That’s Italian!

(Credit: Gary Moore / Metromix)

A three-hour dinner can be a triumph or a disaster. If it’s poor service that causes customers to linger, not even the best food can salvage the experience.

But if they’re enjoying a relaxing evening of wine, food and friends in a comfortable, convivial atmosphere, then it’s three hours well spent. And, happily, that’s exactly what happened on a recent visit to Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano in Noblesville.

A friend and I had made reservations earlier in the day, and it was a good thing we did. Even on a chilly January night, the 180-seat restaurant was plenty busy. Spiffy, black-and-white-clad servers moved through the room, and a pleasant buzz of conversation filled the high-ceilinged dining area. We were looking around and thinking, “Now this is an Italian restaurant.”

Owner Matteo DiRosa does indeed hail from Italy, and the restaurant business runs in the family. Brothers Arturo and Mario have made plenty of loyal fans at Capri and Amalfi restaurants, both Northside Italian favorites. Matteo DiRosa met wife Emily Herner while both were working at Capri. Since opening their own place nearly six years ago, the two have created a stylish yet comfortable restaurant decorated with bold colors and vivid artwork.

But atmosphere alone can’t carry a meal, and at Matteo’s it didn’t have to. Our server appeared quickly, and she ably answered our questions about the wine list. We took her advice and were pleased with our wines by the glass, a Hogue Genesis cabernet sauvignon from Washington state, $8.95, and a Da Luca Primitivo merlot, $7.95. We were also pleased to see an antipasti list of meats, cheeses and vegetables that allowed us to order a custom platter (rather like ordering sushi). We chose provolone ($4.50) as well as olives, roasted red peppers and grilled, marinated eggplant ($7.50 for three items).

The day’s specials all sounded appealing,  and we had considerable difficulty deciding between specials and the regular menu, which in addition to pastas includes veal, chicken, steak and seafood options. We finally settled on mostaccioli in a hearty Bolognese sauce ($14) and tagliatelle alla tarantella ($14.95), pasta in a cream sauce with housemade chicken sausage, asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes.

Pacing was a strong suit at Matteo’s, and even though we had taken our time deciding on dinner, there were no lags in service. Nor was our server overzealous in checking on us; we were enjoying catching up on conversation, and the service didn’t intrude.

Entrees arrived not long after salads (an insalata Mediterranea ($5.95) and an insalata Giotto $6.95) had been cleared away, and both dishes were a hit. The mostaccioli Bolognese was rich with veal, beef and pork, and the tagliatelle was light yet well seasoned with a flavorful sausage and the bright flavor !of sun-dried tomatoes.

Desserts also proved tasty. Panna cotta with raspberry sauce ($5.50) was light, creamy and delicious, if a bit too firm. Gianduia ($5.95) was the evening’s dessert special, a rich mousse-like concoction of lady fingers dipped in Baileys-spiked chocolate milk. Accompanying coffees ($2.95), served with biscotti for dipping, provided the perfect ending to an excellent dinner, which my friend deemed the best Italian food she’d had since leaving New York.

And while our 7:30 p.m. dinner did last until 10:30 p.m., we weren’t alone in our lingering. Tables of diners  there when we arrived were still there, talking and laughing, when we left.