I stopped at Matteo's Char Broil on Rte. 4 in Fairfield Wednesday evening. I live nearby, and had seen the place, but had never stopped in. To be real honest, I had assumed it to be another of the plethora of short-lived Mexican/Hispanic eateries that seem to open and close every couple of days in the neighborhood. Don't get me wrong, I like Mexican food, but around Fairfield, you can't reach down to pick up a penny off the ground without cracking your head on a Mexican restaurant.
Anyways, I drove by the front of Matteo's, to get a better look at the specials of the day which are written on a sign in their front window. I was pleasantly surprised to see an assortment of burgers, hot dogs, and the like on the board. What really caught my eye was the Wednesday special, a black and bleu burger.
I went inside and looked over their menu while chatting with Matt, the personable young owner of the place. He is a transplanted native of Rochester, N.Y. by way of the University of Dayton. Matt says he wants his menu to reflect his upstate New York heritage, and with an assortment of hot dogs and sloppy (a.k.a. garbage) plates, he seems to have succeeded.
I ordered a black and bleu burger, which is normally 1/4 pounds of beef, but an extra buck got me an extra patty. I also ordered an Italian sausage sandwich and a side of macaroni salad.
My carry-out order, which was prepared from scratch, took only moments to be served. The grillman was a blur, but an obviously competent blur.
The black and bleu was delicious. The blackened seasonings gave the juicy burger a terriffic zip. The Italian sausage sandwich was fine, but not in the same league as the burger.
I'll definitely put Matteo's in my regular rotation.