Matteo's Italian Restaurant

Just a reminder, Matteo's Hoboken is open for Outdoor Dinning , Curbside Pick Up & Take Out ! Directly right Next door to Matteo's 310-474-1109 #CalamariSteak pictured

Weekend special @ Matteos Hoboken 310-474-1109 Osso Bucco

Rest in Peace Leo. For those of u that don't know Leo was a Bartender at Matteo's since the late 60's ,He retired I believe around 2008 .What a ray of sunshine u always were ! He used to grow the best tomatoes and bring them to work for all to enjoy ! I remember when customers would ask "Leo how long have you been here ?" Leo would reply "Since about 2 pm " God Bless

To all of #Matteos loyal supporters When Dine In resumes we look forward to seeing all of you . Untill then please visit our sister restaurant #Hoboken directly next door to Matteos . Hoboken has a great outdoor #Dinningpatio where you can #DIneAlFresco! #MatteosHoboken also has delicious #TakeOut & #Curbside #Pickup ... 310-474-1109 for more info See more

Another WONDERFUL story submitted by Lew Bracker. And this one’s about FOOD! Lew, who is 92 years young, truly *lived* vintage LA. What a treat to read his s...tories here on VLA.... I have to admit it. In 1954, I thought Italian food meant spaghetti and meatballs, really! Growing up with my mother's great Jewish cooking and baking (she baked her own cholla) the spaghetti she made was encased in a cheese and tomato casserole. It was delicious, my wife made it and I still make it. In any case, Italian restaurants were scarce on the ground in Vintage L.A.until after WWII, notable exceptions being Perino's, which was very upscale and downtown, and Pizza places were even more scarce until Patsy's Italian Restaurant (Patsy D'Amore) opened stall #448 in the Farmer's Market, which incidentally is still there, run by Patsy's daughter, Filomena. We did have Little Joe's in Chinatown and Barone's, "over there in the Valley," Sherman Oaks, to be exact. And that's the way it was, at least for me, until 1954-1974 and what I call the "Italian Restaurant Explosion." Somehow, I was fated to be in the middle of this "explosion." It all began one early evening when Jimmy Dean and I returned from our ranch, north of Santa Barbara, after Jimmy and I had towed up and then deposited his horse, Cisco, on the ranch. Jimmy had bought Cisco from a movie rangler (GIANT) and had him cooped up in a Burbank stall, and didn't know what to do with him so I offered the ranch. Jimmy and I had been friends for a few months now and as I was turning to get in my car and go home, Jimmy asked, "do you like italian food?" It's funny how such an innocent question can have a huge effect on your life. For Jimmy, this was not an innocent question, Obviously, he had given this a lot of thought. As I learned, this was James Dean, the most private James Dean, the most closed James Dean, inviting me into his haunt, his hang out, his cocoon, his inner sanctum, the Villa Capri Restaurant at 1735 N. McCadden Place, one block East of Highland Avenue and one block North of Highland Avenue. And on that question, "do you like Italian food?" a great friendship was forged. The Villa, as we called it, was opened in 1950, just one year after Patsy D'Amore's tremendous success with his Pizza stall at the Original Farmers Market,. By the way, Patsy was short for Pasquale, but I never heard him called anything but Patsy. The Villa Capri was a small restaurant with a bar room barely separated from the dining room, where the three walls were lined with booths and a few tables in the middle of the room. The food was very good but old Southern Italy Italian, but then, so were all the other Italian eateries. The Villa was far more than just another restaurant. It was an oasis in the Hollywood desert for Hollywood celebs, notably Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack, big time song writers, actors and actresses and of course, James Dean. It was even more to Jimmy, it was his "safe house." Yes, tourists did find their way to the Villa, but cameras were not allowed nor were autograph seekers and I noticed no table hopping. Your booth was your castle, especially Jimmy's. When you walked into the Villa, the bar was on your left where Baron reigned supreme. Right in front of you was the only table in the bar room. It was long and sat eight. The table faced the door and was definitely separated from the tables in the main room. Dan Tana told me the waiters called it "Siberia." Jimmy and I always entered the Villa through a kitchen door off the parking lot. The chef, Carmine, ruled his domain like a tyrant and we were the only ones he allowed to enter that way and always gave us a big greeting, even allowing us to sample his array of appetizer goodies. The Villa was the only restaurant I was ever in that placed a 3-tiered appetizer tray on your table as you sat down. It was at the Villa that I met and became friends with two particular waiters and a bus boy, friendships that would later land me in the middle of the "Italian restaurant explosion. Jean Leon, Matty Jordan and Dan Tana were to become La Scala, Matteo's Italian Restaurant and Dan Tana's. Later, Joe Patti and La Famiglia. Jeon Leon was not of Italian origin, he was Basque. A slight, gracious and unpretentious man, I became friends with Jean right off the bat. Jean became a waiter at the Villa at the age of 17, he was smart and ambitious. He had a dream and a vision and he lived out both. He wanted his own place, a restaurant unlike the Villa, that would offer dishes unknown in Vintage L.A. at that time, like Chicken Marengo and his now famous Chopped Salad. It was Jean, at La Scala, who introduced me to Mozzarella Marinada, a meatball shaped Mozzarella, rolled in bread crumbs and deep fried so that the cheese would melt inside the bread crumbs. He then topped it with a delicious light sauce. Wow! Jean also introduced this neophyte Italian food gourmand to Cappuccino (never tasted better over the last 55 years), and Chocolate Mousse, wonderfully light. And of course, his chopped salad with his secret dressing. La Scala's front room was always full of celebs, sometimes we were the only non-celebs there. In 1955, Jimmy, Jeon and I could sometimes be found, after hours, sitting at a table in the Villa talking about opening a restaurant. We all know why that never happened, but in 1956 Jean opened his famed La Scala between Beverly Drive and Rodeo Drive on "Little" Santa Monica in Beverly Hills. Jean took me to see this place, a failed restaurant, dark and closed, but completely intact with chianti bottles adorning the walls and the booths with the tables set. It was eerie, a restaurant ready to welcome guests who would bring the place back to life. La Scala was a roaring success from the start, and in 1952, the corner space next to La Scala, fronting Beverly Drive, became available and Jean opened La Scala Boutique. It was a "no reservations" first come, first served atmosphere so you had to get their early to get a booth although they did a huge take-out business before take-outs. The "Boutique," as everyone called it, offered all kinds of sandwich's on delicious Italian rolls or bread and one could actually order anything La Scala served because they shared the same kitchen, and Jean would roam from one to the other. This became the place to lunch and if you said "meet me at the Boutique, everyone knew where you meant. Matty Jordan