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Arlington (Green)
Boylston (Green, Silver)
Ne Medical Center (Orange, Silver)
Mon-Sat. 11:30 a.m. - 1:00 a.m.
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I have been to Via Matta (crazy street) many times over the years and the food and service has been consistently excellent. My personal favorites are the Milanese chicken and the Bolognese pasta. Michael Schlow's bolognese sauce is probably the best I have ever eaten anywhere, possibly better than my grandmothers (mi dispiace, nonna).
The menu isn't cheap but not too pricey either. The same goes for the wine, not cheap, but you do feel like you got your moneys worth.
And if you are a baller, you get a resy for the chef's table, which is actually in the kitchen, where they make a custom menu for you and your party.
I would like to thank the General Manager, Manny, for the extremely kind note he sent me and for the refund of last Thursday night. Manny was very gracious the first time I spoke with him and I can see that he believes in righting all wrongs. He might want to teach the Manager, Nick, that getting defensive on the phone and arguing with customers is probably not the way to go.
Anyway, I might not be rushing back to Via Matta anytime soon, whichis a shame, because the food was delicious....but I appreciate sincere professionalism and handling things with dignity, which Manny did.
Thank you Manny.
I'm giving two stars for this review because some of the food was absolutely delicious, and the bus… Read more »
"A Tale of Two Birthdays"
-------------
*~*~* It was the best of times *~*~*
On my 24th birthday, my lovely lady friends from the north drove into Boston to take their little faggala out for a birthday dinner at Via Matta.
I really enjoyed the simple yet elegant decor complimented by a very professional yet not overbearing staff. It is a high end restaurant that just about anyone can feel comfortable in.
The food was delicious - from the complimentary bread and olive oil prepared in the center of the restaurant space to the freshly made Italian entrees. Everything was tasty and not a bite was left on our plates. Including the desserts that were basically inhaled into our faces.
The drinks were correctly made and our glasses were always full. A perfect way to spend an evening with close friends looking to celebrate.
*~*~* It was the worst of times *~*~*
On my 25th birthday, a larger group of city friends who are let's say, a little more "eccentric" decided to take this little South End faggala to Via Matta for after dinner/aftercocktails/aftermorecocktails cocktails at Via Matta.
Our party of 10? 12? 15? stumbled into Via Matta where a waitress promptly greeted us. She advised that it was almost closing time but would happily serve the birthday crew.
We sat in the front space in the smaller bar area - very intimate (secluded from the innocent, sober patrons) and enjoyed a variety of cocktails served to us by a very polite young woman. Soon, a certain "eccentric" friend, let's call him, yelper Baniel S., decided it would be a good idea to go behind the bar and make his own drinks. This was of course after asking "the cocktail bitch" to get him another cocktail and stealing salad from a waiter off a passing dinner plate.
We were never asked to leave nor had the police called on us.
----------
And that my friends was a Tale of Two Birthdays - it was the best of times, it was the worst of times. It was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.
What shall Via Matta expect from the 26th birthday?
Went here recently based on the glowing reviews on this site, which I must say are spot-on! The restaurant is beautiful and oozes elegance. Our waiter was excellent and managed the right balance by being around to offer explanations and suggestions when needed and otherwise leaving us alone to enjoy the meal.
The food itself was delicious. We had the Chicken Milanese, the Crunchy Eggplant with tomatoes, and the lentils with pomegranate and grilled cabbage, all of which were very good. I'll definitely be going back to try some of the other items on the menu.
This food was amazing, do not skip out on the pasta course.
This is a must try!
I'll be getting deep into my experience at Via Matta shortly, but for now, I'm going to throw down the stars and say that I had one of the best Italian meals I've ever had here.
Really pleasant dining experience or "swish" as my pops would say.... The atmosphere is light and airy, with linen colored upholstered walls to reduce noise and gorgeous recessed lighting. The side of Taglatelle bologonese was delightful, there seemed to be a hint of caramel or molasses in the sauce. the crunchy eggplant was just special. the veal was certainly a martyr sheep : / The menu or perhaps the waiter seems to invite you to ask a lot of questions, vocabulary or preparation related, which were fielded with passionate (if not, run-on in their specificity) expertise. For great service and well prepared food... the price is right.
