Serra Ristorante Review

By Elli Davis, December 7, 2009

Serra Pizza & Pasta

• Address: 378 Bloor St. W.
• Contact: (416) 922-6999

• 

Welcome to Serra Pizza & Pasta!

With well over a decade serving the heart of The Annex, Serra Pizza & Pasta is rapidly becoming one of the few respectable restaurants on the Bloor Street strip between Spadina and Bathurst – which is sliding into what some might call disrepute. Too many university students and 905-area partiers. If you want to dine in the Annex core these days, your choices are somewhat limited – Irish pub or sushi bar? Coffee shop or wings? With the departure of Mediterranean bastions Via Oliveto and, ages ago, Il Fornello, Serra remains a stylish paragon of good Italian food. Don’t take our word for it – Serra’s website boasts that it has been recommended by Zagat, Frommers, Let’s Go, Toronto Life and others.

Atmosphere of Warmth in Serra Will Welcome You.


The Bar in Serra

Honeyed wood and a plum-coloured exposed beam ceiling create an atmosphere of warmth in the restaurant, which has been decorated for the winter season in an understated fashion. Abstract art (for sale) and interesting wall sconces grace the walls, and polish is evident in the care that has been taken to dress the tables perfectly – yet despite the elegance, this is the kind of place you can visit in your favourite jeans. It’s the Annex, after all. Nearly empty at one p.m. on a cloudy Saturday, the tables quickly fill up, mostly with groups of four or more. Behind me, a woman asks to have the remainder of her meal boxed up to go – a sensible request, as we’ll soon find out.

My guest arrives and we are moved at her request, without any fuss, to a prime corner window seat. Our smiling server is polite and almost shy, and perhaps new to the restaurant; she immediately seeks out answers to our questions (what’s in the risotto; whether or not they take debit cards). Turns out the risotto of the day is a trio of white mushroom with black truffle paste and no, they don’t take debit, but they will absolutely provide room temperature ginger ale for my guest. The soda can is offered to my companion to touch to ensure the temperature is acceptable!

The lunch menu is simple, not overwhelming: an extensive wine list has far more offerings than the culinary creations it’s helpfully paired with. Wines are sold by the 5-ounce glass and by the half litre, with the most expensive bottle running to $120 and the cheapest in the $30’s. Pastas can be split for a two dollar surcharge, making it easy for patrons to experience all the vibrant flavours coming out of the attractive kitchen – which is separated by a frosted glass panel from the main dining area so we can watch our meals being prepared.

Grilled Salmon

Fresh artisan bread arrives immediately, accompanied by creamy, delicious dip made from kidney beans and eggplant – a nice change from the ubiquitous red pepper dip we so often see at contemporary eateries. At lunch, appetizers outnumber the mains (only herb-rubbed chicken breast and grilled salmon are offered), so we decide to choose from that list. My partner takes the warm Woolwich goat cheese with grilled eggplant, portobello mushrooms, roasted red peppers and organic greens ($8.45) and grilled calamari with oven-cured tomatoes, kalamata olive relish, and sweet peppers drizzled with a sundried tomato aioli ($10.45) while I choose the Angel hair pasta with grilled chicken, sundried tomatoes, red onions, roasted garlic and olive oil in a light tomato sauce ($12.75)

Everything comes at the same time and suddenly our small table is full of beautifully plated dishes. My guest’s goat cheese is a melt-in-your-mouth slab atop a huge mtreaty wedge of mushroom and tender eggplant. No stringiness or rubbery texture in the calamari, just a tender portion of seafood with grilling providing salty notes. Staple bistro food, to be sure, but the near-perfect execution ensures diners won’t be disappointed.

Angel hair, a tricky pasta to work with, is slightly less al dente than I like, but nevertheless picks up the sauce very well – every strand is coated with the smoky flavour of sundried tomatoes. Though the portion is very large, the chicken is harder to find than the whole roasted cloves of garlic which explode in the mouth.

Serra Gelati Dessert

Although enthusiastic reviewers have lauded the efficient service at Serra Pizza & Pasta, that was not our experience – we were left sitting far too long with our empty plates, probably because our polite server had gone home for the day and only a senior staff member remained, going about his chores in the now-empty restaurant. We had to wander over to him to ask for a dessert menu. However, this proves to be a wise decision – along with good strong coffee and a smooth, extra-frothy cappuccino, my guest’s trio of gelati (hazelnut, pistachio and coconut) proves to be, if not homemade, at least fabulous. This is one huge portion we cannot take home. There’s still one Bloor Street restaurant that can be counted on to deliver an excellent dining experience.

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