The bold blue-and-yellow banner of Serafina White Plains is somewhat of a victory flag for a long-vacant space in the Bar Building downtown.
Nearly two years ago, upscale Italian eatery Via Quadronno abruptly shuttered. It was not the only Great Recession-battered restaurant in the city.
Antipasti closed its North Broadway doors and Main Street mainstay Peniche Tapas Restaurant closed this winter. Tango Grill filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection the same summer as Via Quadronno filed.
“I think the price point”™s everything and I think the service here at Serafina, as well as the food that”™s going to be served , appeal to a tremendous amount of people,” said developer Louis Cappelli, president of Valhalla-based Cappelli Enterprises, who opened Via Quadronno with partner Lou Ceruzzi in 2008.
Serafina White Plains joins the ranks of its Manhattan, East Hampton and Brazilian Serafina Restaurant Group counterparts.
Founding partners Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato hold international name recognition; they are partners with Le Bernardin”™s Eric Ripert at Upper East Side hotspot Geisha.
Granato said Serafina, which features northern Italian fare, is all about the “energy.”
“We”™re not the only ones who make pizza and we”™re not the only ones who make pasta,” he said. “But we believe in many different things, like our ingredients and the welcoming feeling you get inside when you come in.”
The prices are in the mid-range with appetizers falling between $7 and $19 and entrees from $17 to $28.
Serafina”™s predecessor, Via Quadronno and other eateries had higher price-points.
“I think things are turning around,” Cappelli said. “Wild Wings is doing fantastic. We”™re a partner in that. 42 is doing fantastic. We think Serafina is going to do fantastic. Our next stop is the glass building across the street. We”™re thinking about something really kind of cool and funky and will move onto that with one of our partners with Serafina within the next few months.”
He said it would be more than a chic eatery, with a “lounge-y” feel.