I came here for the Park Square Park Place Dine Around a couple nights ago. My friend won tickets (thanks to @eatboston), but unfortunately couldn't attend, so I went in her place. This was our fifth and final stop of the evening. It's very cool inside and there is a patio too.
By this time I was regaining my appetite. Our waiter was very pleasant and made some excellent recommendations. I had the Branzino (sea bass) and it was delightful. It had some many flavors going on and it was hard to pinpoint them. It had pine nuts and olives on top and then there was a bit of a spicy kick. I really I wish had had more room to finish it. This meal definitely tied Davio's for the best of the evening. Yum yum yum! Jess had some sort of bruschetta dish (different pieces of bread with random toppings...hard to describe but it was a very pretty presentation, lots of colors). We decided to forgo drinks and order dessert. I just wanted a bit of vanilla gelato, but I thought it was a bit over sweet. Jess loved her pistachio gelato topped with blackberries.
Anyway, I'll definitely come back to Via Matta. Their menu changes constantly and it was just a very pleasant dining experience. Definitely good for a large group or a date. The bar area looks like fun too.
very good bolognese pasta and pepperdelle. Also love the eggplant appetizer. Those are the only things I like here, I've tried other stuff here like the chicken and duck (not so good). So, really only come here for those three things.
I like the ambiance- dark and pretty and had came here on two occasions- nice and friendly servers and polite waitstaff.
Decided to pop in here yesterday for a snack before shopping. I used to frequent Via Matta all the time when I worked across the street and I have to say I was disappointed with my experience as in the past I had always loved it. I ordered a GG cosmo which was as amazing as I remembered them being however my companion ordered a glass of Cab which was, and I am not exaggerating, the smallest glass of wine I have ever seen...for food we ordered the mushroom arancini, ravioli nudi, salmon crudo and tuscan spare ribs ( it was between lunch and dinner so they were serving apps only).
Ok more importantly the food:
-the arancini were good, not great- average
-the ravioli was 80% spinach and tasted like it had been made with frozen spinach and was in desperate need of seasoning- to be fair my companion liked this dish
-the salmon crudo was swimming in a citrus liquid which overpowered the fish and ginger and what ever else was supposed to be in there...it was also basically a ceviche- as the fish was "cooked" from so much acid
-the spare ribs had little flavor and were luke warm, the accompanying salad of mango, fennel and mustard was delish
Our waitress was quite surly and unhelpful, adding to my disappointment, as we were the only table in the placce.
So we skipped dessert and got our check-
All in all- not in a rush to return
I went back to VM to give it another shot. I must say that I had a much more enjoyable time than in my previous visit. The service was great, they gave us some samples of food that we would otherwise not have ordered (e.g. shrimp salad with avocado and yummy peach sorbetto). The food was okay, but again the pasta was too salty for my taste.
All in all it was a fun night. I can't help but feel they were giving me VIP treatment because I gave them a 2 star review. The manager introduced himself to me as he contacted me after my first review. I did appreciate him coming to my table to ask me how everything was going. I also give VM props for being proactive when finding a customer has had a poor experience at their restaurant.
Despite the proactiveness, I will probably not go here again unless someone visiting specifically wants to come here to try it out.
Went here for an engagement celebration with my fiance, aunt, uncle and their friend. The service… Read more »
After a certain point of inebriation, I become: the server martyr. This is when I decide it's my place in life to amend the wrongs of every rude person, the server has encountered that evening. This is usually in a very awkward and at times creepy manner. Due to my numbed stunted senses- this never goes as smoothly as it does in my mind.
Server Martyr duties include:
giving all of the money discovered in my wallet (and crumbled up in my purse) as a tip
saying thank you and other polite verbage so much that it loses it's kind purpose
stacking chairs, like I am on the pay roll
repairing running toilets with a hair elastic
apologizing for friends with a slur, with a slur.
and so on....
The server at Via Matta on May 5th at last call is the nicest lady I have ever met within a drink -cash transaction. There was no reason for her to allow us to sit at a table and order drinks. It was almost last call & she could've told us to leave. But she didn't. I love her. And I love Via Matta as a result.
awesome, the best italian in boston, competing with my other favorites!
