A Night Out at Selma’s Tally-Ho

A plate of cheese grits beside a well-cooked rib-eye, zucchini muffins on the table, and bourbon pecan pie waiting in the wings: Tally-Ho has the makings of a proper evening out in Selma. The restaurant occupies a quaint, house-like building whose rooms give dinner a more gathered, personal feel than a single large dining hall.

What makes a visit interesting is the choice of mood. One side of the building is suited to a quiet dinner and unhurried conversation; another has the energy of a lounge, where drinks, shared snacks and, on certain nights, live music shift the tempo considerably. It can be a birthday-dinner address, a place to bring a big family group, or simply a comfortable stop for a bar-side meal.

Tally-Ho’s layout has the layered character of a building that has collected rooms and purposes over time. Instead of one uniform setting, diners may find booths, counter seating, separate indoor dining areas, a bar area and a private dining room.

The quieter dining rooms are the place for a steak dinner, a catch-up with friends or a celebration where people want to hear one another without competing with the room. The setting has an old-fashioned visual appeal, but the occasion need not be formal. A burger and fries at a booth fits just as naturally as a longer dinner with dessert.

The lounge is a different proposition. It has a more animated barroom character, with beer and other drinks available alongside dinner. Live music appears on certain nights, so the sound level and social energy can be notably higher there than in the dining areas.

The menu has a Southern-influenced foundation, moving from shrimp and grits and fried green tomatoes to catfish, crab dishes and steaks. That range makes it easy for a table to order in different directions without anyone settling for an afterthought.

Shrimp and grits is one of the dishes to look for, especially for diners who prefer a saucier plate; extra sauce can be requested. Cheese grits also show up as a side, making an appearance alongside heartier entrées.

Seafood has room to roam here. Crab claws can begin the meal as a substantial shared appetizer, while a fried green tomato preparation paired or topped with crab gives a familiar Southern starter a richer, more celebratory turn. Shrimp Royale and salmon have also appeared among the entrée choices.

Catfish is another natural fit on the menu, and gumbo has appeared as a soup-of-the-day selection. Fried artichokes offer a less expected opening move if the table is already considering crab claws or tomatoes and wants to build a spread.

For many diners, the steak section is the anchor. Rib-eye and filet have earned a reputation for arriving carefully cooked and full of flavor, the sort of entrées that suit Tally-Ho’s more polished dinner-room side.

The house burger provides a more casual alternative, and it can be cooked to a requested doneness. It comes with fries and a notably generous amount of cheese, which is not a bad way to approach an evening when the table is planning to share appetizers and save room for dessert.

Then there are the zucchini muffins. Served alongside some entrées, they are an unusually memorable table detail: not a standard bread basket, not a throwaway side, but a small house touch that can become one of the things people mention after dinner. Potatoes and cheese grits round out the heartier accompaniments.

Tally-Ho works well when dinner unfolds in stages. Begin in the lounge with drinks, or settle into a dining-room table and put a few appetizers in the middle before anyone commits to an entrée. Crab claws, fried green tomatoes and fried artichokes all lend themselves to that style of ordering.

That approach is especially useful for mixed groups. Someone can keep things simple with a burger, another can go for catfish or salmon, and the steak-minded diners are not left without a serious option. The menu’s breadth helps the meal feel communal without requiring everybody to order alike.

Dessert is not an afterthought here. The bourbon pecan pie arrives with ice cream, putting a classic Southern finish on a dinner built around grits, seafood or steak.

Crème brûlée cheesecake is another standout. It combines two familiar dessert impulses—the crisp caramelized top associated with crème brûlée and the cool richness of cheesecake—in one final plate. It is a fine reason not to overdo the appetizers, though that can be a difficult promise to keep.

The restaurant handles different scales of occasion comfortably. Couples have made a destination dinner of it, while birthday parties, out-of-town family meals and groups as large as 18 have all found a place here. The private dining room adds another option when the gathering needs some separation from the rest of the restaurant.

Service has a friendly, attentive reputation, with the sort of detail-minded approach that matters when a table is balancing shared starters, individual entrée preferences and dessert decisions. For a larger family meal, that attention can keep the evening from feeling like a logistical exercise.

A free parking lot is available, though the roomier feel of the lot should not be taken as a promise of open spaces at every busy service. Inside, the choice of seating matters: booths, counter seats, the bar and dining rooms can produce very different versions of the same evening.

Reservations have not been consistently required, but the restaurant’s reservation practices are not uniform enough to treat that as a standing rule. For a celebration, a larger party or a particular seating preference, confirming the current arrangement is sensible.

For a quieter meal, the dining areas are generally the better match. For drinks, shared appetizers and a more social room—particularly when live music is scheduled—the lounge supplies the livelier alternative.