Review - Pizza, pasta shine at Casa Matta

The name, if you didn't figure it out already, means "crazy house."

Veal Marsala at Casa Matta Italian Restaurant at 1140 N. Lake Park Blvd. in Carolina Beach.

Paul Stephen
Published: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 2:56 p.m.
Last Modified: Wednesday, September 4, 2013 at 2:56 p.m.

When you walk into Carolina Beach's Casa Matta Italian Restaurant, there's a chalkboard sign reading, "Welcome to the Crazy House." That's when you hear the laughter. It seems that someone's always laughing at Casa Matta. The name, if you didn't figure it out already, means "crazy house."



Paul Stephen


Cuisine: Italian
Location: 1140 N. Lake Park
Blvd., Carolina Beach
Hours: 11:30 a.m.-10 p.m.
Price range: $8-$20
Contact: 707-0550 or www.

The bar area and dining room are both spacious, inviting large parties and family-style, share-everything dining. There are intimate booths in the bar, and booths along the walls of the main dining room, but the wide-open space and music that's just a touch too loud make it better for party night than date night.

The appetizer selection is short, which is fine because the dinner portions are large. I started our meal with the calamari and bruschetta, two dishes I thought would be telling.

The calamari was better than I expected, with a very light breading that was crisp but not oily. Served with a marinara dipping sauce that was a little sweet, a little spicy and just the right consistency to stick to the breaded rings, it was a great starter. The bruschetta, too, was tasty, and the tomato mixture was fresh and well-balanced.

Casa Matta's website touts its pizza, and I'm a fool for a hand-tossed pie. I put in for a Margherita pizza and a plain calzone, thinking of leftovers.

The pizza was spectacular. The thin, New-York-style crust was crispy and crackly yet foldable, with fresh tomatoes and a light hand on the cheese. The calzone came loaded with ricotta and ham and a little mozzarella. It's the same crust as the pizza, and with the filling-to-crust ratio at an ideal place, it quickly became my favorite calzone in town. As for the leftover factor, which is important when it comes to pizza and calzone, they were also delicious the next day.

The veal Marsala was incredibly tender, but the sauce was a little sweet. I thought the more savory flavors of the veal and mushrooms were overpowered by the Marsala wine. Even with a fork full of the penne the dish is served with, the sauce overpowered the other flavors. Next time I'd try the veal with a different preparation, like Parmesan.

Pasta Bolognese is one dish where the sauce should be the standout element. At Casa Matta, the hearty Bolognese is served over delicate cappellini, an odd choice. Traditionally a hearty, meaty sauce, the Bolognese was piled high with meat but fell short on the sauce. My noodles were dry but for what chunks of meat I could scoop up. A little more liquid and a little less meat and the dish would be better.

Grouper makes an appearance on the menu, which is intriguing because so many Italian restaurants stick to chicken and beef but ignore the fish. The grouper piccata at Casa Matta should serve as an example to other Italian places that this fish belongs on the menu. On its own, the sauce was a touch sweet, but the tartness of the lemon and briny capers helped bring it in line. A bite of the fish and sauce brought the sweetness back in line, thanks to the buttery, meaty texture and flavor of the grouper.

In addition to its regular menu, Casa Matta's specials present some solid options. Possibly the best dish of the night was the penne a la vodka. Served in a bowl, the creamy vodka sauce was an exercise in complexity. The onion, garlic, red pepper and cream kept revealing different flavors with every bite. This dish alone is worth the visit, but when you match it up with the pizza or calzone, you have a restaurant you should visit sooner rather than later.

Casa Matta will soon expand to serve breakfast, although when is not yet known. In addition to the usual breakfast offerings, they plan to serve a giant pancake - a 10-inch monster that will likely hang over the sides of the plate. Given how well they did dinner, I'll be there bright and early.

Features: 343-2343


▲ Return to Top