This is one of my favorite restaurants in Boston. Good, clean food nicely prepared. I have never had a bad experience here and doubt I will. The wine list is also quite good (by the glass list is good, too). Strongly recommended.
The food was delicious! The plate size was very small even though the waiter kept saying it was good enough for two. But really, i was not even close to full after i ate. The waitress was outstanding. I pretty much asked about what everything on the menu was! She practically memorized the ingredients and also gave me her opinion on the dishes.
I suggest the ravioli and crispy golden chicken breast. I think it's their best dishes. I also heard that the vanilla pudding was great but i didn't have enough time to try that one. Also the cannoli i thought was great but my girlfriends didn't like it. It had a bit different taste than original cannolis but seemed good to me! The homemade cookie n' creams is an absolutely definite! Oh yeah, the appetizers we ordered was calamari and the crispy eggplant which was both delicious! Overall it was great, but the entrees was too small. A party of 5 = about $ 250. Pretty pricey but worth it !
* yelped by Michelle "social butterfly" Q, aka EGG, daddy's lil girl.
I've been here a few times for their art openings and for dinner and I have never been disappointed! During their "Fame" art openings which happen every first Weds of the month there is a great vibe, great staff, and even free drinks! If you're looking for something to check out don't miss Fame!
As for food this spot is serious, I mean serious! Finger foods from the bar menu are great! I recommend the spicy eggplant.
As for the main course;
-Made reservations for 2 for dinner one evening
-Staff & service were excellent not only in promptness and politeness but also provided a very in depth description of dishes and in answering any questions we had.
Appetizers:
-Ravioli Nudi: spinach and ricotta dumplings with brown butter, pancetta and sage
-Yellowfin Tuna with cucumber, bottarga and sorrento lemon sauce
-Local Oysters on the half shell with green apple and gooseberry mignonette
-Burrata with shaved mushrooms, arugula, red onion and truffle oil
The ravioli nudi is one of my staples whenever I come here! The yellowfin was prime cut and tasted cool and citrus-y. Oysters were serious business and had a versatile flavor which was like a smooth gradient from beginning to end. The burrata was subtle and salty. Amazing flavors so far & we hadn't even gotten to the main course!
Dinner:
me - Venison ravioli with mushrooms, tomatoes and grapa
her - Roasted Salmon with guanciale, roasted cabbage and crispy potatoes
Venison was good, I can't say it had a distinct flavor but the overall dish was warming and tasty. Not hot & spicy but a nice tingling. Salmon was awesome and so were the crispy potatoes!
Dessert:
Flourless Chocolate Cake with vanilla gelato and caramel
Hazelnut Boudino with gianduja gelato
The cake was good almost like a giant piece of fudge. Chocolate lovers don't sleep on it! The Boudino was out of this world! My favorite! It was so good I was tempted to lick the plate clean!
This place is so good it should be mandatory.
We came to the bar for a drink on our first night in Boston while on vacation, and were so intriqued by the menu that we came back for dinner.
The food was very enjoyable, though not outstanding. We had for appetizers arancini and popette, both very good. My branzino was perfectly cooked with the crispy skin exactly how I like it. Alan's papadelle with lamb ragout was less successful -- quite salty.
We had the tiramisu for dessert. It's more like a chocolate cake then tiramisu. Very dense and not light the way I like it.
The dining room was pretty but very noisy. The bar had a great atmosphere, with a cafe on the side that's open late. Overall, we enjoyed the experience.
Hands down my favorite place in Boston right now. Must haves include (but not limited to!) arancini and pasta AOP (aglio olio con pomodoro). Simple, yet sublimely delicious. Great bread to start, and always a fun wine list (verdicchio, super tuscans, etc.)
Excellent dinner...
I had the mushroom barley soup and it's subtle hints of something like lemon made it a divine starter.
The tagliatelle alla bolognese was authentic. It tasted like your typical Italian grandmother's slow cooked sauces and the pasta was fresh.
The flourless chocolate cake with vanilla gelato, caramel swirls, and chocolate dipped strawberries speak for themselves. Certainly worth saving room for, in my case.
Excellent service
Pasta is perfect consistency.
Panna Cotta is yummy.
Upon discussing this with the bf, I've determined there's no reason not to give this place 5 stars.
