There is a certain serendipity that The Olive Garden restaurant on 2nd South in downtown SLC – an eatery that served mediocre Italian-American fare for decades – should close and be replaced by Matteo Ristorante Italiano, which serves authentic, inspired Italian cuisine in a new and stunning setting. R.I.P. Olive Garden. 

Having rapidly outgrown its original space on 900 South, Matteo Sogne and his team has made an impressive move to downtown Salt Lake City, nearly doubling its space to create a more refined dining experience. 

Among the Matteo 2.0 improvements are soundproofed ceilings for intimate conversations (the original Matteo was full of hard surfaces and noise levels were high when the restaurant was crowded, which was most of the time), private dining options, and complimentary valet parking – enhancements which promise to appeal to both loyal Matteo clientele and new guests, alike.

Private Dining Room

The 6,000 square-foot space is nearly twice the size of the previous location and features three private dining spaces to accommodate corporate dinners, holiday parties, and various celebrations.

Matteo Sogne

“It’s no secret how challenging the restaurant business is, and we feel very fortunate that Matteo has been enthusiastically received by fellow Utahns, also becoming a must stop for out of state visitors. We couldn’t pass up this opportunity for a more suitable space that will better meet our guests’ needs with a more comfortable dining experience and the same gracious hospitality and quality of cuisine our customers have come to appreciate,” said owner and founder Matteo Sogne, a native of Modena, in the heart of Emilia, globally recognized as the “Food Valley” of Italy. 

He continued, “Our new location is equally ideal for dinner for food lovers as it is for those heading to Utah Jazz and Hockey Club games and theater performances. We are also well positioned to host meals for state leaders and legislators, Utah’s corporate, business, finance, banking, and tech-communities, or attendees of the many national and international conventions at the Salt Palace.”

As at the original Matteo, customers can expect to see regular, familiar faces, most of whom have been with the restaurant from its start in 2023. Chef Damiano Carlotto continues to helm the kitchen, while Matteo’s Mom, Manuela, uses traditional Italian technique to bake her scrumptious focaccia, many varieties of Italian bread, and delicious desserts. A more expansive bar allows for a more varied and creative beverage program, and the optimally designed kitchen is conducive for seamless back-of-house to front-of-house operations.

Contadina Salad

During a recent visit to Matteo, my wife and I and other guests were treated to an impressive array of dishes from the dinner menu, beginning with a couple of scrumptious salads, which included the Contadina salad ($12) of mixed greens which thin pear slices, shaved almonds, and a tangy Gorgonzola dressing. Other salad options include a classic Caesar ($12), Rossa with arugula, beets, goat cheese, walnuts, and balsamico dressing ($14), Verde ($10), and Estiva ($14) with kale, roasted sunflower seeds, cherry tomatoes, ricotta salata, and honey citronette.

Whipped Brie 

A spectacular starter (antipasti) at Matteo is the Whipped Brie ($17). Caramelized brie comes in a bowl topped with walnuts, raisins, and microgreens, served with house-baked focaccia alongside for dipping. Cheese lovers will also enjoy the Burrata ($16) with grilled zucchini, tomato confit, and focaccia. For a classic Italian antipasti give the Polpette a try. These are homemade meatballs, Italian sausage, house pomodoro, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

Carpaccio

A couple of crudo style dishes caught my eye and I really loved the Carpaccio ($19) of superb thinly sliced beef filet topped with shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano, truffle aioli, microgreens, and walnut bits. The superior beef really stands out in this dish and isn’t smothered by heavy sauce or balsamic, which tends to be typical.  Another crudo type antipasti is Tartare di Tonno ($21) – a plate of tuna tartare with lime, pear, olive oil, and Calabrian chili crisps. For those looking to splurge, Matteo offers caviar service with a choice of ARS Italica Oscietra ($320/1 oz.) farmed in Italy’s Ticino Park in Cassolnovo, or Calvisius Tradition Prestige Caviar ($60/.35 oz; $150/1 oz; $250/1.75 oz) from the aquaculture sturgeon farm at Calvisano, near Milan. 

