Nonnas of the World

First time dining at Enoteca Maria and was not disappointed. The nonna's on this evening were from Mexico and Japan and of course there were the house Italian dishes. The food was incredibly flavourful and the portion size was generous. I loved the intimate atmosphere and the friendly attentive service made you feel as though you were a visitor in someone's home. The restaurant was also accommodating for anyone who requires a gluten free meal. Highly recommend.

My friend and I took the ferry from Whitehall Terminal at the east end of Battery Park and arrived at the St. George Terminal at 1:30pm, which was an hour before Enoteca Maria's first official seating of the day. By the time we walked over, we checked to see if they'd be willing to seat us 45 minutes early. They were happy to oblige and bring out a bottle of tap water to quench our thirst. In addition to the usual Italian nonna dishes, an Argentinian and Japanese nonna were contributing their efforts. A couple of the Argentinian dishes weren't ready early, but everything else was good to go. There was only one vegan option, which was the eggplant dengaku, described on their menu as a "delicious, classic Japanese dish [that] consists of a steamed then char-grilled, organic sliced eggplant scored and brushed with a homemade gluten-free sweet and savory miso glaze. Sprinkled with white and black sesame seeds and Japanese seven spice seasoning, and served with seasonal simmered vegetables." It definitely tasted like it was made with love. One of the sides was a roasted, skin-on Japanese yam that was garnished to look like a quiche, which I thought was a cute idea. My friend got the lasagna della nonna, which was really huge but still relatively light since there was not an overage of cheese in it. She enjoyed it thoroughly but couldn't finish it all. The only vegan dessert option was a sorbet, which I passed on. Not sure if I'd come again since there was only one vegan option, and it is quite a long trek to get to and from this place from Manhattan. But I like the concept and hope it continues to attract diners.