Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Mat & Naddie's

Ever been to Bayona? Bayona has made its mark and thrived by using local ingredients and spicing them up with techniques and flavors from other cultures. Well, imagine Bayona had a brother who spent a few more years tooling around in the Caribbean, France, and Asia. This brother came back and found the quarter a tad crazy so he settled down in a small cottage near the River and just opened his house to his friends. Well, if you can imagine that and it sounds delightful, then you will love Mat & Naddie's.

The menu at Mat & Naddie's literally spans the globe. Mediterranean style starters like olives and antipasto mingle with oysters and bacon. Settling on one dish would be difficult, so just throw a dart at the menu. The results will work. The night we dined our server brought out the bread course with the night's special butter - lime, jalapeno, carrot, and habanero. That butter was like a piece of china in a bull shop: it never stood a chance. We quickly devoured it while mulling over our options and sipping on a Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc.

To start we had a pate plate. Classic French technique here with the pork stung by a liberal and welcome dose of brandy and a texture as fine as any other in town, and the classic accompaniments fit the bill. A pate plate proved to be the perfect appetizer on a warm summer evening.Lindsay got the vegetarian dish of the night, a Smoked Shitake Mushrooms and Brown Jasmine-Black Sesame Lunar Rice Cakes in a Thai Red Curry Stew. The curry was redolent with lemongrass and pungent spices.
I thoroughly enjoyed the jerk pork tenderloin which was cooked until just blushing and served with intensely spicy collards, rice and beans, and a cooling crema. Just a delicious dish all the way around.
We skipped dessert and opted for a Nocello (Lindsay) and a rare dessert wine (me).

Mat & Naddie's has the genuine feel of a New Orleans joint without the manufactured faux funkiness others employ. The service is warm and relaxed, the floorboards worn, the vibe Caribbean calm, and the food dynamite.

Mat & Naddie's - Birdie.

1 comment:

Annie Bleecker said...

They also have a great $10 weekday lunch buffet. The food is excellent and my only complaint is that it doesn't vary from one day to the next (except for the soup).