Longevity is a good indication of quality and consistency of excellence, and such is very much the case with Maria’s Restaurant (3073 Emmons Avenue, 718-646-6665), not only the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the area, but one of the most vintage and valued in the entire city.
This summer marks the dining establishment’s 76th year (and the 40th year for its chef, incidentally), an achievement that is certainly more than a milestone. What is truly remarkable though is that while Maria’s boasts a singular and exceptional history, the restaurant does not rest on its laurels…it demonstrates a current culinary creativity that promises Maria’s will be around well into the next century. Much of the credit goes to owner Jeff Brown, who takes great pride in preserving past glories and creating new innovations.
For instance, to help you celebrate its anniversary in a tangible way, Maria’s has created its Sunset Dinner special…priced fixed at just $21, and available Monday-Friday, 3-6 p.m. Start with a soup or salad, a choice of virtually any entrée on the menu, add a choice of dessert, plus coffee and tea, and you can readily see why celebrating this legendary spot is a very easy thing to do.
And also during the summer, the outdoor café opens up so you can enjoy the Bay and people-watching, while those passing you become jealous of your meal.
But there is so much more beyond the value…nightly specials enhance a classic menu that has kept generations of families returning again and again.
On the night we visited, the specials ran the gamut from double cut Pork Chops stuffed with prosciutto and a marsala sauce, with broccoli rabe, to the wonderful filet of sole, a thick slice, flaky and moist, rolled around a sweet and addicting blend of shrimp, scallops and crabmeat with a lemon caper finish, all sitting atop fresh spinach. The Halibut was sautéed with lemon, butter, white wine and sun-dried tomatoes and presented with Jasmine-scented rice. There was the merging of veal and artichoke hearts with asparagus, roasted peppers and prosciutto with a lush brown sauce, and Chicken Verde, a boneless breast topped with fresh broccoli and melted mozzarella, drizzled with lemon and topped with a tomato sauce.
The pastas of the day included the linguine with a trio of different mushrooms, mozzarella and tomato, with fresh basil. There was artichoke and pepper-filled ravioli with sun-dried tomatoes in a pesto sauce. Shrimp were skewered with onions and peppers after being given a pineapple and lime marinade, with a slight ginger kick.
But all this is without even reflecting on the main bill of fare. Start with the Zuppa di Clams in red sauce, with basil and freshly cut garlic; juicy, tender, meaty clams that you inhale right off the shell. The sauce is so addictive that the ample supply of seeded and spiced crusty slices of Italian bread from the basket of breads vanished quickly and the white bowl of the zuppa leaves no traces that it was ever filled from the careful cleaning job you do with the bread.
There’s also an excellent fresh mozzarella (large chunks twisted off; not the standard slices) and sweet peppers, served with plenty of red onion.
Enhancing the starters are more than a dozen pasta selections.
As one night expect, for the main dish, seafood takes center stage, but strong supporting starring roles go to the chicken and veal. In the former category, order the butter soft and sugar sweet Scallops Fra Diavolo, garnished with rows of excellent clams and mussels, all in a deep red spicy sauce made even more pleasing with plenty of fresh garlic. Substitute jumbo shrimp for the scallops if you like.
Other temptations include the broiled Chilean Sea Bass, Salmon Livornese, Calamari en Casserole and shrimp done in every conceivable way: Creole, oreganata, Francaise, marinara and on and on.
If your tastes remain on land, even a standard dish such as the Chicken Parmigiana gains new heights thanks to top notch ingredients including two very tender and meaty cutlets, a layer of cheese and a thickened red sauce. Scarpariello is served on or off the bone and you can customize the dish with the addition of mushrooms, peppers, potatoes and/or sausage. Chicken Portobello brings forth my favorite fungi and adds artichokes and a white wine sauce. If you prefer your meal a little lighter, choose the grilled slices of chicken served over mesclun salad with a vinaigrette over Caesar salad.
Veal dishes are the equal in scope of the chicken and add such variations as Picatta in a lemon and white wine sauce, and Sorrentino, with alternating layers of eggplant, prosciutto and cheese.
But the real star here are the Veal Chops dishes…thick chops of the best natured veal, done Pizzaiola style with a mountain of peppers and mushrooms enhancing this favorite (choose pork chops or even steak instead of the veal, if you prefer).
Concluding, there is a Black Angus ribeye steak.
Desserts are spotlighted on a tray, with many cakes and tortes to tempt, each on a plate decorated with powdered sugar, whipped cream and an appropriate syrup.
Another very nice, convenient perk of coming to Maria’s: no fretting over summer parking in Sheepshead Bay. They offer free valet parking after 5 p.m. seven days a week.
