SERAFINA
2043 Eastlake Avenue E, 323-0807

If you're the stereotypical Stranger reader (i.e. pierced, poor, and unpopular), then SERAFINA is not for you. On the other hand, if upscale Italian dining with a hint of class--dark wood bar, patio dining, Etruscan-esque urns filled with fresh cut flowers--sounds appealing, then this is the place. The bar, boasting a wide selection of single malts, draws a thirty- and fortysomething crowd, and on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights they're serenaded, mostly with live soft jazz and blues vocal stuff. In other words, Serafina is a good place to impress a date. And who knows? If things go really well, there's a motel right next door. SANDEEP KAUSHIK