La Matera: Sublime service and flavors

The Argentine restaurant La Matera opened its doors almost 15 years ago and continues to be a big draw for fine dining.

Although well known for its varied selection of meats, the restaurant’s slogan best sums up its reputation: “Buenos vinos, buenos amigos, buenos aires.”

Unlike many restaurants in Guadalajara, La Matera’s exterior doesn’t call a lot of attention to itself. In fact, it’s easy to miss if you’re driving down Avenida Mexico because it’s set back from the street and partially hidden by a few large trees and strategically placed planters.

At first glance, the building looks like something you might find in the Deep South, with its brick exterior, wooden wrap-around porch, and ceiling fans. Inside, though, the feel is more New York, with white tablecloths, cloth napkins, low-level lighting, and servers dressed in white shirts and aprons.

My dining companion and I arrived around 2 p.m. without a reservation, but were fortunate enough to land the last available table. Once seated, a waiter promptly came to our table to take our drink orders and hand us menus. While we were glancing over the offerings, a tray arrived with three types of bread: breadsticks, rolls, and some spicy, triangular-shaped chips.

To get things started, we ordered a plate of sautéed mushrooms (champiñones y setas) and a cream of corn empanada (humita).   The mushrooms were tender, juicy and flavorful; the portion size was generous, to say the least.  The empanada, which was served in its own basket, was hot and slightly sweet, but could have been a little crispier.   

For our second round, we decided to skip the soup, salads, and pizzas – although very tempting – and went right for the main dishes... three of them: vegetable lasagna, Angus beef, and octopus.   The lasagna was loaded with fresh vegetables and served piping hot.  Unlike most lasagna I’ve tried, this one was really light on the pasta.  In fact, the vegetables dominated this dish, which was a good thing because I didn’t feel so stuffed after eating it. The Angus beef was served exactly as ordered: rare. My fellow critic, a huge meat eater, said it was the “best piece of meat” he’d ever eaten. Not being a big fan of red meat, I can only comment on the mashed potatoes that came as a side dish. In my book, they were perfect: salty, buttery, and a little bit lumpy. The octopus scored really high on the presentation scale, but was probably the least favorite of all the dishes we ordered. It tasted fine, but it was a little tough and chewy.  

Throughout the meal, the service was very attentive. The empty empanada basket and bottle of water almost magically disappeared andpassing waiters seemed nearly invisible. But before the waiters removed the other dishes, they actually asked us if we were finished, instead of assuming we were. Nice touch. (I’ve lost count of how many times a waiter has taken my plate or glass before I was actually done with the last bite, or last sip.)

Overall, the restaurant scored high in the service, ambience and food quality departments. The restaurant was completely full, yet service never suffered, and it didn’t feel too crowded or get too loud.  Prices were reasonable: 39-100 pesos for appetizers, 130-175 pesos for pizza, 115-170 for pasta, and 160 pesos and up for meats.

La Matera is located at Av. Mexico 2891 (a few blocks west of Terranova) and opens Monday-Saturday, 1 p.m. to midnight and Sunday, 1 to 8:00 p.m. Reservations recommended – call 3616-1626.

 For more information about the menu and wine list (although a bit outdated) and directions go to: www.lamatera.mx