Hooray for Serafina's! This great Italian eatery which has many locations (UES, Midtown West, UWS, East Hampton and Brazil), known for their amazing pastas and great drinks now serves up Gluten-Free Pasta!! Woo hoo! I'm so excited because prior to being gf I would always eat there, but then when I was diagnosed I concluded that it would be Chicken Paillard going forward.
Last week I was there for a post holiday party with my co-workers and we went to Serafina. I was about to order the Chicken when I suddenly noticed that the menu mentioned GF pasta. I was so shocked and excited that I took a picture of the menu! Under the pasta section of the menu in bold lettering it says "We Have Whole Wheat Pasta and Gluten-Free Pasta". WOW.
In NYC alone, this eatery has three locations. One is located on in the 50's on Broadway, another is located on the Upper East Side and the last on 49th Street near Barney's on the west side. And it's latest baby? Opening in East Hampton Long Island. Fantastic!
GF Pasta with Marinara Sauce and Ricotta Cheese/Basil
For those of you who have not tried Serafina's GF pasta, you are definitely missing out!
xoxo Julie
Enjoy!
Did you get to talk to anyone on staff about how they avoid cross-contamination? I get nervous when trying pasta because I have heard of restaurants using the same water as the regular pasta. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Erin,
ReplyDeleteYou know I cannot imagine that Serafina would use the same water!! But It's a great question. You have me so curious, I will be calling this weekend to find out. Stay tuned for an answer. I did not have any reactions at all. The restaurants I have frequented are cross-contamination conscious. For example Bistango or Lili's 57 aka Lili and Loo cook everything separately and are very aware. Same with Morimoto Sushi, Nobu and other fancy dining spots like Pastis, SDK and others. However!! And this is a biggie Mr. Chow and Phillipe are not very good with that. I don't go to those spots anymore, I do get reactions.
Hi Erin,
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry it took me so long to get back to you! Anyhow, I called Serefina Restaurant (the one in the Dream Hotel on 54th St and Broadway) and I spoke with the Hostess, who I then asked to confirm with the manager and chef. I had asked her your question, and in addition if they used the same utensils, cooking pans for both types of pasta. The hostess said she thought the utensils were the same but that the water was different. I said that I needed her to confirm by asking the chef. I sat on hold for about 15 minutes literally. She came back and quoted that the Chef has confirmed that not only do they use different water, but they use fresh/different utensils, pans, bowls, pasta drainers and they have a separate cooking area designated for gluten-free! Then I told her I write a blog and that I needed to get one of my reader's question answered.
Erin, you got me thinking...
I decided to call all NYC locations and see how their staff reacted to my questions and if all locations in fact carried the GF Pasta that the Dream Hotel location did. Here is what I found out...
ReplyDeleteSerafina-(Dream Hotel) 210 W. 55th Street at Broadway (212) 315-1700
Manager and chef confirms that they do have gluten-free pasta. GF pasta is cooked with different/fresh utensils, cooking pans, water and in fact has a separate cooking area all together for gluten-free.
Serafina-58th St and Madison (212) 832-8888
Manager confirms that they do NOT have/carry gluten-free pasta. They have a completely different menu then all other locations. The staff was very short with me on the phone. It did not appear that they would be carrying GF anytime soon.
Serafina-61st between Madison and Park (212) 702-9898
This location carries GF Pasta. Manager and Chef confirm that cooking GF is a "made to order" basis, therefore chef confirms that they use separate water, utensils, cooking pans and a separate space to make these meals.
Serafina-(Time Hotel)-224 West 49th St. between Broadway and 8th Ave (212) 315-1700
Manager and chef both confirm that the brand of pasta they use for all pasta dishes is gluten-free. Their choice of pasta just happens to be a gluten-free pasta (it is fusilli shape). I asked the manager to check and confirm with the chef, and the chef showed her the bag of pasta. Their pasta's are labeled gluten free. However, their home-made pasta is not gluten-free so do not get confused, and yes gluten free pasta is made separately from home-made pasta, in separate utensils, pans, water etc, but know that because it is made separately the manager mentioned it will take longer to cook. (because it will take longer to boil new water)
Serafina-1022 Madison Avenue at 79th St. 2nd Floor (212) 734-2676
Manager confirms that they do NOT carry gluten free pasta. I then asked if they would be getting it soon. The Manager said that they don't foresee carrying gluten-free anytime soon. This manager was short, to the point and didn't seem to have any interest in the subject matter.
Last but not least, the East Hampton location...
I couldn't get in touch with the East Hampton location so I sent an email. Hopefully I'll hear back soon. I also inquired about their Sao Paolo Brazil location as well as their soon to be Philly location. I'll get back to you on those two.
ReplyDelete