outer borough dining adventure

A few years ago, my friends Stash and Lani and I formed an outer-borough dining club.  Sadly, our gastronomic gang was short-lived as both of my fellow dining adventurers moved away (to Los Angeles and Toronto, respectively -- the nerve!), but my wanderlust did not move with them.  As previously documented in this very blog, I have had a lot of fun eating my way through the nooks and crannies of Brooklyn.  But let's face it, who hasn't these days?  Brooklyn is the gateway borough for an outer-borough diner.  For a real adventure in an uncharted territory, you need to go farther than that hipster-filled enclave and a few weeks ago I rounded up my accommodating husband and fellow-adventurers Ann and Brian for dinner in just such a location: Staten Island.

The aforementioned outer-borough dining club had made it to that large mysterious island once before disbanding, for dinner at Enoteca Maria in the Saint George neighborhood.  The restaurant is conveniently located within walking distance of the Staten Island Ferry Terminal and has a rotating cast of Italian grandmothers who create and cook the menu on a given night.  I remember thinking it was good, not great, and had sort of forgotten all about it until "the nonnas" showed up on the Today Show last week. Maybe one day I'll give it another shot.

A former co-worker and Staten Island native, with whom I had discussed my trip to Enoteca Maria, had recommended another Italian restaurant on Staten Island: Trattoria Romana on Hylan Boulevard.  Specifically, she had told me about a pasta dish they offer called the "Bandiera Italiana" - pasta served with three different sauces: marinara, alfredo, and pesto, all arranged on one plate, just like the Italian flag.  I had to have it.  And so on the Friday night before Hurricane Sandy blew into our area, Judd, Ann, Brian and I met there for dinner.

The restaurant, which doesn't take reservations for small parties, was quite crowded when Judd and I arrived around 7:30, and yet they seated us even though our intrepid dining companions hadn't yet arrived (we were early since it took less time to drive over there than I thought it would) -- just try getting a Manhattan host to do that!  (Perhaps having a protruding pregnant belly helped?) Immediately after we were taken to our cramped table, a fleet of waiters descended on us with bruschetta, plain bread, and fried polenta cubes.  After Ann and Brian arrived, we ordered a frito misto and a Caesar salad to share - both perfectly fine.

While there were many tempting menu offerings that caught my eye, I did settle on the Bandiera with linguine since it was technically the reason we'd shlepped out there in the first place.  I really enjoyed all three sauces, especially the bright, garlicky pesto. And despite my large appetite, I did end up with some leftovers.  Judd and Brian each ordered veal dishes and Ann got a very decadent "straw and hay" pasta (egg and spinach noodles with cream, sausage, and porcini mushrooms), each of which I sampled -- thumbs up all around.

I don't know how Trattoria Romana is doing in the wake of the hurricane, but I do know that Staten Island in general took a pretty big hit.  If you'd like to do your part to help bolster their local economy, I highly recommend a trip out to Hylan Boulevard for your very own outer-borough dining adventure at Trattoria Romana.