Boston Common - Niche Media - A side of Boston that's anything but common.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/526269
BUILDING MUSSELS Chef Brendan Burke's recipe for Serafina's PEI mussels. Serafi na chef Brendan Burke loves his mussels plain and simple. "They're so delicious on their own," he says. "You don't want to do too much to them." 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil 1 tsp. minced garlic 16 Prince Edward Island mussels ¼ cup white wine ¼ cup lemon juice 1 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley 1 tbsp. unsalted butter Salt to taste 1 slice thick country bread 1 clove garlic In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add oil, garlic, and mussels. Stir until mussels open, for 5 minutes. Add wine and lemon juice to pan and cook until the liquid reduces to 2 tablespoons. Add parsley, salt, and butter and stir to coat. Transfer mussels and pan sauce to a serving bowl. Grill or toast bread and rub with garlic clove. CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT: The villas of Tuscany inspired Serafina's interior, including this sitting area; the understated but always lively main dining room, complete with rare Fellini photos on the wall; Prince Edward Island mussels. Assaf and Fabio Granato were literally lost at sea in a small sailboat. While suffering from hunger and the elements, the two friends fantasized about building the perfect pizza. Happily, both survived, and the combination of Granato's architectural prowess and Assaf 's culinary knowledge gave birth to Serafina. Serafina's Boston location was once occupied by chef Michael Schlow's impressive restaurant Radius, with its large round dining room (originally a bank vault) and its focus on elegant, innovative food and impeccable service. The new tenant's food and service are certainly up to par, but Greenberg makes the space feel more like a party. His goal, he says, "was to create a comfortable setting that comple- ments the light Italian fare," adding that designer Petra Hausberger of Brookline's Somerton Park Interiors "took inspiration from a Tuscan villa." Greenberg is proud of the concept and design, but it's the collection of rare Fellini photographs Hausberger incorporated that he seems most pleased with. The lunchtime crowd consists of the upwardly mobile denizens of the Financial and Leather Districts; at night the throng skews younger, with the well-dressed set pouring in for after-work cocktails or a bite and a tipple from the Italophile wine list. But be warned: Serafina is already quite popular, and like all of maestro Greenberg's creations, it's a place to see and be seen. The room can quickly grow crowded and cacophonous—although the team is working on a solution to bring the volume down. But diners wouldn't keep f locking here if the food didn't deliver. For day and evening, Serafina offers the same menu, emphasizing pizza and pasta and celebrating the coastal cuisine of the Mediterranean and Adriatic. Standouts include the tuna carpaccio, with the seared ruby-red tuna encased in black pepper and served with equally red blood oranges (a Sicilian specialty), crunchy fennel, and creamy avocado; seared scallops paired with our favorite pork product, guanciale; charred octopus served over fregola (a type of toasted couscous from the island of Sardinia); and the not-so-Italian (but who cares because it's oh so very satisfy- ing) truff le-laced lobster mac and cheese. Porsia, who grew up in Rome, says the menu doesn't hew to the cuisine of any one region of Italy: "It's just simple, fun, reasonably priced Italian food—not overanalyzed." In the kitchen, chef Brendan Burke's non-Italian lineage has not hampered his ability to work magic with mostly Mediterranean ingredients. "There is a really happy vibe at Serafina," Porsia adds. "Nothing is complicated; it's simple." 10 High St., 617-426-1234; serafinaboston.com BC "THERE IS A REALLY HAPPY VIBE AT SERAFINA. NOTHING IS COMPLICATED." —ROBERTO PORSIA BOSTONCOMMON-MAGAZINE.COM 77