Matteo's Osteria — Restaurant in Maui

Oh, how the years keep piling on. My gang took me out for my birthday dinner here. It was the first time for all of us and definitely won't be our last.

LOCATION: They're within the Wailea Town Center, a small strip mall located behind the new Residence Inn Marriott. Parking at night was plentiful due to the other businesses being closed.

ATMOSPHERE: They've done a great job with transforming the space into a very warm, inviting and chic eatery. Seating is a mix of in and out, with a small bar, all-glass wine "cellar" and open-view kitchen.

MENU: Italian fare including apps, salads, pastas, pizzas, fish, steak, kids menu, happy hour.

BEVERAGE: Sicilian Rose This Ketel One martini included prosecco which gave it a nice fizz and sweetened with a white peach nectar. Absolutely delish. So much so, I had four of them!? Or was it five? I wasn't driving so I didn't care, lol!

FOOD: House Bread My dislike for focaccia is slowly fading as I loved this. Instead of butter, it came with a healthier hummus spread.

Caesar Salad The chunky-cut Romaine leaves were fresh and well-coated in a creamy-tangy caesar dressing and sprinkled with shaved parmesan. Very good version.

Bruschetta Al Tonno Because we were a party of four, we added an additional bruschetta so we could each have one. The raw ahi was utmost fresh and teamed with a mix of fresh tomatoes, salty capers, garlic and basil. Crunchy, savory, sweet; the best of three worlds. Bruschetta slices were a bit small but the wonderful flavors made up for their petiteness.

Filetto I was torn between the bolognese pasta and this dish but after seeing pics of this, I was sold due to its mouth-watering dark brown sauce. The tenderloin was amazingly tender. I asked for medium rare but it came out more medium; no biggie. Flavor and moisture were strengths of this dish as it was doused in a savory, dark brown demi mushroom sauce. Total heaven. Stewed cherry tomatoes added a nice acidic balance. I failed to comprehend that the lumpy (a positive to me) mashed potatoes were infused with chunks of gorgonzola cheese, a variety I'm not fond of due to its boldness, and was the only downfall.

DESSERT: I was treated to a decadent tiramisu in a cup, topped with a sole birthday candle. So sweet of them! One of my friends opted for the affogato which looked divine and must've been as it was devoured in a snap!

SERVICE: Absolutely professional, friendly and took great care of us the entire night. Thank you!

OVERALL: I'm being more austere with my five star ratings but Matteo's truly...

We came here on a recommendation from a local resident. Never having dined here we used Open Table and made a reservation as their site recommends. They are closed on Mondays, but their recording asks you to leave a message. We were seated at the bar, which given the recommendation from a local Kihei resident I assumed to just take, normally I wouldn't. Our cocktails and salad came timely but our server was also the bartender (also making everyone's drink) and I thought they are popular just go with it. Well, we waited forever for our entrees. I mean like 45 minutes. Our order wasn't complicated, their Lasagna and Bolognese entrees, but we waited while those who came later were served before us. After too long a time of what was reasonable, I asked where our food was and was told by our server/ bartender that it was next. After what was likely 20 minutes more we decided to leave but our food arrived shortly thereafter. Maybe the taste and quality would salvage a long wait; food was basic, average, pedestrian. Really!! Lasagna and a Bolognese at 'good steak' prices. Our server insisted that we speak to a manager. I asked what the point would be? Our server comped us with our cocktails and brought our check and asked earnestly if the manager could entreat us and offer a complimentary dessert; which we denied. I gave him my credit card and he apologized that his manager 'didn't even have the time' to speak with us. He (manager) was working on the line cooking and it really wasn't something he wanted to deal with as I could view the interaction from where I sat at the bar. I would not support Matteo's, and I will never come back and will not promote them to friends, family, or locals visiting Wailea or Maui. We will tell our friend that highly recommended it about our experience. I always look at reviews and take them with some recognition that something may have gone sideways but always err to the side of the proprietor when I read some poor reviews. I will say that Matteo's or those in management do not care and that's a trickle-down effect from the attitude of the owners. Maybe they think their clientele doesn't know the difference between good food and mediocre food. If you want a quality meal, good service, and are willing to pay a little more for it for a nicer dining experience- do not go...

I want to love this place but it definitely has a couple problems.

The one thing this restaurant does well is the food. Their complimentary bread comes with hummus rather than butter. It's definitely different but I enjoyed it, my wife; not so much. The bread itself is very good, though. For appetizers, we ordered the calamari and caprese salad. The calamari was nicely fried and the caprese salad was very fresh. For our entrees, we ordered the Carbonara pizza and Gnocchi Crema Rosa. The pizza was rich and tasty, and the gnocchi was the best I've ever had. For dessert we had the cannoli's which were just alright, I've definitely had better. The citrus flavor in it was too strong for my liking. They're known for their large wine selection, but I'm not a wine person, so can't say much about that.

Unfortunately, the good food does not outweigh the cons for me. First, the customer service needs help. Our waitress was nice, but she didn't come to check on my wife and I. At all. She came to take our order, our dessert order and to give us our check, that's it. When I was waiting to pay, it took 10 minutes just for her to come get my card even though I was clearly ready to pay and antsy to leave. Maybe she had too many tables to take care of, but we felt forgotten about by her. Luckily, the boys that come around to fill your water and take your empty plates are really cool and attentive.

Last, the restaurant is CRAMPED. I'm a bigger guy, I need some room to move. The tables we were seated at, near the back of the restaurant along the wine cellar, are only about a foot and a half apart, I felt like I was dining with everyone next to me. When a waitress is taking someones order near you, their back and butt is almost in your plate. I actually got whacked in the arm a couple of times as they were passing by. It was very uncomfortable and claustrophobic. The restaurant is usually very busy, thus intensifying the problem.

I'd definitely do take-out from here because the food is great! But I doubt I'd want to...