The Rail at La Stazione — Restaurant in Somersworth

This was truly some of the best food and eating experiences I’ve had! We had an incredible time visiting The Rail at La Stazione. I picked the place because it was my partner’s birthday and he is Italian. He is often disappointed by Italian food at restaurants because he has high standards since his family cooks incredible Italian food. This place has some of the best reviews in the area for Italian which is why I chose it. While I was so excited for him to hopefully get good Italian food (spoilers: he did), I had very little expectations for myself as a vegetarian since the menu doesn’t have any vegetarian entrees. But the second I bit into the bread, I knew i would be happy because it was the best bread I think I’ve ever had. Every single ingredient was special, many items were local or imported from Italy. Our server, Q, was so funny and shared stories about all of the items. Q is the guy if you want to have an entertaining meal. He’s knowledgeable, quirky and delightful. Also the owner was so nice and checked in on us and offered us some amazing beverages to try. Speaking of beverages, the whiskey jacket may be one of the best drinks I’ve tried (and Q told us is award winning). Going back to being a vegetarian, I tried to order something that was a modification of an entree with meat, and Q said he could do that for but suggested instead that he ask the chef to make something special because what I asked for would be great but not that exciting. The chef delivered, and I don’t exactly know what it was but it was soooo tasty! It had lots of vegetables including a mushroom sauce with shallots and homemade pasta, and it was a big enough serving that I got two more meals out of my leftovers. I also had a Caesar salad (which has anchovies in the dressing - I technically am a pescatarian and eat seafood but I’m not a big enough fan to order seafood as an entree). That salad was amazing. You can tell the quality of the ingredients by how good the salad is was. My husband got the meatballs appetizer which he loved and said was very filling, so he ate some and took some home. I can’t remember what he got for an entree but he said it was delicious. We wanted to try dessert but we were way too full. We will definitely be going back. It’s a 10/10 from me and I’d probably go back for the bread alone, not to mention the rest of the amazing food and the fun...

Small portions, high prices, sub-par food. So bummed that this place really kind of sucked. Got take-out for Sunday dinner. First time here so wanted to try a few different things. Started with Cesar salad. Hearts of romaine, could've been a little fresher but not bad. That was essentially the best part of this meal. No parmesan, generic croutons and the dressing was a bit odd; had an almost sweetness to it and not a hint of anchovy to be found. The garlic knots had bits of raw, uncooked dough and no discernable garlic......no seriously, I think they forgot the garlic? Served with a small container of cold salsa? Don't THINK it was marinara but maybe it was? How could you tell.......Not sure who told them how to make arancini but arancini should have a creamy, cheesy risotto center and crispy, fried crust. What we got was a baseball of salty rice. No cheese, no peas, no creaminess; just packed plain rice balls fried and served with some kind of weird sauce......not quite sure what that was. The meatballs were large, over packed, overcooked, bulletproof balls of hamburg with no real flavor. And the chicken parm, small 1/2 breast with no real flavor and medium portion of pasta which to be fair appeared to be homemade but was kind of dry. So, lesson learned, a very expensive dinner that will go to our dogs and chickens. All set. We won't be back......I miss...

My husband and I stopped in around 6:30 on Valentine’s Day. We sat at the bar because we’re last minute people and of course didn’t make a reservation, but it was nice. The bar is small but comfortable. We ordered some Mai Tais (so good) the caprese salad and bolognese arancini (I’m definitely getting the bolognese next time we go in) We enjoyed our drinks and appetizers. The bar tender was attentive but also let us relax and not feel rushed. Ordered another cocktail and our entree. My husband got the veal saltimbucco I got the chicken Marsala. Both were so good and the portions were large. My husband said the veal was cooked perfectly and he loved the pasta. The Marsala was one of the best I’ve had and there was enough for two meals. All of the staff were pleasant and smiling. The owner (I’m guessing he was) was super friendly, running food, checking on guests and helping where he was needed, it was nice to see, and the level of care certainly shows in the atmosphere and the food. This area doesn’t have much of a selection for Italian food and we’re crossing our fingers La Stazione sticks around for a good while. 10 out of 10 recommend, and we’ll...