Giuseppe Manco had no idea what to expect on Oct. 20, when his restaurant in the University Village Shops near Florida Gulf Coast University held its soft opening.
“We had 150 guests that first day,” he said. “We were lined up. I have to say that was the best part.”
And San Mateo Italian Restaurant & Bar’s grand opening on Dec. 4 drew about 450 people.
“I’m very grateful. I love this community,” said Manco, who is co-owner with his wife Eleonora Calvacchi and chef and business partner Fabio Casella.
The road that brought him here is a winding one.
Manco’s hometown is Naples, Italy, but he “always wanted to come to the United States.”
Ironically, he was in the “right place at the right time” when he took the job in Napoli. Rossopodoro‘s first US franchise. He eventually headed to New York City, where he won three titles as World Champion Pizza Maker at the Las Vegas Pizza World Championship and served as executive chef for “Iron Chef” judge and chef Donatella Arpaia. He has received numerous honors and qualifications. He and Calvacchi co-owned the award-winning Mani Inn Pasta in the East Village.
After Corona, his wife said, “Let’s go somewhere else.”
“So we came back to Naples,” Manco said. “It was much more beautiful than before.”
From Ardos to San Matteo
The plan was to open a restaurant in Naples, but a friend suggested they try Aldo’s Italian Table & Bar off Ben Hill Griffin Parkway. Located in the same shopping and dining area as Mellow Mushroom, Fat Cuts Slider Bar, Pelican Rally’s, Poke Fusion, Skillet, Taco & Tequila Cantina, and more.
“As soon as I walked in the door and saw the space, I knew this was the type of restaurant I wanted to own,” Manko said. “It felt like home.”
He was hired as a pizza maker and quickly became head chef.
When the opportunity to buy it arose, Manco and Calvacchi partnered with Casella, a two-time winner of New York City’s Burger Bash and who, with his brother Ciro, founded the popular San Matteo on the Upper East Side.
They took over Aldos on May 31st and ran it for a few months before closing it for renovations and rebranding. So we return to San Mateo’s soft opening, where 150 guests showed up “without informing any of our beloved customers.”
“We expanded the pizzeria and added hangers and a wine cellar for Pat LaFrieda’s meats and dry-aged steaks,” Manco said.
The expansive dining room, which seats 170, is industrial, modern, chic and lovely.
Red and white tiles from the Amalfi Coast, representing Italian places and objects, add a pop of color to the timeless black, white and gray room.
Authentic Italian cuisine with a modern twist
You can find pussies all over that dining room. Greet customers, make pizza, cook pasta, add anchovies tableside, and even sing a song with your staff to a guest celebrating a birthday. He is always on the move, working late into the night and into the early hours of the morning to make sure everything is in order.
His influence is evident throughout the authentic Italian menu with modern touches. Some sections feature Italian-American favorites inherited from Aldos (like fettuccine his alfredo, marsala, and piccata), but the rest are all mancos.
“We want to take this to the next level,” he said. “Right now, about 80% are trying something new. A lot of people like it.”
Some of the signature dishes from Casella’s New York location are on the menu, including the San Mateo Burger and Pollo San Mateo.
“Every dish is delicious and I recommend them all,” Manco says, adding that the menu includes favorites such as appetizers, salads, freshly fried Neapolitan pizza, homemade pasta made daily, and seafood and beef options. .
Take Montanara for example. This pizza goes through his three cooking processes: fried, baked in a traditional oven, and finished in a stone oven. Order the Classica, di Cetara (with anchovies), or Genovese.
Then there’s the filiata, a pound of burrata stuffed with stracciatella cream and bocconcini di mozzarella and served with cured prosciutto, Castelvetrano olives, arugula and cherry tomatoes.
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Manco’s favorite pastas include slow-cooked veal and onion ragu with parmesan and basil, and spaghettoni con datterini with yellow and red tomatoes from Corbara.
Another popular dish, tuna tataki, is lightly pan-seared, sesame-dusted and marinated tuna served over farro and asparagus.
“We cook with heart,” he said. “Every dish is special.”
And make sure to save room for dessert, Manco added.
His favorites are Delizia from Sorrento and ricotta and pear cheesecake from the Amalfi Coast.
“My favorite dishes are the ones you can’t get at other restaurants around here,” Manko said.
Thanks to Manco, you can now find it in San Mateo.
San Matteo Italian Restaurant & Bar, 19810 Village Center Drive, Suite 145A; open Monday through Friday from 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM, Saturday from noon to 10:00 PM, and Sunday from noon to 8:00 PM. Happy hour every day from 4:00pm to 5:30pm. (239) 234-2536; Sanmato Restaurant.com or continue Instagram
Robin George is a food and dining writer for the Fort Myers News-Press.Send news rhgeorge@gannett.com.