INGOOD TASTE
Candid conversations with the dining scene ’ s most engaging chefs
N . Michael Marie , Executive Chef / Owner , Esta Esta Restaurant
Esta Esta Restaurant 4000 William Penn Highway , Monroeville ; 412.372.4414 , facebook . com / Esta-Esta
On the Menu : Fine Italian-American fare offering full-service and contemporary dining . Savory dishes include — but aren ’ t limited to — everything from lobster , scallops , flounder , shrimp , NY strip filet , porter house steak and succulent veal dishes to pizza and pasta , plus a separate bar menu . The menu items are made from scratch and meats are all cut in-house . Salads are accompanied by homemade dressings and a variety of soups are offered on the menu and by the quart .
Q A What led you to own Esta Esta
Restaurant ? In 1955 , my parents , Nicholas and Helen , opened a restaurant called Marie ’ s Restaurant . A few years later , they got a liquor license . It was then that they changed the restaurant name to Esta Esta . It came after they heard a story about a German bishop from the 1400s . The bishop was on his way to Rome in search of some unknown place and along with him was his wine taster . When he and his wine taster arrived in Rome they came upon a tavern . Est . Est . Est ., meaning “ This is the Place ,” was inscribed on the front of the tavern . On the anniversary of the bishop ’ s death they pour wine on his grave in honor of his memory . Inspired by this story of establishing a meaning to finding something you ’ re in search of , my parents changed Marie ’ s to Esta Esta .
When did you know you wanted to be a chef ? I was 8 years old and we lived upstairs above the restaurant . My parents made me a dishwasher . They would stack wooden pop cases on top of each other so I could reach the dish board to wash the dishes . When I was washing dishes they started to teach me other things like cooking , and it became a culinary art to me . I ’ ve been cooking since I was 12 . I eventually earned my culinary degree from the Culinary Institute of America ( CIA ) in Hyde Park , New York . But my parents ’ kitchen is where my love for cooking began . And it never ended . I became a Hilton Hotel Vice President of Food and Beverage for the East Coast .
What led you from a food and beverage director back to cooking at Esta Esta ? In 2001 we lost our dad and I had to bring my family home again to take care of my mom and to take over the restaurant .
Who has influenced your cooking the most ? Jack Griffin , one of the top five chefs in the U . S . from the 1960s through the 1990s . He was the most influential person when I was with Quality Inn Hotel and Resorts . He was a genius , and taught me how to make live Maine Lobster Thermatore .
What kitchen tool can ’ t you live without ? My 12-inch French knife . I can create any dish — meat , seafood , chicken , veal ; as long as I keep an edge on it I ’ m ready . I have my own set called Connoisseur and nobody touches it — the set belongs to me .
What is your best cooking advice for a novice ? First and foremost , have your recipe in front of you . Second , prepare , weigh and place all of your
Sausage-stuffed banana peppers .
N . Michael Marie , Executive Chef / Owner at Esta Esta Restaurant .
ingredients out before you cook . If you follow a procedure as simple as this , it will make recreating your recipe easier the next time .
What ’ s your favorite quick meal to prepare at home ? I can do anything quick . I ’ m fast . My favorite though is a sauce , such as a hollandaise sauce , over steak . My meats are always cut , just sitting in the refrigerator waiting for me . Also , my seafood favorite is black sea bass sautéed in lemon butter and dry Sherry wine .
Other than your restaurant , where ’ s your favorite place to eat ? I have two favorite places . The first one is Hyeholde Restaurant in Coraopolis . I enjoy their roasted rack of lamb . My second favorite is Rico ’ s in the North Hills . I usually order the Caesar salad and any seafood they serve for that day .
What is your favorite go-to ingredient ? Garlic . I have fresh garlic every day . At the restaurant we purée it with olive oil so the garlic doesn ’ t turn green . I keep it refrigerated and add it into everything I cook . I also use it as a rub on my meats before I cook .
What ’ s the next big food or dining trend ? Food trends are changing all the time . Uber is delivering food now . That speaks volumes . There will be even more delivery food services because it ’ s taking off like crazy . n
— Reese Randall
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