Mediterranean Oasis

Serevan in Amenia

Serge Madikians greets diners on Serevan’s patio, filled with herbs for the restaurant, including lemon thyme, pineapple mint, spearmint, lemongrass, and lavender.

Serevan, in spirit, culinary charm, and humble nature, is more than a restaurant, a place to eat. It is an integral piece of the community, a spoke in the grand wheel of the Hudson Valley. The beauty and distinctiveness of Serevan lies in its historical charm and architectural finesse—living, breathing entities that have been gently cultivated by an Armenian from Tehran, chef and proprietor Serge Madikians.

Serevan’s location in Amenia (which is derived from the Latin word amoena, meaning “pleasing to the eye”) is quintessentially picturesque farm country: rolling green hills, horse farms by the dozen, and far removed from strip malls. Serevan is housed in a former farmhouse that was built in the 1880s. Over the years, it’s been a bar, a brothel (what establishment of a certain age hasn’t?), the scene of an unresolved murder (ditto previous comment), and more recently, an Italian restaurant.

When Madikians came onto the scene, he transformed the dwelling and grounds into a lush, gastronomical oasis. Windows were replaced, the entrance relocated, and the surrounding walls reinforced. Inside, some of the original floors and overhead beams were exposed and refurbished. The walls were painted in colors that kept history and nature in mind—a rich Sherwood green and a warm, deep Van Deusen blue—and adorned with local artwork. On each table are small potted herbs, and baskets of fresh rosemary hang from the walls of the open kitchen; both are utilized for cooking. In the restaurant’s main dining room, not unlike a typical living room, the fireplace mantle is full of family photos, including Madikians’s grandfather, a particularly strong source of inspiration and strength for him. The elder Madikians survived the Armenian genocide, an escape to Iran, two political imprisonments, and still managed to start a family. With other family members in 1937, he opened Café Naderi, which is still in the family and was recently declared a historic site by the Iranian government.