Dining Scene
Matteo's ideal for that special celebration
By Matthew Gray
Advertiser Food Critic
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| Matteo's osso bucco Milanese is a creation worth sampling: a veal shank braised in a red wine sauce, served with a creamy saffron risotto and topped with a citrus gremolata for a touch of tart fruit essence. The third dining room, which features a built-in wine rack along two of its walls, is popular because of its hushed ambiance.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser Matteo's Italian Restaurant Dinner nightly, 5:30-11 p.m. Marine Surf Hotel, 364 Seaside Ave., Waikiki 922-5551
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It's tucked away at the Marine Surf Hotel. When walking into the place, you notice a feeling of local friendliness in the quiet, low-lit front room that contains the bar area. There, you'll see shiny glassware, a spotless bar area in the center of the room and nice, welcoming smiles. Throughout the dining rooms you'll hear songs playing by Louis Prima, Jerry Vale, Dean Martin and other such Italian crooners.
My eye was caught by the framed dining awards by the podium. The owner of Matteo's is Fred Livingston, also the owner of Sunset Grill at Restaurant Row, the world-famous Crouching Lion Inn up the coast and two other Waikiki-based restaurants, Davey Jones Ribs and Trattoria. This guy has the food thing down pat.
It had been a long time since we had Italian food, and we were ready for our evening to begin. Miss A and I were greeted by the maitre'd and shown to our table in the back room. This is the third dining room in the restaurant, and I found out that it's the most popular one because of the hushed ambiance and the built-in wine rack along two of its walls. It's elegantly mirrored and lit, illuminating sparkling bottles of the imported and domestic nectar of the gods.
Speaking of the wine, here is quite an extensive collection, to be sure. Matteo's offers $4 glasses (good for people who want to taste a few different wines), all the way up to vintage bottles on the north side of $1,000 for those truly spectacular events of a lifetime.
We began our feast with artichokes alla Matteo's ($7.75), sauteed artichoke hearts in a garlic butter and wine sauce. This dish is so very simple and delicious. The calamari fritti ($7.75) is notable mainly because of the thick and spicy marinara sauce, one of the finest I have tasted.
Next, we had the mushrooms Italiano ($7.75), which were stuffed with baby clams, garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan and Monterey pepper jack cheeses. I thought the baby clams were a welcome addition to this dish, providing additional texture and flavor. You can pass on the prosciutto di Parma ($6.50) with seasonal melon (cantaloupe on this visit), even though it may sound good.
The osso bucco Milanese ($29.50) was quite nice. It's a veal shank braised long and slow in a red wine sauce, served with a creamy saffron risotto and topped with a citrus gremolata (garnish made of minced parsley, lemon zest and fresh garlic) for a touch of tart fruit essence. True lovers of this dish enjoy eating the marrow from the shank after enjoying the fall-off-the-bone tenderness of the meat.
Another veal creation, saltimbocca ($25.95), tops sauteed veal slices with prosciutto, fresh sage, fontina cheese and sauteed spinach in a Marsala wine sauce.
There's something for everyone on this menu — soup, salad, pasta, veal, beef, lamb, seafood, chicken and more.æThe chicken and veal cannelloni ($16.95) were genuine crepes filled with mushrooms, chicken and veal, topped with a creamy mornay sauce. We really liked these.
The next time we go, I want to try the seafood lasagna ($23.50) or the famous Italian seafood stew cioppino ($30.50, with Maine lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, calamari and fresh fish poached in an aromatic Italian saffron, tomato and vegetable broth).
The staff is attentive and professional. They sense when you want some privacy and will leave you alone. On the other hand, they're right there when you need something or have a question.
When dessert time came, we chose the tiramisu cake ($5.95), a bit different than the traditional recipe, but still close enough, creamy enough and sweet enough. It was deee-lish.
Tiramisu factoid: Traditionally made from ladyfingers soaked in espresso, they are bathed with thick, lightly whipped and sweetened mascarpone cheese and dusted with cocoa powder. Back in the early 1900s in Italian brothels, tiramisu was offered as a sweet post-coital treat for customers, perhaps to entice them to pay their bill and leave the establishment instead of rolling over and falling asleep. Subsequently, tiramisu became known as sexy food. Now you know some of its history.
If you've never been to Matteo's, you definitely should check it out. Try it when you have something to celebrate.
Reach Matthew Gray at ChefMatthew@LoveLife.com.
