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Home > Restaurants > Enoteca Maria

Enoteca Maria

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

27 Hyatt St., Staten Island, NY 10301
nr. Central Ave.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
718-447-2777 Send to Phone

  • Price Range: $$

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  • Reader Rating:

    9.0 out of 10

      |  

    1 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: Italian
Photo by Konstantin Sergeyev

Official Website

enotecamaria.com

Hours

Wed-Sun, 3pm-11pm; Mon-Tue, closed

Directions

S42 bus to Central Ave.

Prices

$18-$20

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Business Lunch
  • Dine at the Bar
  • Notable Wine List

Alcohol

  • Beer and Wine Only

Reservations

Recommended

Profile

Owners Denise and Jody Scaravella had their own version of the Field of Dreams mantra: If you build it, they will cook. It seems they were right, as the lynchpin in their twice-daily (sometimes more) changing menu is the half-dozen, give or take, rotating women chefs designing menus inspired by the delights of their home regions of Italy. One day, you might take a seat in the slim, urban-sleek dining room and find Sicilian specialties, like a frittata made with fresh artichokes, or pasta con sarde. Another day, you may be presented with a Marche meal of panini draped with sharp arugula, olive oil, and cured beef. Every day is a lovely surprise, as is Jody’s all-Italian wine list, filled with little-known varietals and regional better-knowns like the plummy Lacryma Christi. Portions tend toward the demure, but each meal begins with a triple-sampling of complimentary antipasti—homemade focaccia, briny button mushrooms, and a little fresh artichoke, served atop white-washed blue dishes—and ends with a freshly made sweet, such as biscotti. And if one of the chefs of the day is trying something new, you may end up as a guinea pig somewhere in the middle of the meal. Honestly, you won’t mind.

9.0 "Highly Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
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Food: 9.0
Service: 8.0
Décor: 8.0
Value: 9.0

There is nothing comparable in Manhattan

lilacwine from 10301 | Posted on 11/19/07

Overall Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 9
Service: 8
Décor: 8
Value: 9

I have been a weekly regular since they opened. The menu changes daily and rarely repeats. Often it is a totally spontaneous creation. One cook informed us that she did not know what she was going to make that day until she walked in the door, preferring to let her intuition decide in the moment. She made a bacon risotto, a first-time creation, that was the best I ever had. I imagine this kind of spontaneity is just too risky for most restaurants. Some things that impress me- the fish is always whole; they regularly serve organ meats as though oblivious to the fact that most americans restrict their proteins to beef, chicken, and pork; each cook is also an accomplished bread and pastry chef, foccacia is baked on site daily and the desserts go beyond ubiquitous tiramisu; the wines that benefit from decanting actually come with a decanter (it baffles me why even the most wine-savvy restaurants fail to do this). They just imported a new cook from Milan. We tried her tomato bread soup and profiteroles. We were astounded. BTW, they are now closed Mondays and open Sunday afternoons.

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