Serafina adds East Hampton branch

When Abby Monahan’s mother, Lili Adams, worked in the kitchen of Eastern Seafood 30 years ago, she didn’t know the child she was carrying at the time would grow up to become the general manager of the latest restaurant to occupy the same space on East Hampton’s Main Street.

Serafina East Hampton is the latest expression of the culinary arts from owners Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato. The pair also owns Serafina Broadway and Serafina Osteria in Manhattan, among other locations.

“They loved the space and decided East Hampton would be the next place to branch out,” said Ms. Monahan, a Montauk resident.

The restaurant’s yellow awning and fresco paintings make it similar to the other Serafina locations, but the sand colored wooden floors and outdoor dining area also reflect a local flair.

The East Hampton branch is similar to the New York restaurants, Ms. Monahan said, “but with a beachy theme.”

According to Ms. Monahan, East End residents and tourists alike will enjoy the Northern Italian cuisine.

“It’s affordable, family friendly, the food portions are great and the food’s delicious,” she said.

In traditional Italian fashion, the menu is filled with pasta specialties that include $9.95 penne arrabbiata in a spicy tomato sauce with parsley and red crushed pepper; $16.75 homemade ravioli alla salvia filled with spinach, ricotta and butter in a sage sauce; $22 risotto Veuve Clicquot with champagne and porcini; $17.50 gnocci “di mamma” served with Italian hillside cherry tomatoes; $22 cornish hen marinated in extra virgin olive oil, sage, rosemary and garlic; and $25 swordfish sliced and grilled and served with tomato relish and pepper.

During the busy dinner hours, a minimum of $15 per person is required.

Mr. Assaf and Mr. Granato both emigrated to the United States from Italy in the 1980s but only met in New York years later through a mutual friend.

“Back in the ’80s there weren’t too many places where you could feel at home,” said Mr. Assaf of the Italian restaurant scene 20 years ago. The two set out to design a restaurant where “you feel comfortable, the ambiance is fun, families are welcome, ingredients are good and prices are reasonable,” he said.

The idea for the restaurant chain stemmed from a sailing trip the pair took on Labor Day weekend in 1995. When they were off the Southampton shore, the wind picked up and kept them at sea for 10 hours. As the two men chatted to pass the time, the conversation turned toward the possibility of a restaurant with family recipes. “We were trying to distract ourselves,” joked Mr. Granato.

Now the idea has become a reality on Main Street. “After 15 year we came back to the same region the idea came from,” Mr. Granato said.

The menu also includes more than 20 pizza selections in different sizes, all made with fresh mozzarella. Water for the homemade dough is passed through a filtration system, according to the menu, so that it more closely resembles the water in Naples, Italy.

Pizzas include the $14.75 napoletana with anchovies, capers and oregano; the $15 alla norcina with mushrooms and spicy sausage; $15 al caprino with arugula, red peppers and roasted eggplant; and $30 al caviale topped with boiled sliced potatoes, crème fraiche and salmon caviar.

The menu also features some light fare. Guests can order salads, including Ms. Monahan’s favorite, the porto cervo with lettuce, carrots, hearts of palm, avocado, corn and a “secret” Sardinian dressing. “It’s fresh and summery,” said the general manager of the dish.

While sitting on a metal bar stool one afternoon before the sun-soaked restaurant opened, Ms. Monahan recalled her favorite dishes and tried to sum up the menu the two owners have created: “It’s a collection of their time in Italy.”