Enoteca Maria, Staten Island, NY -- Nonna's Home Cooking

Enoteca Maria, located at 27 Hyatt Street, Staten Island, New York, is a unique Italian restaurant opened by Denise and Joe Scaravella in February of 2007. It has been receiving rave reviews ever since!

An "enoteca" means wine library, and their wine list offers almost 40 different wines, thoughtfully selected from different regions in Italy. Most of the wines are from small producers who have a focus on artisan wine making techniques. Every wine on the list is also sold by the glass, which offers a fine opportunity to try something new without having to order a whole bottle.

A list of the wines available can be seen on their web site, as well as the menu for the day.

Although the wine list is superb, it is the quality of the food served in the restaurant which keeps bringing its customers back.

Denise and Joe had the idea that instead of hiring trained chefs for their kitchen, they would instead hire older Italian women who had a passion for traditional regional Italian cooking, with recipes that had been passed down in their family through generations, and who were use to cooking for a crowd. They placed ads in Italian-language newspapers of the New York City area and then tested and hired their first six "Nonnas" to come in and have full control over the menu on the night they cooked, each making her own specialties.

Presently they have Adelina from Casola, Napoli, Carmelina from Marcanise, Napoli, Caterina from Toretta, Sicily, Nina from Salerno, Campania, and Teresa from Agrigento, Sicily, each cooking on alternate nights.

This bevy of wonderful Italian women make the menu based on what’s in, what’s fresh, what’s in season, and what is within their individual repertoire of favorite dishes to prepare.

The Nonna cooking on the night we went was Teresa, from Agrigento in southern Sicily.

No matter who is in the kitchen when you go, each meal at Enoteca Maria begins with a generous and complimentary tray of antipasto, selections vary each time. We had small tastes of broccoli rabe, roasted cauliflower and potatoes, marinated eggplant and onion focaccia.

Next, you see my appetizer -- an insalata frutti di mare --a cold and acidic mixture of octopus, calamari rings, shrimp, and celery with a light lemon and olive oil dressing. The seafood was tender and delicious.

My husband chose the stuffed artichoke. It was large, tender and succulent, chock full of seasoned bread crumbs and parmesan cheese.

We were treated to another complimentary dish of a small bowl of beef stew, cooked in tomato sauce. My husband was in heaven, as it taste exactly like his mother use to make it, with big chunks of celery, carrot and potato. We ate more than half of it before I remembered to take a photo!

Next, I tried the farfalle pasta with a shrimp tomato sauce. It was sweet and delicious, with just the right amount of seasoning.

My husband had his favorite dish -- risotto con funghi porcini -- which was creamy and aromatic.

We even indulged in a couple of delicious desserts! Above is a warm apple pear tart smothered in fresh whipped cream, and below is a sweetened ricotta filled crepe with a sauce of fresh berry puree.

Although Enoteca Maria calls their servings "small plates," the servings were more than adequate and filling, and their atmosphere was friendly, and non rushed.

They have an open kitchen so that you can actually watch the Nonna cooking part of your meal, and very often when there is a break they, or Denise or Joe, will come over to your table to see how you are enjoying your dinner.

I would definitely suggest calling ahead for reservations as the restaurant is not large, and is very popular with both Staten Islanders and Manhattanites who can easily travel to it because of its close location to the Staten Island Ferry.

If you miss your Italian Nonna's cooking, or always wished you had one to cook dinner for you, Enoteca Maria is the answer to your prayers!

Buon appetito! Mangia bene!