March 27th, 2008

Matilda offers great Tuscan-Mexican experience

By Ali Weinberg

Apparently, while I was busy drinking Barolos and eating tacos at my favorite Italian and Mexican restaurants, a whole crop of Latino-Italian fusion joints sprouted in the city. Luckily for me, a New York Magazine review by Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite turned me on to one such place: Matilda, a six-month-old “Tusc-Mex” restaurant in Alphabet City.

View Ali’s video of Matilda

Matilda’s married owners, Maristella Innocenti and Esteban Molina, hail from Tuscany and Mexico respectively. The couple met while both cooking at I Coppi, a Tuscan restaurant owned by Maristella’s sister. They based Matilda’s menu on the kind of half-Tuscan, half-Mexican food they serve at home for their daughter, after whom the restaurant was named.

Ms. Raisfeld and Mr. Patronite wrote that Matilda’s appetizers are mostly Mexican standards “tweaked with Italian accents.” Indeed, the “guacamole alla toscana” ($8) tastes a lot like (really good) regular guacamole. The only variations were basil instead of cilantro, and dipping options of both tortilla chips and homemade focaccia bread.

The nachos tartufati ($12), however, were vastly different from any Mexican version I’ve ever tasted. Rather than be smothered with gobs of heavy cheese, the crispy nachos were topped with a light layer of pecorino, and drizzled with truffle oil-two ingredients often found in Tuscan cooking. Huitlacoche, a mushroom sometimes referred to as the “Mexican truffle,” added to the richness of the dish.

Like the NY Magazine reviewers, I found the pozole al fagioli ($8) “soothing.” The traditional Mexican soup is made with cranberry beans — a Mexican and Tuscan staple — and is a steaming hot bowl of comfort.

I have to agree with Ms. Raisfeld and Mr. Patronite’s point that, generally, “the appetizers outshone main [courses].” I tried the orata al forno a legna ($21), roasted dorade fish that was a bit too, well, fishy for my taste. You know what I mean. This was disappointing, as the fish was paired with a delicious arugula and celery root salad in a mild orange-oregano dressing.

A friend ordered the pappardelle al ragu di coda ($15), a pasta dish with slow-cooked oxtail. He was told the kitchen had run out of the wide, flat pappardelle and had to use fusilli, a spiral-shaped pasta, instead. For hard-core ragu fans like myself, this is akin to eating a meatball sub on whole-wheat toast; you can do it, but it’s just not the same. The ragu was tasty, but left me longing for the texture of its traditional pasta partner.

But my pasta problem brings me to another vital element of Matilda: the hospitality. While NY Magazine praised the “warm atmosphere and friendly service,” I think the staff’s attentiveness to each diner deserves more than passing mention. Ms. Innocenti, the owner-hostess, stopped by each table for a quick chat. When she saw the bowl of ragu and fusilli at our table, she explained that the pappardelle made it an entirely different dish. Her candor made me feel less like I was simply a customer, and more like a member of an extended Tuscan-Mexican family, whose dining experience Ms. Innocenti and Mr. Molina really care about.

Cheesy, yes. But most definitely la verita. Or la verdad. Whichever version of the truth you prefer.

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 27th, 2008 at 12:51 am and is filed under Food, Back for Seconds. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

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