Maria Pia Inaugural Review Our Coverage Sponsored by Fresh Origins
Besim Kukaj, Owner of Maria Pia
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The Kukaj brothers have another winner in Maria Pia, the third Manhattan restaurant owned by them we've visited. We've visited each of the three once, all recently.
First we liked Cara Mia, the pioneer and first:
Then we discovered Serenata, the newest:
Maria Pia is quite similar to Cara Mia in cuisine but we liked the layout of the restaurant more.
We were extremely impressed with the winning salad we tried: Insalata della Casa. Arugula, avocado, asparagus, boiled eggs, and mozzarella bocconcini (obviously our most favorite vegetable) were presented in a perfect arrangement. Usually to be honest there is at least one ingredient we are picking out of a salad because of personal preference, but this one was ideal and we liked every single component.
A tantalizing appetizer that is terrific yet simplistic is the Antipasta Misto. Less is more. Sopressata, salame, coppa, cacciatorino, olives and parmesean cheese team up to whet your hungry appetite while you sip wine and look forward to the next course. If you are coming in to sit at the bar you need to order this.
A mark of whether or not a restaurant knows what it is doing is the octopus test. Maria Pia passed with their Polpo e Ceci: seared octopus, garlic, and sauteed chickpeas to create a most tender antipasti you'll enjoy. Maria Pia opened in 2001 and is the second restaurant after Cara Mia of the Kukaj brothers.
Of course if we are going to recommend an Italian place you know it has to be strong in pasta, and we cannot overemphasize how the Italians outperform everyone else as a group, so for any new Italian place to be featured at all is quite a feat.
For our red pasta, we chose the classic Spaghetti con Polpette, reminiscent of Lady and the Tramp. It was just right for Goldilocks Peachy-not too much pasta, the right amount of meatballs, perfect sauce, and overall a sophisticated dish that emanated the Italian quality we are looking for. Obviously Peachy is no longer blonde in any way (see top right with Rita and Julian right now) but we are just using that as an expression meaning nothing was overdone or underdone, in case this is your first time reading and you have not had enough coffee to understand our humor. Or humour, depending on where you sit.
An elevated choice is the Linguine alle Vongole, also a star of the menu. We chose this for our white pasta and the succulent manila clams, garlic, and olive oil are terrific companions in a wonderful white wine sauce. This will absolutely hit the spot and we were quite happy.
Our favorite dish at Cara Mia by about ten miles was this majestic Tagliata di Manzo. It was so tender and flavorful it brought tears of happiness to our eyes, and we found that out after we had already been impressed with the winning presentation. The grilled skirt steak was just perfectly sizzling and it positively reveled in the roasted peppers, arugula, cherry tomatoes and fingerling potatoes. If you think you don't like meat, obviously you did not try this.
For our fish entree, we enjoyed the Spiedino di Gamberi: skewer shrimp, rice pilaf, and caper lemon sauce. It was convincing and we adored the perfect spices and delicious shrimp. The final touch of banana tart with chocolate gelato was amazing. Though Maria Pia is unassuming hidden on a side street, its cuisine is front and center.
Maria Pia impressed us on our first visit and we look forward to seeing what brothers and owners Luan and Besim Kukaj do next.
