Serafina has opened in downtown White Plains and is already bustling with diners both inside and out. Those who are familiar with this Italian chain from the city have been eagerly awaiting their arrival in Westchester and are happy to have good, fresh food at reasonable prices in this central locale. Even better, with parking available at the Ritz next door, it’s easy to get in and out.

The interior of the restaurant has been redone in a light palette with sunny, colorful hand-painted murals on the walls to go with the bright yellow Serafina signage. The interior feels spacious and seats 85 diners at large tables and comfy banquettes. Unlike many places in the area, the restaurant has good acoustics, allowing you to hear what your companions are saying across the table. In warm weather, 40 can be accommodated on the sidewalk, under the awning at outdoor tables.

On the night we visited, service was attentive. We were seated promptly and offered wine by the glass or by the bottle. The menu proved to include far more than pizza … providing a full selection of appetizers, salads, pizzas, meat and fish entrees and desserts.

Dishes at Serafina include first-rate Italian ingredients such as sushi grade tuna, salmon tartare, imported Parma prosciutto, burrata, homemade pastas, and foccacia, making it difficult to choose what to order from the extensive menu.

A few of the items from the antipasti selection were crostini with mozzarella and prosciutto, burrata with yellow and red cherry tomatoes and filet mignon carpaccio with warm truffle sauce.

Salads can be ordered as an appetizer or as a meal at lunchtime. The “Chopra” salad is mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, corn, asparagus and walnuts in mint/lemon vinaigrette and there’s “Carciofi E Parmigiano, which is sliced baby artichokes with aged parmesan in lemon and extra virgin olive oil. Salads range in price from $8.95 to $16.75.

There’s a long list of pastas – all said to be homemade. I ordered the La Paglia and Fieno Del Sud, which was very thin pasta with tomato, basil, parmesan and a touch of cream. The serving was big enough for two and was so tasty that I polished it off myself. Also on the pasta menu are pasta “crepes” with spinach and ricotta cheese in a light tomato basil sauce, a pasta trio with raviolo, gnocchi and spaghetti, pappardelle with pesto sauce, pine nuts, string beans and potatoes …. and the list goes on.

For entrees, we tried the salmon, filet of bass and the Veal Milanese, and all were delicious. For vegetarians, there’s a spaghetti squash entrée that comes with mixed vegetable, pine nuts and tomato sauce – pictured here. Entrees are $15 - $28.

And we haven’t even gotten to their famous thin crust pizzas, which according to the menu are prepared in a“specially constructed oven in order to ensure a moisture-free and crispy Pizza dough.” You can have the pizza almost anyway you can imagine from the classic Margherita with tomato, mozzarella and basil, or Formaggi d’Italia with mozzarella, fontina, aged parmesan and gorgonzola, to more imaginative gourmet pizzas including Tonno, with sushi grade tuna over robiola sauce or Al Salmone with mozzarella, Norwegian smoked salmon and dill. Priced from $9.75 - $24.00 these pizzas are a meal in themselves.

Serafina clearly knows the formula for success and is a welcome addition to the restaurant scene in downtown White Plains. With first-rate fare, good service and reasonable prices, they are sure to draw crowds to Main Street.

Serafina
199 Main Street (Corner of Main and Court Streets)
White Plains
914-288-9300
Click here to visit their website

Weekdays: 11:30 am to 10:30 pm
Weekends: 11:30 am to 11:30 pm
Brunch Menu: Saturday and Sunday 11:30 am to 4:00 pm