We went here for New Years Eve. It was an excellent restaurant in all dimensions:
-Reservations/Seating: Being sluggish, it took us until Dec 30 to make dinner reservations for NYE. We called a couple of places to no avail, and then tried Via Matta. Nothing until 11pm, and we were like ok fine...then 3 minutes later, the phone rings. Via Matta calls us BACK and said a reservation had just opened up at 9pm and would we like it? I was floored. We hadn't even given this woman our information, she just old-school star-6-9'ed it and we were in for NYE. We were seated promptly after a brief debacle about where the entrance was actually located.
-Service: started out a bit slow, but ramped up quickly. Additionally, the sommelier made his way to our table when he saw me looking at the wine list, and helped me work through the northwestern Italian section to pick a bottle we'd like. He even waited until he saw our apps were off the table to come pour. Waitress was nice, attentive, but not around too much.
-Ambiance: very chic! But not sooo chic that it would turn away classier Bostonians, it seems. Good-looking scene, people dressed nicely, and the tables were not too close together (HATE that about NYC).
-Drink: we had a cocktail first and then wine - both excellent!
-Food: WONDERFUL. We split a salad (the mushroom/arugula salad) that was omg-to-die-for. I wanted another instantly. We also had the crispy eggplant app that people have yelped about and it was great - the sauce was awesome. For dinner, the bf got veal and I swear if he could have licked his plate, he would have, it was so clean! I got a half-order of pasta upon consideration that a full order would be too much to get with a side of veggies (brocolli rabe), and settled on the regular spaghetti with sauce. SO GOOD. I love quality tomato sauces and aldente pasta...nothing better. Mixed in some of the rabe and I was in heaven.
They offered a free champagne toast at midnight given it was NYE, but the weather was so shitty that we just wanted to grab a cab and get home before midnight. Glad we did (it's easy to get a cab around there cause of the Park Plaza hotel)
Dinner for 2: pre-dinner drink, bottle of wine, 2 apps and 2 meals came to $220. Pricey but worth a nice night out!!
Delicious bar. I pretended a large iced water was Gray Goose and some Nancy from Arizona believed me. I also pretended I lived at the Park Plaza and the bartender went along with my hilarious ruse.
Great atmosphere, great drinks, great bartenders. Under-appreciated space - peep the scene at the side bar for events, cruise to the main one to pretend you're meeting someone or no one.
Wanted to try something new and I stumbled upon Via Matta here on Yelp. I couldn't have been more pleased with my meal. We ended up sitting in the bar/lounge area to avoid waiting for a table in the dinning room which was fine. We got the Brick Chicken and the Pork Loin which were both fantastic. I loved that the Pork Loin also came with Ribs my favorite, and the potatoes were heavily seasoned which I enjoyed.
The service and drinks were good as well. The price wasn't too bad either, we both got 2 drinks with our meal
I will definitely be making another trip back very soon.
Allow me to free associate:
fragrant
rosemary
burrata
divine
eye rolls
casual chic
cordial
patio
vino
tortellini
bolognese
mascaporeos
Makes my tongue feel poetry on tastebuds.
Take your time.
It's worth it.
I cannot wait to go back here. They get 5 stars for food & service, although the ambience was somewhat marred by the excessive noise level-- bad acoustics in the main dining room, I guess.
We started out with cocktails in one of the bar areas. A good martini and a decent beer selection for an Italian place.
Then we were seated & received complimentatry champagne as it was our anniversary. Never a fast orderer, the extensive menu proved a challenge to me. I agonized over starters too long and consequently missed out on the soft-shell crab special. Still, I was more than happy with my homemade ricotta, and my husband enjoyed his fresh burrata.
For mains we had the gnocchi with fava beans and wild mushrooms, and the steak with asparagus and potatoes. The gnocchi were good and I couldn't finish the plate. My husband declared the steak the best ever (although admittedly he's only been eating meat for 3 years), nevermind the vegetables on the side (which I think he also liked). Our server recommended a nice red wine for the main course.
I honestly can't remember what we both ordered for dessert, but I remember it being fabulous. I think I was in a food coma at this point. only regret not going all-out and ordering more variety to split between us, and more leftovers to bring home!
Ok..so I'm really just a local girl from Honolulu so the menu was very foreign.....
