Cooking Class with View of the Wood-fired Oven

The end of the holiday season has afforded us the opportunity to take a breath and to start planning our dreams for the restaurants in the New Year. One of our favorite ways to express our creativity and to connect with our guests in a more intimate setting is through our class series. We started with wine lectures years ago under the direction of the ever-talented John Neumark, and, as those increased in popularity we added cocktail classes and then cooking lessons. Our design of the 2013 class series was based on our desire to focus all of our energies into a single class each month wherein several of our talented chefs, bartenders and sommeliers would team up to provide the most interesting and integrated experience possible for the attendees.

Chef Nate with Cooking Class Attendees

As in years past, the cooking lessons will continue to be held in the beautiful open kitchen at Cicchetti. New this year, our talented and beloved sommelier Salomon will be present to pour wines that match the food that is being demonstrated in the kitchen. We are particularly excited for the upcoming Beginner’s Pasta Workshop on January 19^th featuring Chef Josh, Nonna Maria and Sous Chef Mako, and for the Italian Sweets class that will be co-hosted by Chef Josh and our pastry chef, Harlee Morrow.

Cocktail classes are arguably the most dynamic classes we offer, with each of our four chefs tasked with creating a dish to pair perfectly with a specific cocktail. Our extremely talented bartenders take turns teaching the classes based on their unique skills. The Resurgence of Pre-Prohibition Cocktails on September 21^st already has our bartenders delving into tattered texts to learn as much as possible about some of the finest cocktails made over a century ago.

Iron Bartender at Cicchetti

Wine tastings are shifting a bit this year in a more fun, relaxing and dynamic direction. In a market saturated with vague wine jargon, we like our guests to be able to taste the wines they buy to be sure that they’re taking home a bottle they love. Sal will host a free tasting each season with new finds and old favorites available to try and buy. He will offer a free 30-minute lecture on a particular wine or region that is important to the season for those who want a more structured experience. For everyone else, there will be hundreds of bottles on display for purchase at phenomenal retail prices with our team of wine professionals on hand to answer questions. A special Saturday happy hour follows each tasting from 4:00-6:00 in the Serafina bar.

All of our classes are listed under the Events tab on the website. We can’t wait to share the things that make us feel excited about food, wine and spirits!

St. Martin's Celebrator, by Seth Sexton

Chef Josh has been poring over cookbooks from the Alto Adige and trying out recipes for weeks in preparation for the much-anticipated St. Martin’s Feast two weeks from today. Sal and Josh checked in with Ines from Castelfeder on his final draft, and she gave the menu her enthusiastic approval. We cannot wait to host this Tre Bicchieri award-winning winery and showcase Josh’s incredible menu!

Course 1: Cold-smoked Alaskan scallops with pumpkin ravioli; served in a brown butter sauce

Course 2: Bay leaf-roasted quince with Prosciutto di Parma

Course 3: Smoked rabbit terrine with petite chicory salad and wild raspberry vinaigrette

Course 4: Northwest salmon with truffled celery root puree and celeriac chips

Course 5: Braised pork ribs glazed with pomegranate reduction and herb-studded spatzle

Course 6: Porcini lamb sausage with toasted farrotto and baby spinach

Previous Post

Another passing summer means St. Martin’s Day is coming upon us! Nature is kindly reminding us to pause and reflect on the bounty of the summer, bask in the excitement of the fall harvest, and look ahead towards the hope of a healthy and peaceful winter. Here at Serafina we have a long standing tradition of celebrating through food, fine wine and fellowship.

For our 12^th annual St. Martin’s Day Feast we have invited Ines Giovanett of the 4^th generation Castelfeder winery in Alto Adige. We are thrilled to explore a region we have yet to feature at any of our winemaker’s dinners. Come to Serafina expecting well-made, colloquial wine; Castelfeder’s wines give their drinker a soulful sense of time and place unmatched by most. Executive Chef Josh Green will showcase a rustic, regionally-driven 6-course pairing menu that promises to highlight the best in each wine.

Imagine the lush, fertile hills of the Alto Adige, snow covered mountains in the distance, the stony remains of a two thousand year old castle on the grassy hill. Now, come to our communal table, feel the warmth of friends, food and wine, and celebrate the patron saint of wine makers, grape growers, and drunkards, Sancti Martini! Let the festivities begin.

Thursday, November 15^th, 6:30pm. $120 per person, excluding tax and gratuity. Reservations accepted through the restaurant at 206-323-0807.