moved from being a waiter at the Villa to being the Matre D' at La Scala and one day, I was Deja Vu'd, if that's a word. Matty took me to look at a failed restaurant at 2321 Westwood Blvd. in West L.A. Again, I was shown a closed, dark restaurant, ghosted by patrons of the past, and in November of 1963, Matty opened Matteo's on that spot. Matteo knew exactly what kind of place he wanted to create, and he did do just that. Matteo's was a mirror of Matte himself. Old fashioned Italian food (first to offer pizza bread), a cross between an Italian restaurant and a N.Y.C. steak house with traces of Sicily. IMO, the main attraction was the atmosphere, it was like walking into a Damon Runyon story. Let's start with the electric train that ran around the bar above our heads. To this day I have no idea what the train hd to do with anything, but that was Matty. Then there were his regular patrons. Matteo's had a large tourist draw but the regulars included top jockey's like Johnny Longden, celebs of Italian descent, top bookmakers, "made" mend and just N.Y.C. Broadway characters. Matteo's was a fun place, run in a wide-open manner by Matty Jordan. For 24 years, the biggest character, in a restaurant full of characters, was Matty Jordan. There always has been only one Matteo. Matty ran his place in a wide-open manner and the end result was good food and fun. One night, a group of us that included our close friends, Sugar Ray Robinson, his wife Millie and daughter "Poogy," were partying at a long table set up at the kitchen end of the big dining room. We were laughing and toasting, we always had a great time with them, and it seems people in the next booth complained. Matty came over and told them, "if you don't want to have fun you're in the wrong place." Dan Tana will be the first to tell you that he came in to the U.S. illegally! He crossed by way of Canada and made his way to L.A. Dan was a budding soccer star from Yugoslavia but he was smart, ambitious wanted to escape Communist East Europe. Fate decreed that Dan met Patsy D'Amore, who kind of took him under his wing and put him in a little apartment above the Villa Capri. Dan was 19 years old and did whatever was needed at the Villa, from dishwasher and/or bus boy to "gopher." Dan also put in time as Matre D' at La Scala, among other things. One of those other things was becoming a partner in a new place called Peppermint West. Dan was in the right place at the right time, the start of the "twist" craze. I think Dan made his first important money with the Peppermint West, money that he put into Dan Tana's. It was 1964 when Dan opened a place you could easily miss if your weren't looking for it, at 9071 Santa Monica Blvd., in West Hollywood. Interestingly, Dan's place was very much like Matteo's, a happening bar, though smaller, very good food and a roomful of celebs and characters. Dan Tana's became famous for ambience, its food and its beloved (by me and my family) "Nika's Caesar Salad." The salad was and is mixed at your table and is, arguably, the best I've ever had. Dan's steaks and chops were elite and his Veal Paramangina was a favorite of mine. I would describe Dan's food as being all about the sauces. Deep red Italian sauces mixing luscious tomatoes with the herbs and spices of Italy. And while Matteo's and Dan Tana's had similarities, Dan was a no nonsense business man who let the place be what it had become but kept a close eye on all aspects of the restaurant. Dan, at the same time eventually became an executive and a power in the world of professional soccer. I will always remember, at the party for the the Restaurant's 50th Birthday party, Dan, his daughter Katerina, my daughter Lesley and I sitting in a booth, 56 years removed from our Villa Capri days. And the night at the restaurant when Dan, Katerina and my two daughters, Lesley and Alison, ate and reminisced into the evening. History eerily repeated itself again in 1974. Joe Patti, bartender at La Scala, showed me a failed, closed restaurant at 453 Canon, in Beverly Hills, a block from La Scala. This restaurant was to become La Famiglia, and like La Scala, Matteo's and Dan Tana's, a big success. Joe also had a vision for his restaurant and it differed from the others. Joe wanted a more formal dining room with an emphasis on Milanese or Northern Italian cooking as opposed to the more prevalent red sauces of Southern Italy. Joe served pasta many different ways but more times than not, it was covered in his Vodka based white sauce. Joe Patti was an innovator and also a pretty good reader of his patrons, and so Joe began to think in terms of healthy cooking. He changed the way he shopped for his restaurant, with an emphasis on healthy ingredients, and while his clientele might not have been aware of it, Joe was giving less fat without sacrificing taste. As for me, I was partial to his Veal dishes and La Famiglia was a favorite of my entire family. One celeb who ate their most every night was Dean Martin. No, he didn't eat at Dino's. They just bought his name for the place. Dean had his own booth, which faced away from the door, really. Many a night he and I faced each other across a booth. Dean's favorite dish at La Famiglia was Gnocci. Joe Patti served it light as a feather with a heavy red sauce. Actually, Joe served it with a light sauce but Dean demanded a heavy sauce because that is what he grew up with. In the L.A. that was, Vintage L.A. if you will, my treasured memories in fact, I refer to this twenty some-odd period that covers the openings of my friends restaurants as the "Italian Restaurant explosion" in L.A. Fortunately, I was at ground zero. And while we spent many a great evening in all of these places, perhaps the most special times of all were the Sunday afternoons at the home of Jean Leon in Malibu. Every Sunday Jean, who had a tennis court and loved tennis, would invite a small group, 8-10 people, to an afternoon of tennis and feasting. I say feasting and mean it!! Again, I was lucky enough to have an open invitation for my family and I, and usually we were among the very few non-celebs. Jean was a marvelous chef and put out a table that included Piaye, fresh cracked-crab, a myriad of fresh fruit, imported cheeses and fine wines, chicken marengo and steak and peppers, Italian style. The kids, mine, Jean's and other friend's children preferred a run down to Kentucky Fried Chicken! Jean invited guests like Gene Kelly, Robert Loggia, author Gay Talese, and one Sunday, Aussie tennis legends Ken Rosewall and Roy Emerson, both Wimbledon and U.S. Open Champions, and I was on the court with them. They were most gracious. Jean loved to host these Sunday afternoons, he loved the tennis and he cooked everything himself. We were blessed to be a part of them. I treasure my friendships with Jean, Matty, Danny and Joe and that I was a involved and able to witness them living out their dreams of becoming a very successful L.A. restaurant owner. And I treasure having experienced another chapter in my life of living Vintage L.A. "The City of Angels." It was my City. - Lew Bracker (If you’d like to read more of Lew’s remarkable stories, he’s also written memoirs about his friendship with James Dean which I highly recommend Jimmy & Me: A Personal Memoir Of A Great Friendship: JAMES DEAN & LEW BRACKER https://www.amazon.com//1940287014/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_wQ)

