In the Land of the Sleeping Giant,
there are other restaurants that haven’t gotten their full due. That’s why we held a Hamden Restaurant Week. One of my favorites is DiMatteo’s Pizza & Restaurant.
Due, perhaps, to its Hamden Plaza setting, it’s all too easy to dismiss DiMatteo’s as just another strip-mall Italian joint good for little more than grinders, hastily assembled lasagna and mediocre pizza, all made with tomato sauce straight out of the can. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth.
In my opinion, DiMatteo’s is one of the better Italian restaurants in the greater New Haven area. It comes by its pedigree honestly—the same ownership is behind Emilia’s Restaurant on Arthur Avenue in the Bronx. DiMatteo’s commitment to quality shows in everything it does. Most of its food is lovingly made from scratch with high-quality ingredients. And what it doesn’t make itself, for example the Italian gelatos it advertises in its windows,
come from top-notch suppliers like Bindi.
DiMatteo’s has occupied the same location since it opened in 1972, the year I matriculated (can one say that word on a family website?) at Hamden High. Not that I noticed at the time—my family rarely ate out in those days. Last year, the restaurant was drastically remodeled. The pick-up area is bright and well cared for,
the showcases so clean you can’t see the glass,
the dining areas attractive and comfortable.
There’s even a 250 cc Vespa that’s sometimes on display and sometimes put to use.
My companions were Martha and Rose Simpson (whom I unfortunately forgot to photograph). Throughout our meal, we were well-attended to by waitress Alyssa Rose.
Our future looked rosy. Alyssa brought us warm, chewy housemade rolls, which kept our appetites in check while we decided what to order.
The appetizers were easy to choose, because there were three of us and three of them. The first appetizer showcased prosciutto di Parma, fresh Mozzarella and tomato served over mixed greens with basil and extra virgin olive oil.
The quality of the ingredients was self-evident. The second appetizer featured two large crab cakes topped with a roasted red pepper coulis. The crab cakes sported the nice crunchy exterior and moist crabby interior that drives one to order them in the first place.
The third appetizer might have been the best of all. Four large sea scallops were wrapped in applewood smoked bacon and served over sliced mushrooms in a garlic Parmesan sauce. They were absolutely delicious.
There were four entrées from which to choose. The one we didn’t try was the eggplant parmigiana, although we had no doubt that this standard would be better prepared here than most other places. But the other choices were difficult to pass up. A seafood risotto loaded with scallops, shrimp and asparagus in a white wine garlic sauce sounded awfully tempting.
And I knew that Martha, whose entire house is decorated in an asparagus theme, would insist on ordering the dish. Chicken breast pan-seared with fresh rosemary and portobello mushroom in a white wine brown sauce was another winner.
But our absolute favorite was the tritone lobster-filled ravioli cooked with shrimp, zucchini and cherry tomatoes in a white wine scampi sauce and topped with fresh mint leaves. The flavors were clean and bright, the hint of mint a lovely touch. A Sicilian dish, this was as tasty as it was pretty.
Sides also came with our dinners. I elected a nice salad with creamy balsamic dressing on the side,
while the ladies each ordered a large and scrumptious mashed potato croquette laced with ham, salami and Provolone.
There were numerous dessert choices. We elected Bindi’s orange ripieno (orange sorbetto served in the natural fruit shell),
bomba (chocolate-covered vanilla and chocolate gelato with maraschino cherry and almond),
and ricotta cheesecake.
There were numerous people enjoying DiMatteo’s terrific Restaurant Week specials, but there were just as many who could not be dissuaded from ordering pizzas like this one.
My curiosity was piqued. I had dined at DiMatteo’s before and greatly enjoyed various dinner items, but I had never tried its pizza. I returned with a friend the very first night after Hamden Restaurant Week was over and we ordered two pies: a white pie with clam, garlic and light Mozzarella and a red pie with basil and ricotta. Both were simply terrific (and more photogenic than the one I happened to photograph). I told owner Andrew DiMatteo
that any new fans that he won during Hamden Restaurant Week (and I’m sure there were many) were richly deserved.
DiMatteo’s, 2100 Dixwell Avenue (Hamden Plaza), 203-288-6655
www.dimatteosrestaurant.com