View of the Grounds at Castelfeder

Featuring the wines of Allegrini and Poggio San Polo, the multi-course dinner was punctuated with songs performed by Meghan Scheibal.

We look forward to future events featuring this new form of dinner and performance; check out the video for a quick impression of the evening.

Mezzo-soprano Meghan Scheibal is a recent graduate of Manhattan School of Music with a Master’s Degree in classical voice. This summer, she will perform Mercedes in Carmen with the Pittsburgh Opera Theatre, as well as the Young Woman in a newly commissioned opera Night Caps.

Meghan is married to Robin Shay, the ambassador for Allegrini and San Polo who some might remember from past events at Serafina. Together, Robin and Meghan have produced a series of opera-accompanied wine dinners. Songs from past performances have included “Torna a Surriento” (Canto Napolitano), “O Mio Babbino Caro” (from Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi), and “Seguidilla” (Bizet’s Carmen). Specific performances at Cicchetti are a surprise.

We look forward to putting a distinct Northwest twist on this budding European trend! Reservations for this very special, intimate event can be made by calling the restaurant at 206-323-0807.

Art by Seth Sexton

Please join us Sunday, July 1st as we host a summer party with the Serafina and Cicchetti famiglia. Limited details for now can be found at the garden party page. We’ll keep you posted as further details get ironed out.

 Make sure to check our website for on-going events to celebrate the 20^th anniversary of Serafina.

We are honored to have all of you in our lives.  Thank you and here is to another 20 years!

It is difficult to describe the power and aristocratic nature of a wine like Barolo, made solely from Nebbiolo, a grape which first appeared during the first century. Barolo wines have a very brooding, powerful and beautiful disposition. On March 11, we had the fortunate opportunity to taste Giacomo Borgogo Barolo in consecutive vintages 1998 through 2001. Outside of the planned tasting, several guests stayed to try the 1996 for good measure.

Opening the tasting was an invigorating, refreshing White Nebbiolo from the producer Nera. This wine was a big hit with its mineral structure, ample acid and salinity. It paired well with our marinated vegetable antipasti and was an interesting expression of Barolo’s varietal. Moving onto the Borgogno wines, we began with the 2001 vintage, which filled all the promise of a Nebbiolo from the commune of Barolo. I would characterize Borgogo’s wines, produced since the 1700’s, as being produced in the more traditional style. Opened at 11:00am for our 3:30pm tasting, this bottle was a testament to the fact that this style of Barolo take their sweet time to open up, demanding the consumers’ patience. Having said that, the 2000 was next and proved to be an outright stunner, ready-to-drink, complete, complex and likely to please those who enjoy mature wines.

The 1999 held the most promise for the future, having aromatic nuance and power seamlessly wrapped together. Yet it was unanimously agreed that this wine needed more time in the bottle as the finish was green and a bit tight. The 1998 proved to be the most evolved and demonstrated that with Nebbiolo, the question is “when?” rather than “if?” Later in the evening, we opened a 1996 for some lingering wine tasting guests. Although older, this wine was sowing a very vibrant acidity and youthful freshness. The 1996 was clearer and more subtle, but still had secrets to show.

Our guests expressed a sense of privilege and joy at being able to enjoy four amazing Barolos side by side in one sitting. Barolo is a wine that reveals the secretive power in the harmony between man and nature. These wines can truly transport you to another time and place.

If you happen to be an international super spy and you also happen to have an intolerance to gluten, where oh where are you supposed to get the perfect gin martini? Saunter up to the bar at Serafina and call for Monopolowa Gin. Triple distilled, from potatoes, this Austrian gin is not only smooth, herbaceous, and economically priced (at $7), it also brings the grain-fearing, gin-loving sophisticate a welcome pool in which to dip their olives.

As Celiac disease and allergies to grain are becoming more and more prevalent, it is exciting to know that having a potato-based gin opens up a much more fulfilling cocktail experience at Serafina for the gluten-intolerant. One of Serafina’s most popular beverages, the Elisir della Fiore, concocted by bar manager and mastermind Chris Bollenbacher, is a gin based cocktail mixed artfully with St. Germain and fresh grapefruit juice. The Monopolowa Gin is the perfect complement for the Campari in Serafina’s famous Negroni as well.

For those who may argue James Bond drank vodka martinis and not gin, Serafina has you covered. Monopolowa makes a potato vodka as well, stocked at Serafina and ready, for all your debonair needs.