Enoteca Maria

Enoteca Maria Restaurant Review:

This Staten Island restaurant has an interesting gimmick: a stable of rotating “nonne,” or Italian grandmas, all hailing from different regions in Italy, come in and cook what they might make at home. On any given night you could get Margherita from Palermo, Nina from Salerno, Carmelina from Naples, or Rosa from Vicenza, just to name a few. The nonna moniker is sometimes a stretch, as a few of the “grandmas” look like their own children have yet to produce offspring. In addition to the nightly changing menu that depends on which nonna is in the kitchen, there’s also a more permanent menu that boasts decent Italian classics. But why would you want that when there’s a grandma in the kitchen waiting to cook up her homemade favorites just for you? The all-Italian wine list is a good one, with several affordable bottles available.