The Rail at La Stazione has proven to be romance to my taste buds. You need to know about the new jewel of Somersworth NH. This restaurant just opened about 5 weeks ago and if things go the way I anticipate it will, it’s going to be a HUGE success.
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I’m going to try to paint a picture for you, since words are all I have. Classy exterior, lighting and colors that say elegance. A wonderfully friendly greeting from the staff… smiles from all employees. To me this says a lot about the establishment and management… a happy staff means happy customers. The interior is tastefully decorated with a granite feature wall and understated decor that says…the food is the highlight here.
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I started off with a beverage, (they have a full bar) I ordered the homemade Sangria. Let me tell you that it was THE BEST Sangria I have ever had, the flavors and spices were absolutely perfect. I wonder how long they had to work on that recipe to get it so amazingly perfect. Next is the warm fresh bread (it tasted homemade) with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette. I could have made just that my meal it was so good. We chose the appetizer Fritti Formaggo, which is made with smoked aged provolone and marinara…to die for. What a difference the smoked aged provolone made, you can taste the smokey flavor and it’s over the top.
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I need to insert here how refreshing the staff is. Our waitress was Hannah; she was witty, friendly with just the right amount of banter. I love it when you have a server who is passionate about the food, confident that you will love it and comfortable enough to show their personality. She guided us with our food choices knowing what was special and unique about each choice.
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For the main course, there were so many wonderful choices, but I went with the Bourbon marinated steak tips and my husband got the Polo Alla Marsale which is chicken breast, herbs and wild mushrooms. The steak tips were cooked to perfection, tender and the presentation with the garlic green beans and whipped potatoes – just beautiful … almost too pretty to eat. I have to insert some food photos here…. Oh yes, you’re going to be hungry.
Let me quote my husband.. “I’m so full, but I can’t stop eating… just one more bite”. The food is so delicious that you just can’t stop eating. The portions are large and I couldn’t even eat half of my meal. Hannah would come by and ask if she could box up the food for us and put it under the warmer until we were ready to leave… WHAT? Who does that? It’s all the little extras that this establishment does that makes it stand out from the ordinary.
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We just had to try a dessert. The Manager, Chris Parr, described the dessert menu and everything sounded SO good. We chose the Cannoli. Chris explained that the Cannoli wasn’t your traditional Cannoli. He said it was Cannoli filling (homemade by the way) surrounded by the chips. He said that he and Chef decided to try to create a more interactive dining experience by trying to offer people food to be shared and encourage people to put down their phones and concentrate on the experience. Can you imagine that? How many times do you see families sitting at a meal and all are on their phones… I can’t stand that… so we had to pick up our chips and spread the cannoli filling on our chips, we had no extra fingers to be scanning our phones. Isn’t this just the best thing you’ve ever heard?
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I hope by now I’ve described things so well that you can almost taste it and you can almost feel how wonderful the entire experience was… but now let’s talk cost. I’m sure you probably think that because the food is SO good that it must be expensive….not really the case here. Take a look at the menu, you have choices… some are more costly than others… however, they’re truly not much more than the typical entree cost. In my opinion, considering that at La Stazione they create homemade meals with the freshest ingredients, they are leaps and bounds ahead of the frozen, prepackaged food that a lot of restaurants are serving these days. Quality ingredients and homemade foods are FAR more flavorful and healthy….THAT I am willing to pay for. Don’t forget that the leftovers fed me another amazing meal the next day! Score!!
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A conversation with the couple sitting next to us confirmed that their dining experience was just as amazing as ours. They told me they heard about this new establishment on Facebook. They were very impressed with their meals and said they would definitely be back. I invite you to check out the website below. Give this new restaurant a try, you will certainly be impressed… Infact, I think you’ll make this a regular dining experience.
The Rail at La Stazione | Italian Restaurant | Somersworth, NH (therailnh.com): Somersworth’s Best New Restaurant; La Stazione