Our server Mike was really nice, patient and respectful. He helped us translate the menu and didn't treat us like dummies....whew!
We ended up getting the cod, and two pasta....all was very good.
It is a very nice restaurant and I guess it's all very authentic Italian food...not what I expected, but very enjoyable....
After having eaten at Via Matta and nearly stuffing myself to death against my better judgment, it occurred to me that I ought to look up just what, in fact, Via Matta meant.
Enter the handy PROMT translator I found in my Google searches...Italian to English, thank you very much. Click Click. And there you have it! (I frickin' love the internet).
translation: MAD ROAD.
A very curious find indeed. A nod to the crazy streets of the Italian cities where the cuisine hails from? A credit to the Boston streets that the bustling establishment calls home? Perhaps a reference to the crazy hypothetical roads people will wonder down when mesmerized by delicious food and wine?
It was the latter that made most sense to me. After stuffing myself with bread, wine appetizers and a huge pasta entrees, I still found room for dessert and espresso! I had absolutely no business ordering those last two things. I was full! But how can one can oneself sane and skip out on a dessert that combines home-made oreo-esque cookies served with creamy whipped mascarpone to dip them into?
Everything about the food was phenomenal. Fresh vegetables with a creamy melt-in-your-mouth baratta, perfectly marinated anchovies on toasted bread. The pasta portions were well worth the price...oversized raviolis with shaved truffle. Heaven. Tagliatelle bolognese that was on-the-money al dente with a black peppery finish.
Do I think this was all worth $60? Not even a question!
Maestro Schlow:
have been using your recipe book quite a bit: you're helping me get dates!
Wish you would consider opening up a spot here in Los Angeles--Via was always good. Hey, only place I've ever seen John Kerry and Mick Jagger there in the same week! The Democrat and the Rockstar: strange bedfellows, but know good food!
Honestly cant say I've ever had a mediocre meal or snack at any of your places. So what's next?!!
Cheers,
Alex D.
I wish I could give this 4.5 stars. My experience was near perfect. Our waiter was funny, attentive, and always friendly. When asked about one of the wines, he deferred to the sommelier who gave us an amazing description about the Verdicchio Classico. It sounded more acidic than my date liked, but she gave the go ahead, and I'm glad we did, because it was a great wine.
We had the prosciutto with melon and mint, and I wish I had remembered to ask about the melon. It was a pale yellow (canary melon?) and very good. I just noticed that they serve skate wing here. I wish I had noticed then, simply because I've never tried or even heard of skate being cooked.
Our secondi was good as well, and I'm sure I'm misusing that word. She had the salmon with pesto vegetables, which included the only beets I've ever enjoyed. I had the pappadelle with braised lamb, which was also great. The only problem with these dishes and the only reason I almost gave this place a 4 was because they were pretty salty. I like savory foods, so it wasn't a big deal, but even I could tell that both our entrees were a bit high in the salt department. Portions, at least, were pretty good: I went in hungry and left satisfied.
We had coffee for desert, and I thought the coffee was pretty perfect: not scalding, but not lukewarm, and very flavorful.
Italian food outside the North End proves to be the best with Via Matta! I sat at the bar for a more casual experience and really enjoyed it. We had mixed greens which were a tad too salty with whatever dressing or crouton-like substance they mixed in. The crispy eggplant starter was awesome and the bolognese entre was even better. I was also introduced to Labrusca, an Italian sparkling red wine. I was impressed and have since drank about 4 bottles of this stuff on my own!
I'd heard so many amazing things about this place, that I decided to go and try it out with my boyfriend. One word can describe it all: overrated.
We sat at the bar. Our bartendress was super attentive and friendly (and yes, she was cute), but seemed kind of uncomfortable and almost a little snooty. That being said, the service we received from her was good, not exceptional but not terrible by any means. Their wine list is decent, has some great choices for Italian wines, but horribly overpriced for an establishment of this caliber.
Now the food, the food was bleh. Nothing seemed to be done right. Not only did both my boyfriend I and escape with cramps and upset tummies- but we were so disappointed! Do not try the chicken livers crostinis, Speck (terrible figs!!), or Nunis (IT WAS ALL SALT!). It is embarrassing that an Italian restaurant cannot even manage to produce a decent Speck Tirolese- a simple dish!