And now a word from a white man with blue eyes about red-blooded American racism and bigotry. Start spreading the news...

#dinein With #Matteo's This #Weekend or #TakeOut We Are #Open & Following All L.A. County Health Department Guidelines For Everyones Safety . Look forward to welcoming you back soon !... Please Call For #Reservations. Thank you for your Support ! 310-475-4521 See more

Matteo's will be reopening Saturday June 6th ! We are adhering to all protocals set up by the L.A. County Health Department. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Matteos is temporarily closed due to the L.A County regulations only permitting "Take out food" . Once the ban is lifted we look forward to seeing you again @ Matteos . Untill then ,PLEASE visit our sister restaurant HOBOKEN which is located next Door. Call -474-1109 for more information or to phone in an order for curbside pickup. Let us know when you arrive and your order will be brought to your car. THANK YOU for your support . We will keep you updated ! Stay healthy & safe & wash your hands often. #takeout #curbsidepickup #restaurantsopen

#heads up everyone

Unfortunately just heads up to all our family and friends.

Imagine all the people... - In life, there are so many things that divide us. Religion, race, politics, social status and so much more....But today a global pa...ndemic brings us all together as one. - Over the next few months our health care system will be tested. Many lives will be lost. Health care providers will be under an incredible amount of stress to save thousands of people. But when times are as dark as they are today, nothing shines brighter than the human spirit. - There is something beautiful about a collective struggle. And the beauty in what we are facing today is that the only way to overcome this pandemic is for us to all come together as one. - Nurses, doctors, students, research scientists, politicians, Uber eats drivers, cashiers, factory workers etc.....Getting through this will be hard but one thing is certain...the only way we will get through it is together, as one - - You might say that I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one. I hope some day that you will join us...and the world will live as one.... - Thankful for my brother William Robinson on the piano Kevin A. Pace Much love to all 7.53 billion people out there, Doctor Elvis See more

Hoboken 310-474-1109. Curbside pick up available. Thanks

A little laughter.