The space at 144 E. 9th St. Unit 1 that previously housed The Red Snapper restaurant has become the home of new fine dining establishment Serafina’s Steakhouse.
Owners Serafina and Bobby Middleton, a husband and wife team who also own Chimayo Stone Fired Kitchen, 862 Main Ave., announced their intention on the Serafina’s Steakhouse Instagram on April 25 to open the new restaurant after the May 2020 closure of the Red Snapper.
Serafina’s Steakhouse is described on the business’ website as being a “refined space offer(ing) an elevated dining experience built on exceptional seafood, perfectly cooked steaks, timeless cocktails, and a thoughtfully curated wine list.”
The Middletons want Serafina’s to be “a calm, upscale, comfortable, warm, inviting place to be.”
“I want (patrons) to feel welcome in here, but also feel like they’re having a fine dining experience,” Bobby Middleton said.
“I’ve been to places where, you know, the food is nice, but the host is stuffy, and I don’t want that,” he said. “I want it to be comfortable and welcoming, but also feel like you’re in a nice place, somewhere special, where you can dress up and spend the evening.”
Appetizers at Serafina’s, such as the artichoke dip and chips and the tequila shrimp, cost between $13 and $24. Salads sit between $15 and $18, and Bistro Plates – burgers, sandwiches and gnocchi – are all in the mid-$20 range.
Serafina’s currently has seven entrées on its menu, ranging in price from $35 for the Pork Porterhouse, featuring a rosemary and roasted garlic rub and a strawberry compote, and served with a side and a vegetable, to $70 for the restaurant’s rib-eye, also served with a side and vegetable of choice. A butter-poached lobster tail can be added to any entrée for $32.
Cocktails cost between $13 and $24 for a glass, and up to $45 for a one-liter pitcher.
The dessert menu features approachable favorites like chocolate cake and a banana split.
The Middletons said one of the restaurant’s key pieces of ambience is the 24/7 live piano music – some of which doesn’t require a musician at all.
“The piano is a pretty key piece,” Serafina Middleton said. “The idea with it is that it will be live music all the time, because the piano will play itself. And then, as we find musicians that fit well, we’ll be able to start featuring different musicians who want to come in and play, maybe even bring in another (instrument) or two to accompany occasionally.”
The process of getting Serafina’s Steakhouse up and running wasn’t always smooth sailing, the Middletons said. The restaurant was originally meant to open in early June, but because of extended construction timelines and drawn out permit processes, it was pushed back to July 25.
Business Improvement District Executive Director Tim Walsworth said the city is glad to see the space being occupied again.
“They’ve done a lot of work inside the building to get it ready to reopen the restaurant,” he said. “That building has sat vacant for a long time, way longer than most things sit empty in downtown.”
Walsworth said BID’s perspective on the new restaurant is overwhelmingly positive.
“We’re really excited to see that long vacant space finally get activated, and for a restaurant of that caliber and quality to be brought in,” he said.
The Middletons said the process would not have been possible if not for their team, many of whom have been longtime familiar faces at Chimayo: Executive Chef Aaron Marshall, Kitchen Manager John DeAngelo, General Manager Kacy Houston, Service Manager Matthew Shawcroft, Head Bartender Will Dick and Office Manager Earline Middleton.
“The hope is that Chimayo and Serafina’s will be differentiated enough that one isn’t competing with the other,” Serafina Middleton said. “They’re meant to be different experiences.”
Serafina’s Steakhouse is open 4 to 9 p.m., Thursday to Monday.
epond@durangoherald.com