The star is for the the ONLY good food I had - the Margherita pizza, oven roasted to mozerella-y perfection. If you're looking for a decent pizza and want to spend $12 on it, maybe you could try this place. Otherwise, I'd stay away.
Looking for good Italian food and willing to spend the money? Go to the North End or go down the street to Sorellina.
I had high hopes for Via Matta after a few friends raved about it, but sadly it didn't live up to my expectations.
I ended up at Via Matta on a Friday night without reservations so my date and I sat in the lounge area that includes the bar and a more casual group of tables with full service.
The service was was good, not as top notch as what it might be in the dining room, but very attentive and friendly waitstaff. I'd give it a solid A-
The food was ok - we ordered the crunchy eggplant, venison pasta and lentil soup. The lentil soup in particular was too salty and more like a gravy consistency than soup-like. I'd give the food a B+. It didn't wow me. It wasn't memorable enough for me to come back for dinner again.
Instead I'd stick with my favorite authentic Italian restaurant - Restaurante Toscano in Beacon Hill.
Via Matta instantly became my favorite restaurant in Boston after dining on the 5 course tasting menu with friends. They ended up giving us about 7 courses and all were unbelievably delicious. I'd recommend going with a large, fun group. They gave us more than one item for each course so we really sampled a lot.
Since then, this has been my go-to higher-end Italian restaurant of choice. These are my favorite items on the menu:
1. Fresh burratta with shaved mushrooms, arugula & truffle oil - the combinatino is so good and the burratta melts in your mouth
2. Plain old spaghetti with red sauce: a little bit spicy. We always get one of these to split at the table
3. Tagliatelle with bolognese: the sauce is not as heavy as you would think and the pasta is so fresh!
It's definitely noisy but so worth it!
This place is GOOD but very loud. Be prepared to yell across the table to your dining companion. I have only been one time but the pastas are amazing as is almost everything else. The wine list is pretty good but expensive. Go for lunch when everything is somewhat cheaper.
My friends and I took a trip up to Boston this weekend to visit a friend. Unable to score resvys to Blue Ginger and too lazy to venture out to the North End, we Yelped it and found Via Matta in nearby Back Bay. They sat us quickly but without reservations, the ten or so of us had to sit at the tables by the bar. Waitstaff was very friendly and helpful, never hesitating to answer any questions about the menu, refill our glasses, or bring out more bread.
For our antipasti, we ordered local oysters with sunchokes and tangerine, crunchy eggplant with basil-marinated tomatoes and reggiano, spicy calamari with tomato, olives, and capers, bruschetta, and gnocchi (half-portion) for the table. The bruschetta was very good -- the lemon added a nice touch-- but it's an easy dish. Eggplant was amazing, one of my favorite dishes that night, not overpowered by the reggiano like so many of the other entrees. The calamari was underwhelming, too rubbery and lacking any complexity in flavor. The gnocchi, however, was amazing, perfectly soft and doughy and served in a wonderful (albeit a little too salty) thick sauce of mushrooms and fava beans. I only wish I ordered the gnocchi as my entree instead!
For my entree I had the puttanesca with spicy swordfish and tuna. It was good, filling, but the fish was all shredded and mixed in with the sauce so it was hard to distinguish between the two fish. The spice was overpowering, however, and it lingered in my mouth and perhaps hindered me from really tasting the other dishes. I tried my friend's swordfish entree, which was grilled to perfection even if it did look like chicken. The ravioli with pine nut and summer truffles was AMAZING, and there was this wonderful complexity of flavor and the shaved truffles were a wonderful touch. This portion was a little small, but still very good. Pappardelle with braised lamb was also one of the top entrees of the night, with hints of mint and pecorino. I was not too impressed with the lobste cittricha (?) pasta dish, which was in a spicy tomato sauce, although the lobster itself was delicious.
It's hard for me to rate this restaurant fairly since I've had such good Italian food in New York. I can't say I'm a fan-- because I'm not sure I'd go back for the price-- but certain entrees were very good, if overseasoned. The bill came out to be between $40 a person, but that's because we did not drink and we had valet parking ($$$$). 4 stars for boston!
Via Matta is a rare, exceptional restaurant on many counts: It features Northern Italian cuisine, it has a daring wine menu, its chefs can respond to challenges, and its quality is dependably consistent.
