Sérénité Restaurant & Culinary Institute

Mr. H and I got out to the newly opened Sérénité Restaurant & Culinary Institute in Medina last week. Similar to its sister restaurant, EDWINS in Shaker Square, the mission of Sérénité is to instill leadership skills in men and women recovering from drug and alcohol addiction through an education in the culinary arts.

From the outside, the building is eye-catching and historic. There is a handful of tables on the front porch, and a few patio tables with umbrellas around the right side of the building. There is free parking available in a lot connected to the building.

Inside, it reminded me of an old upscale Western saloon. It is very small, so I do suggest getting a reservation.

The food is French-influenced, as is EDWINS. We started with the Artichoke a la Barigoulle ($11), which was so good that I immediately headed to Pinterest to see how we could create this at home.

Mr. H ordered the Trout Almondine ($25), which was very good and came highly recommended by our server. Trout still remains a bit too "fishy" at times for my taste. But the Whipped Potatoes with it kept me reaching across the table.

I was torn between a couple of selections, but went for the Braised Leg of Rabbit ($25) with spinach, grilled polenta, and a Dijon mustard cream sauce.

That sauce! It was fabulous. The rabbit was also super tender and just fell off the bone.

For only being open since late March, you'd never know it. The service was great from start to finish, the food was just as good as EDWINS, the setting is charming, and the mission of the training program is worth supporting on its own. We don't find ourselves out in Medina very often, but this restaurant will bring us back soon.

Sérénité Restaurant & Culinary Institute
538 West Liberty Street
Medina, OH 44256
330-952-2611