Nonna Knows Best

Travel

Audio By Carbonatix

“Nonna…”

Kind of like Maria in West Side Story…the most beautiful sound I ever heard.  

And, the best pasta, the best pizza, the best pasta e fagioli, perfume, hugs, money and cookies.  And, unfortunately, capozzela.

Who wouldn’t, or didn’t love their “nonna?”  I did, from rosary beads to fried dough.  In Italian, it means grandma.   And, I had the best, most delicioius opportunity to eat with my husband at Enoteca Maria in Staten Island last week.    Home of the Nonna-only chefs and inspiration for the Netflix movie, “NONNA” starring Vince Vaughn.

Enoteca is the unequivocal spot to just be a “caffone” and slob over the best authentic cuisine Italy, Japan, and that Saturday, Trinidad and Tobago has to offer. It is the dream of its owner, Staten Island native, Joe Scaravella.   And, it came true…to max capacity every open evening.  (Days and hours are limited).

Joe envisioned a restaurant with just nonnas at the gastronomic helm…no wooden spoon on your butt, just in the sauce, and this throw back, literal hole in the wall did not disappoint.  If you are expecting glitz and a show stopping cocktail menu, call Le Cirque.  But, if you want Nonna Carmelina in her apron to seat you, this is the spot.

We ate two lasagnas, burrata, meatballs (polpette), crazy banana pudding and Nutella cheesecake, all made in house by a Nonna or two.    Although the menu remains mostly Italian, because, well, let’s not go there, each day features an out of town Nonna.  Trinidad and Tobago Nonna in the house offered up some Oxtail, and although I politely declined, many ordered it, and you can watch the authentic ingredients being whipped up right in the kitchen.

My evening with Joe and Paola and our waiter John was a gastronomic throw back to my childhood and more difficult to get a reservation than Sardi’s in 1974.   But, it was worth the wait, the love, the hugs, the delicacies, the black and white gaudily framed pics on the exposed brick wall.    

The wafting layers of pasta to branzino are etched in my nosebuds and tastebuds and I cannot wait to go back and visit Joe and his nonnas again…next time we won’t order two lasagnas. 

Joe says he has a plan to expand this Nonna-ria, but kept his plans, close to the vest like Nonna would do. And, we couldn’t be any more excited for the great reveal of what Nonna has up her apron sleeve.