Via Matta's atmosphere is broody chic. The tables are decently spaced, the lighting is low, the noise is a tad bit high - overall a very good atmosphere for good conversation and eating.
Service is attentive and discreet. The wait staff are very familiar with their offerings, and honestly, this is a necessity, because the sparse menu descriptions require a lot of conversation with the wait staff to know what you're ordering.
Via Matta's wine menu is up to challenging any Italian wine aficionado (although my guilty pleasure is simply a nice dry Lambrusco). If you want to focus on wines, you can have an interesting night of tastings. Of course, they have the standard top shelf selection of spirits for cocktails. And Grappa. Yes, they have Grappa...
The menu is great. I recommend an order of the Burrata with shaved mushrooms - fantastic. And don't overlook the lobster pasta - it was the hit of the table the last time we went. We have made special requests for appetizers not on the menu - requests from those of us who miss Milan - and the chefs delivered, even introducting us to a few dishes on their own. That kind of connection is what makes Via Matta an exceptional dining experience.
I had recently gone to Via Matta in almost as many weeks. The first time I went they were just switching their winter menu offering to their summer one so though I found the food rather mediocre, I thought it was just anomalous. After having dinner for the second time, I feel that I have a good sense of their food.
For starters I tried the yellowfin tuna, spicy calamari with tomato, and crunchy eggplant. The yellowfin tuna was really good actually and the fish was fresh and they used a sauce that I thought was unique and exciting. The spicy calamari and eggplant were ok. I'd eat it if it were served in front of me, but I wouldn't order it again.
I also had the Tagliatelle alla Bolognese. Perhaps I don't have a sophisticated taste for Italian food, but it had the taste of an oilier version of hamburger helper. The portion for this dish was abundant.
By far, the best entre that I had was the House Brined Pork Loin and Tuscan Ribs. I would recommend this dish. The loin was lean and the tender and the brine that it is prepared with really does the dish well.
Service was good. Our waitress was attentive. The only thing that I annoyed me was the dining room help kept on interrupting our dinner by making a formal inquiry to the entire table to ask if he could clear our plates. Maybe I'm being picky about this, but I just thought it was odd.
We had a hodgepodge of desserts and it was descent as well as the wine selection.
In summary, you won't go wrong by recommending this place to out of towners as the location is located in a nicer area of Boston and the ambiance and service are great. Personally, I go to restaurants for the food experience and this Italian restaurant is not memorable.
The Monday night Vino de Tavolo dinners are an AMAZING deal. For $25, it's all inclusive (Tax and tip included), and you get to sit at an intimate table with the other guests and the wine director, who's very personable, knowledgeable, and honest enough to share what he wants to learn more about. Tonight's tasting was less known Italian wines, and of all the tastings I've attended in Boston and California, the ambiance, quality, and value of this tasting comes out on top.
The restaurant is in a quieter corner of park plaza. I loved the bar area with the open doors. It was a bit chilly, but I loved the fresh open air on a spring day. It was an intimate space that felt cozy, romantic, and warm without being intimidating nor too formal.
First of all, food is served family style. We started with Prosecco as we waited for others to arrive at our table of 10. It's fun to sit at a communal table with other young couples/groups, as it's much less intimidating, and you know everyone is there to learn a little, but mostly to enjoy food and wine.
Bread is served room temperature with olive oil.
Service is very attentive but not overbearing. Empty glasses are cleared as they prepare for the next pour, but with remaining bottles staying on the table, the server is also happy to give you a fresh glass to have more of a wine you liked.
The first course was served with a more unique white - it was very light and less fragrant than I had hoped, but it ended up being very clean tasting and a great starter. It was paired with a flavorful but not overly salty prosciutto, which is hard to find. It was from a region that cures it for less time, allowing the natural sweetness of the pork to shine. The parmigiano reggiano was the perfect dry, savory match for it. It was also with micro greens topped with olive oil and "breadcrumbs" made of toasted grated cheese, which was very creative and wonderful in crunchy texture and flavor. The grilled asparagus was also slightly acidic, hinting of balsamic vinegar when you first bite into it, but it ends with a lightly charred and more complex flavor.
