Serafina in White Plains

White Plains, NY is bustling. No, seriously.  A lot of new restaurants and bars are popping up. My guess is that living in NYC is so expensive that more young people (and young families) are choosing to stay in (or move to) Westchester County.  The business community has responded.

Serafina White Plains recently opened and I was anxious to try it. I’ve been to one of their Manhattan locations, Osteria Serafina, on many occasions as a vegetarian so I figured there was a good chance I could find something on the menu.

We went on a Saturday night, without a reservation but early, and were able to get a table for four outside.  It was a beautiful night and we were in awe of all the activity on the streets of White Plains. It really has changed in the 10 years I have lived in Westchester.

I studied the menu and, best I could tell, there was one vegan salad and there was one vegan entrée (spaghetti squash).  The pasta menu indicated gluten-free options so my fingers were crossed they might also have at least one pasta made without eggs.

I ordered the Chopra salad to start.

Mixed greens, pears, cherry tomatoes, corn, asparagus, walnuts with lemon vinaigrette dressing

When I ordered I explained I was a vegan and that it appeared that the Chopra salad was vegan. The server confirmed it was vegan.  As I was ordering my entrée, explaining that the spaghetti squash didn’t interest me he suggested a “nice fish.” Oops, he doesn’t understand what vegan really means. Rookie mistake on my part.  I have to remember to spell it out always and risk offending a server who does know.  Anyway, I mention all of this because there’s a good chance I had butter with that salad. The corn was grilled and after finishing the salad (which was good) I just had a feeling I had consumed butter. If you order this salad, be sure to ask!

On to the main dish.  Pasta was ruled out because each pasta on the menu was made with eggs.  I didn’t want to order pizza “hold the cheese” and I didn’t want the spaghetti squash (I wasn’t going to pay $17 for something I can make home for about $4) so I ordered from the sides menu.

Ratatouille, roasted potatoes with rosemary and mixed vegetables

Rookie mistake #2:  The three sides cost me more than the spaghetti squash would have!  The vegetables were fine (I liked the ratatouille).

Our two guests enjoyed their meals (she had pizza and he had a meat dish).  My husband had the gnocchi and said “it was fine.”  So, mixed reviews.

Six drinks, two appetizers, one salad, and four entrées (one, just vegetables) came to $215 (includes tip).  It may be cheaper to live in Westchester County than NYC, but dinner at Serafina in White Plains cost as much (more!) than many of my favorite Manhattan haunts.  I won’t be rushing back anytime soon.

Serafina on Urbanspoon

6 thoughts on “Serafina in White Plains”

  1. Wow! That is ridiculous. I drove by there last week, and mentioned it to my husband that maybe we should go with family or friends one evening. Thanks for sharing your review, before I made any actual plans!

  2. Yikes on the price! And I hate when a server pretends to understand what vegan is and doesn’t, I got a salad loaded with feta once because of that.

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