Serafina, White Plains

My husband and I celebrated our 24th Wedding Anniversary on August 22nd. We had been celebrating all weekend long with fabulous meals either out or at home. With all the kids out of the house on a Monday night we decided to try a local restaurant that recently opened  in White Plains, Serafina.

We were asked if we preferred al fresco dinning or to be seated inside. We usually love to sit outside when that option is offered but last night wanted to get a feel for the inside of the restaurant. We asked to be seated by a window, and were shown to a lovely table with a view. We even waved to a friend of ours who was passing by in his car while he was stopped at a traffic light!
It's a fun place. Very lively with a young, hip vibe.  The wait staff was very accommodating and on top of their game. Very quick to refill water glasses and offer fresh milled pepper on served dishes.
For an appetizer I ordered Tartare Sofia. To my delight out came a beautifully stacked tuna and salmon tartare. The presentation was magnificent. It was very fresh and delicious.

My husband, Steve loves Truffles. On the menu they offered a risotto made with truffles. He asked if they could substitute the risotto with a pasta. The waiter suggested a paglia e fieno, which is usually a mix of green and white thin long flat pasta.   The shaved truffles on the pasta were abundant.  We would have preferred the parmigiano to be freshly grated onto the pasta.  While the taste was delicious it was missing a little something, perhaps some salt and also needed a little more of a sauce on the pasta. It was very dry.

For my entree I ordered Grilled Calamari, and Steve ordered the Cornish Hen. I just laughed at that. In all the time I have known him I have never seen him order a Cornish Hen in a restaurant. I don't think I've ever seen him eat a Cornish Hen!  I don't think he'll be ordering another one any time soon!
My Grilled Camari was good.  I did ask for it to go back into the kitchen for a little more grilling time.  It was served on wooden skewers and served on top of an arugula salad that was perfectly seasoned. The portion was also very generous.

We loved the vibe of the restaurant.  While some dishes were very good, and showed signs of brilliance others were just fair to good.  We love having a restaurant like this in our neighborhood.  Hopefully last night was just the result of the kitchen being a little off.  They are trying very hard to please. I've talked to some other friends who have gone there, and they said to give them another chance. I think next time we'll try the pizza.

Some of you may be asking, who is she and why does she think that she can review a restaurant. Well, I am nobody really. I'm just someone who loves good food. I love to make great food, I love to eat great food, and just like you, when I go out I want to have a great meal. I may not be an expert, and I'm certainly not compensated in any way for my blog posts, but I know the difference between a fair meal, a good meal and a great meal. Just like you!

Thanks for stopping by!

Buon Appetito
xoxoxo
Lorraine