Next was a white that was bit more unusual. In smell and flavor, it reminded me of scotch - it was like smoky almonds and more woodsy. As I'm not a huge scotch fan, I didn't enjoy this one as much. However, I really liked the food it came with. There was a tender salmon that melted in your mouth, likely due to the topping of caramelized shallots and guanciale (pork jowel). I'm not even a salmon fan, but the pork fat just made it so tender and flavorful. The bed of greens was perfect as a contrast, and the giant chantarelles were perfect in a light, meaty kind of way. Along with it, there was fresh shrimp with chilies - it was simple and slightly sweet, with a touch of Asian flavor. The shrimp was a tiny bit overdone, but the flavor was in, and it wasn't too tough. There was also a vegetarian option with fresh ramps. We're lucky to have caught it during the short spring season. There were also other fresh seasonal vegetables on the plate, and I thought it was so considerate that they created the option for the vegetarian in the group.
Following was the most tender, medium rare seared beef over a bed of lentils and vegetables. The beef was so flavorful, gorgeous in color, and the perfect texture for me. I didn't enjoy the lentils so much, but the fresh, seared beef was definitely the star of the dish. It was paired with a very light merlot. I prefer my reds with a little more complexity, but this was nice to ease others into reds.
The dessert was a simple vanilla gelato with toasted hazelnut bits. The vanilla flavor really stood out, and the gelato was cold and creamy but not overly so. The dessert wine it was paired with was a cross between a late harvest white and a sherry or port, and it was a little reminiscent of root beer. Paired with the gelato, it was the perfect combination to end the meal in a light way.
Portions are generous family style, and it's such a privilege to be able to dine with the wine director in such an intimate setting. I couldn't believe everything was really only $25, all inclusive. The food was more impressive than I had expected, and I could really tell how much thought and planning went into the event. It was an amazing surprise after a long day of work, and I'm definitely coming back for the next tasting!
Came here for dinner with a girlfriend and her family. She and her father highly recommended the place so I was excited to finally try it. Boy was I impressed. I've lived a few blocks away from this gem of a restaurant for almost 4 years and so sorry I didn't discover it earlier. It's pretty pricey, but well worth the investment. The waitress my friend had was there that evening and she and her friend who was our waiter treated us like kings and queens. She had an excellent wine suggestion that didn't break the bank and tasted FABULOUS.
We had four appetizers:
1. Prosciutto with roasted pears, celery root and walnuts (yummy-my fav)
2. Bruschetta with wild mushrooms and taleggio
3. White Bean Soup with celery root, apples, and house cured ham
4. Fresh Burratta with charred red peppers, golden raisins and pine nuts
Entrees:
1. Potato Gnocchi with braised wild boar, black trumpet mushrooms and roasted carrots (perfectly cooked gnocchi and an interesting flavor with the wild board--never had it cooked like this before)
2. Muscovy Duck Breast with cippolini, umbrian lentils and red currants ( juicy and cooked to perfection)
3. Sirloin Of Beef with wild mushrooms, crispy potatoes and roasted sunchokes (mushrooms were the best part)
4. Eggplant and Ricotta Ravioli with carrot, pine nut and crispy prosciutto (can't go wrong with this one)
We had an array of desserts, but was bummed out when they told me the coconut gelato was out.
The atmosphere, service and food were truly 5 stars. Definitely plan to come here again--especially when someone else is footing the bill!
I was impressed by the lay out of this place. I had heard a lot of hype about the place and i think it did live up to my expectation in terms of the ambiance and service. The service was great without being annoying that for sure. The cusine is Italian. We tried the ricotta crositini app. OMG! fabulous ricotta.Great menu. I tried the sword fish which was done well and i liked the portion size, it was just right, not pretentious and too small or supersized.
To be honest, I have had better Italian in North end and Napa,however combined with the service and atmosphere, the food is not at all dissapointing. I would recommend this for a night out with the girls, or a date night, or a place to bring parents, really very classy! We spied one of the red sox owner having dinner with his family.
OMG this is offically my 100th Yelp Review!!! Drumrolls!!!
Wednesday Night is Spaghetti…
Boston, MA
Introducing
Somerville, MA
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Category: French
Neighborhood: Back Bay
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: Beacon Hill
Category: Italian
Neighborhood: North End
Category: Italian
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