service was slow, and our waiter did not check in often. My son's meal came 10 minutes after all of the other food. My daughter ordered the New York Strip. It was cooked as ordered, but it was so bland. My Chicken Marsala was good overall, but the chicken was a bit rubbery. The "jumbo" crab cakes were a not good at all, and for nearly $30, the portion was small. The mashed potatoes were the only really tasty part of the meal. The menu did not impress. In fact, our friends said that it used to have a much wider selection. For the price of this meal, I would have expected much better quality. We will find another local place to enjoy next time.

We've  been to Siba many, many times. Tried dinners there over the years (it's easy walking distance from our house), tried hanging at the bar with friends, tried special occasion events there, you name it we've given it every opportunity. But we're done. Been trying it since they opened.

How can you not be attracted to someplace that bills itself as a "Tuscan Grill"? I love the idea but the execution is not even close to what it should be - especially for the pricing. Even if it were less expensive, I wouldn't go there for the food which is not Tuscan and not worthy. The bar can get crowded (why??) and we've been forced to move out of the bar when the entertainment showed up - a guy with a guitar and a few amplifiers crowding out the limited space in the bar. Yuck. That was enough to make me leave anyway. The only redemption for Siba was their outdoor patio which they've  now converted to a new space - BoHem, a supposed European Bistro. We'll see how that goes. If you're heading to Siba, don't  look for me there.