In the News: Il Matto 2.0

June 7, 2011 Community News, People, Real Estate, Restaurant/Bar News

••• The New York Times gets more info on White & Church, as Il Matto 2.0 is now being called (the ampersand is a wise move). It opens next Tuesday : “He is still puzzled at how he could recieve two stars from Sam Sifton in The New York Times in September, be popular among European visitors (he said he still gets calls from abroad for reservations), and yet not be able to sustain the restaurant. ‘I guess Americans did not understand what I was doing,’ he said. ‘It looks like New Yorkers are going backward instead of forward in Italian food these days.’ […] The interior is now industrial gray, lots of stone and a polished concrete bar, and will be enlivened with splashes of color and black and white projections. Up a few steps on either side of the front door are a couple of lounge areas that can be reserved for private parties.” OK, since he’s basically blaming people like you for not supporting Il Matto: Tribeca Citizen readers, exactly why did you not go? P.S. The Times also has the menu (click images to enlarge). Am I the only one who gets a bit bummed out when I see a burger on an Italian menu?

••• Skylofts has “sold out.” And the penthouse, recently listed at $45 million, has been taken off the market—but it will be back. (Observer)

••• “The Downtown Little League had its moment in the big leagues last Friday as hundreds of kids and parents from the Lower Manhattan teams marched around the New York Mets’ Citi Field Stadium before the Mets vs. Atlanta Braves game.” (Broadsheet Daily)

••• “Cuomo Names Controversial Real Estate Developer to Serve on Authority’s Board, While Two Resident-Nominees Remain in Limbo.” (Broadsheet Daily)

••• There’s a new Mexican food cart in FiDi; it’s called El Gringo, which would normally be a bad sign…? (Midtown Lunch)

 
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4 Comments

  1. AMB
    June 7, 2011 • 12:47 pm

    Why didn’t I go back to Il Matto? Because the one time I went I was served a salad masquerading as a cocktail. Admittedly I did order the weirdest sounding drink on the menu, but I expected it to be well executed and surprising, not just a piece of lettuce soused in booze. Couldn’t face the food after that.

    Will try the new place though.

  2. Raul
    June 7, 2011 • 2:48 pm

    I never returned because the “teacup” seating was painful and the food was good, but not very distinguished.

  3. Zoe.
    June 7, 2011 • 9:37 pm

    I thought the food was fantastic. It was original, complex, subtle. It was a bit rich for my body to eat it on a regular basis, but I don’t think all restaurants should be that kind of food: everyday fare. On special occasions, it’s fantastic to be able to go somewhere that allows you to experiment with your tastebuds and your assumptions about culinary combinations.

    I did think the physical environment was hostile though.. I liked the crazy look if the decor, but the heights and depth if the banquet was off,- too narrow and upright, and I’m a very small person. There was too much plastic in the decor- I’d prefer cloth at the bar with my neon lighting, and there was something too loud and hollow about that podium where the bar was.

    Design is a hard skill. We think of a designer as someone who knows how to use photoshop and move a couch, but it’s in fact, a very difficult, complex craft, best left for the sensory oriented.. I loved the food. I loved the crazyness. The people there were wonderful, smart polite.. I hope they continue to serve a brave, thoughtful menu, rather than a packaged pastiche of “What Americans Want”.. In a better setting- how can you screw up that beautiful old room!?

    Looking forward to MoreMatto…please! I miss you Matto…

  4. mike
    June 9, 2011 • 9:43 am

    This neighbor didn’t go due to lackluster food. I ate there twice – both were substandard meals. As I live right around the corner, I really wanted this to be a great go-to for dinner. Didn’t pan out that way. Hopefully the new digs will help the food.