Profile

Although the name Serafina has come to be equated with wood-oven pizzas, this outpost of the Manhattan chain lacks that signature dish. Instead, it focuses on other casual Italian dishes. (If it’s pizza you crave, head a few blocks farther uptown to another branch, Serafina Fabulous Grill.) The look here is more relaxed than menu prices might indicate, with red-checked tablecloths, a low ceiling, and faux-naïf paintings of pasta and wine bottles on the walls. A few Roman specialties, such as an artichoke appetizer and roasted lamb with rosemary, give the menu a slight regional spin. Many choices come from familiar, generic-Italian territory, like veal scaloppine, gnocchi, and penne with vodka sauce, and they sometimes seem fatigued. Desserts taste as though they’ve been languishing in the fridge too long. At least the owners have kept the word “fabulous” out of this branch’s name. — Jennifer Paull

Pennete Stolichnaya, $14.50