Risotto Modena

Because of the time involved in cooking real risotto, not too many restaurants offer it. And if they do, many cut corners by using fast cooking rice as opposed to authentic Arborio, Carnaroli, and such. That is not the case at Matteo, where the kitchen takes pride in making risotto and does it the traditional way. They use Aquerello rice, which has a naturally nutty taste and is grown, harvested and packed at Tenuta Colombara in Italy. The Risotto Modena ($32) is cooked slowly in broth and served simply with Parmigiano-Reggiano and “aceto balsamico del nonno” – Matteo’s grandfather’s own balsamic. 

Salmone

The main course of an Italian meal is called “secondi” and there are some excellent secondi options at Matteo. I’m hoping to return to try the cioppino ($36) some evening, but I can highly recommend the Salmone ($32) for fish lovers. Atlantic salmon from the Faroe Islands is just lightly kissed with heat – leaving the creamy flavor and texture intact – and served simply with an olive-tomato cream sauce and perfectly seasoned roasted potatoes. 

Brasato

For carnivores, Matteo offers a ribeye steak with gremolata and mixed veggies ($48); Filetto (filet mignon) with cacio e pepe raviolo and spinach ($54); and my favorite: Brasato ($36), which is super tender slow-braised beef with bourbon-honey reduction, carrots and snap peas, garnished with Italian parsley. 

Pollo

Another outstanding secondi dish is Pollo ($29). This is picatta-style pan-seared chicken breast pounded thin and coated with bread crumbs, served with butter-lemon-caper sauce, and with broccolini and carrots alongside, garnished with microgreens. 

Cod Ravioli

On any given night there are 10 or so pasta dishes offered from the Primi portion of the menu, including risotto. There is a seafood-based tagliatelle pasta dish called Aragosta ($38), with lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp, and lobster bisque sauce, as well as a killer ravioli dish: Cod Ravioli ($32), made with Pacific cod, tomato water, ricotta, basil oil, lemon zest, and fresh herbs. Cod-stuffed ravioli may sound odd, but it’s one of the best pasta dishes I’ve ever eaten. Heartier, meaty pasta dishes at Matteo include Lasagna al Ragu ($25), Tagliatelle Bolognese ($24), both of which incorporate Matteo’s grandmother’s beefy Bolognese sauce. You’ll also occasionally find a rich tasting Tuscan Rustic Ragun special with bucatini on the menu.  

Paccheri alla Vodka

Additional pastas range from a simple Aglio e Olio ($21) and Fusilli al Pesto ($24), to complex Gnocchi with zucchini cream, lemon ricotta, crispy pancetta, and fried shallots ($28). A pasta dish I love is the Paccheri alla Vodka ($26). This is perfectly cooked al dente paccheri pasta bathed in a creamy pink vodka sauce with crisp pancetta, onions, and a generous sprinkling of Parmigiano-Reggiano. 

Tiramisu

Inspired by the great Italian Michelin star chef Massimo Bottura, Matteo Sogne serves a unique version of Tiramisu. Having no affection for soggy ladyfingers, Matteo prefers a sort of deconstructed, layered Brownie Tiramisu in a glass with coffee, mascarpone and chocolate brownie bits. Just say NO to limp ladyfingers! 

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Matteo boasts one of the best wine lists in Utah, with a heaving skewing – for obvious reasons – toward Italian wines, including more than 40 available by the glass. Why, there are eight different Barolos alone offered by the glass. Bottle prices range from a mere $45 for something like La Lecciaia Orvieto Blanco from Umbria, to $1,360 for a 2007 Castello di Ama Chianti Classico Gran Selezione, La Casuccia, Toscana. During dinner, Matteo introduced us to a wonderful, economically priced organic red wine from Lazio called Casale Del Piglio Campo Novo D.O.C.G. from Casale Della Ioria. There is truly a wine for everybody at Matteo Ristorante, as well as cocktails and such. 

When Matteo opened in the fall of 2023, I was bowled over and didn’t think it could really be improved upon. But I was wrong. The new downtown SLC Matteo Ristorante Italiano is bigger, and even better. There is absolutely nothing not to love about this gem of a restaurant. Give it a try. I think you’ll come to love it as much as my wife and I do. 

Photos by Ted Scheffler

Culinary quote of the week: “No man is lonely while eating spaghetti.” – Robert Morley