Maremma - Review

Intro
Maremma - Highly Recommended
228 W 10th St, New York 10014
Btwn Bleecker & Hudson St

Maremma is a region in Italy, consisting of parts of Tuscany and Lazio, where cattle and Italian cowboys roam. The chef, Cesare Casella, plays with the cowboy theme at this great Italian restaurant - country music plays in the background, moonshine pasta is served. This was my second time at Maremma and I was very happy after leaving the restaurant both times. Definitely one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city. Overall, I give the restaurant an 86/100.

My Menu
1) Salsiccia - Highly Recommended
2) Pork Flats (daily special) - Highly Recommended
3) Sloppy Giuseppe - Highly Recommended
4) Tuscan Fries - Highly Recommended
5) Norcino - Recommended

Dish Comments
1) Cesare is known for breeding his own pig, so any pork dish is always a good idea. The pork sausage is made by Cesare in house. Big pork flavors with an interesting touch of spices (I think cumin, cinnamon, and clove). Crispy on the outside and perfectly juicy on the inside. So happy after eating the dish.
2) Special for the day. Basically a meatball cut in small circles served with an amatriciana sauce - consisting of tomatoes and guanciale aka pork jowl. Extremely tender and flavorful meatballs served with raw diced white onions which I thought was an interesting touch. I usually associate diced white onions with Mexican food, but this worked out perfectly to cut the richness of the meat.
3) A play on the Sloppy Joe - braised oxtail bruschetta. My favorite of the night. Insanely tender oxtail served with some great rustic bread. It was so good, that I'm going to do my take on this recipe soon.
4) A signature of Cesare's which he served at Beppe. Potatoes deep fried in olive oil, rosemary, thyme, sage, and roasted garlic. The herbs get crispy from frying in the oil and imparts big flavors to the fries. So addicting and very satisfying.
5) Another dish served at Beppe. Pork bolognese over some tagliatelle. First bite was good, but not as good as the previous dishes. I lean towards pasta with a little more chew (maybe that's a Roman thing). However, after the second or third bite I was pretty happy with the dish. I think the bolognese sauce had the same cinnamon spice combo that was in the sausage.

Overall Restaurant Experience (86/100)

• Food 8.6/10 - Authentic Italian Flavors. Surprisingly, the pasta was my least favorite dish and it was still pretty good.
  
• Service 9.5/10 - Very friendly (and beautiful) waitress. Super attentive and very knowledgeable about the wines and food. The wine she recommended was great. Food came out pretty quick too.
  
• Atmosphere 8.5/10 - Bright colors surround the walls and country music plays in the background. Cesare is usually there (he was the first time, but not during this review) and is a really nice approachable guy. Got there at 8:30pm on a Saturday and no problem getting in. Equal mix of an older and younger crowd. Definitely a more laid back atmosphere unlike the Babbo's or Del Posto's of the world.
  
• Price 9/10 - Very happy to pay the price for the quality of the food. Paid about $80 per person which included 3 glasses of wine. They also have a 4 course tasting menu for $49 which I got the first time.
  

Closing Comments
Definitely one of my favorite Italian restaurants in the city. After going to Rome and Amalfi, I'm pretty critical of Italian restaurants in general, but I'm glad that Maremma is around to satisfy my Italian food cravings.