Matthew's — Restaurant in Clifton

Matthew's has been on my list for literally years; it has consistently high ratings in an area of North Jersey teeming with Italians who presumably know what they're talking about when it comes to food. I don't really have an excuse for waiting this long for my debut other than that it's in one of my least favorite areas of the state - the always-congested stretch of Route 3 near Clifton Commons. This is actually located one exit away from the Commons, which helps, but be prepared for some traffic no matter what.

The Millennial Chum and I stopped by for lunch yesterday a little after noon, having built up an appetite from the nearby Little Falls townwide yard sale (huge recommend - lot of high quality stuff including furniture, and the town site has a cool link where the participating yard sales show up as waypoints on Google Maps.). I was legitimately taken aback by how tiny this place is. It's not QUITE claustrophobic, but they have to get creative with their spacing for sure, including with the bathroom area, which is kind of randomly off to the side of the entryway. This is also one of the smallest bars I've ever seen (I think the only one I've encountered that's smaller is the Baldanza at the Schoolhouse in Wilton, CT, which seats one or two people); there were maybe four stools available over there. Interesting. In terms of seating/availability, this was the right time to go. There were only two other tables occupied and it was incredibly quiet (too quiet in my opinion) throughout our meal, save the obligatory low-volume Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra ditties in the background.

I kept it enormously basic and went with the Penne w/ Tomato Sauce ($18). The Millennial Chum and I narrowed our eyes suspiciously at the VERY orange sauce, but it was the absolute star of the show, one of the best sauces I've encountered. It hugged the texture balance of being thick without crunchy, and tasted great - just the right amount of sweetness. The pasta was cooked perfectly, and the meatball I sampled from the Millennial's Chum was delicious as well. Super juicy and flavorful with the aforementioned sauce accompanying it. We also had a few fresh, warm rolls with butter; crispy on the outside, soft on the inside as it should be. The only downside there was we didn't get enough butter to deal with the third roll, but that's a very minor quibble (and I'm sure could have been easily rectified if we cared enough).

The service was good but honestly not great. We didn't have egregious waits, but it WAS a bit on the slow side. Our waitress was pleasant/professional, but should have stopped by one or two additional times - other than grabbing the check, she never came by after the food was served to see how it was. And given that there were only two other occupied tables, there just wasn't an excuse for that.

Very solid establishment overall though; I'm always into a place with white tablecloths that doesn't bat an eye when you show up in beach shorts. That's the dream. Come for the open-mindedness, stay for the...

We love the friadovolo sauces, long hots, chicken francese and pretty much every entree we order from here! Plus Matthew is always a warm welcoming presence. He seems to always be at the restaurant making sure patrons are seated and taken care of.I had mixed feelings about this restaurant. The young host an owner, Matthew, was very engaging and accommodating. We had reservations and were seated promptly. Then, are our waitress came over, and that's where the mixed reviews begin. She asked for our one order and never looked at us once but kept looking over to the other side of the restaurant. After we gave her the order, she said thank you without, Once more , looking at us. I and my companion both found this very offputting. We also ordered the stuffed artichoke to begin with. Warm bread was brought to our table, but no water. She open the wine and poured it, again without looking at us. Very disconcerting. I have to say the stuffed artichoke although attractively plated, was really tall and tasteless. Also we both found the choke to be undercooked. We also share the seafood salad which was fresh and excellent and tasty. For the main course we ordered the linguine MalaFemina. My companion made a special note that the pasta be al dente. When the pasta finally arrived, we still hadn't received any water, and had to ask our waitress again. Unfortunately, the pasta was not only, al dente, but hard and undercooked. Matthew himself came over to see our meal was going and immediately offered to take the pasta back and make it correctly. He did this and split our shared order. The dish was now excellent. It was generous amounts of seafood and the sauce was delicious. The waitress continued her non-I contact, non-personality service until we left. Also need to read that the restaurant was quite noisy. All that being said, we would come back again. Definitely would not order the stuff to artichoke and would ask for a different waitress if we happen to get the same one. As we were leaving, Matthew once again reader to us and engage you to send a conversation that made us feel at home in his place. Hopefully, with the new waitress and a different appetizer, we would be able to upgrade...

I am not surprised at all of the positive, 5-star reviews which are truly deserving. My fiance and I ordered the Crispy Calamari to start and for entrees the Filet Mignon and Shrimp Fradiavlo.

The calamari was crisp to perfection and I cannot say enough about the steak and shrimp. The red wine reduction over the filet is to die for and although the portions are large, I almost finished my entire Shrimp Fradiavlo dish. For dessert, a cannoli and dessert cocktails. We also ordered a bottle of red wine for the table which was reasonably priced.

Outdoor/Covid Restrictions: While the restaurant was busy, there was ample outdoor seating for guests. Tables were well spread out and as tables left, they were thoroughly cleaned. I also appreciated the laminated printed menus, the red carpet and outdoor lighting as they contributed to a ambiance of normalcy. Moreover, the music turned the night into a elegant evening.

Lastly, although it was extremely busy between the tables and take-out patrons, the owner made it a point to visit every table and check in on patrons throughout the night. While my first visit to Matthew's was outdoors with Covid restrictions, it will certainly not be my last. Matthew is a class act and his staffs service went above and beyond my expectations. I look forward to dining at this staple restaurant again in the...