Mateus Bistro: A Delectable Fusion of Creativity & Passion

The people of Mahone Bay have got it made.  They’ve got one of the most picturesque nooks where ocean meets land in this province; they’ve got quaint down to an art; they’ve got one of the best yarn stores I’ve ever set foot in, and they’ve got Matthew Krizan.

After living and cooking in Nova Scotia for years, Matt left the kitchen and our southerly climes for the great Canadian north.  He returned three years ago to open Mateus Bistro along the main drag of Mahone Bay.

“I’m a hands-on guy,” Matt said of his return to cooking after nearly nine years working in IT.

As I bite into a Thai curry cream-drenched meatball strewn with the bright crunch of green onion, I am inclined to agree that indeed, Matt’s place is in the heat of the small restaurant’s kitchen rather than in the cool glow of a computer screen. 

After making my escape from the city on a hot, sunny Saturday afternoon, I thoroughly enjoy the breeze wafting across the bistro’s patio.  I’m also secretly glad we’ve made an outdoor table our home for the evening:  I am accompanied by my lively toddler Ada, who is inclined to scatter everything she’s eating in a ten foot radius of her high chair.

Appropriate to my South Shore locale, I sip a cold and crisp Petite Riviere Risser’s Breeze white wine while I chat with Matt about his culinary philosophy.

Perhaps, though, the menu speaks louder than his words:  tonight one of the specials includes a salad of daylilies, which a) I did not know you could eat and b) Matt says must be eaten the day they’re picked, and so they got incorporated into the evening’s roster.  He explains that everything on the menu is made in-house using what he estimates is about 80% local ingredients.

He gestures behind us to a grill station set just off the patio, flanked by a smoker.  The fruits of his labour include the house-smoked gravlax that tops the daylily salad tonight, and the smoked chicken that my daughter is enthusiastically and flamboyantly stuffing into her mouth.  This little outdoor food prep station is also in heavy use on Fridays over the summer, when the Bistro features a fully grill-based menu.

To pair with my beachy white wine, I choose pan-seared Fundy shore scallops served with a maple balsamic-drizzled lentil salad.  It was a tough decision, with the scallops winning out over favourites like Caprese salad (I rarely turn down thick slices of fresh mozzarella) and lobster risotto, but as soon as I bite into the tender, buttery shellfish, my wanton thoughts of cheese and crustaceans dissipate.

Across from me, my friend and trusty second set of hands (required of all those who dare dine out with an 18-month old) contentedly spoons down a complex chowder overflowing with hearty mussels and scallops.

Fueling my toddler-chase across the bistro’s patio is the main course special of the evening:  a thick pan- seared halibut on bacon, pea and brown butter risotto.  My friend chooses the panko-crusted haddock with dill crème fraiche and mashed potatoes.  All the while, to my left, smoked chicken and an assortment of fresh berries make their way into the mouth of a hungry babe…and onto the ground…and in my pocket…

I had found out what the special was shortly after we had arrived for the evening by overhearing our server telling some diners at another table.  Of course, really all I heard from a distance was “……bacon…..brown butter….risotto” and I knew that would be what I ordered.  What I got, though – brown butter pooling around creamy risotto, nudging a flake of seared halibut on each forkful – is even better than I could have expected.

As we chat, Matt explains that the catering business at Mateus Bistro is picking up this summer, with pig roasts being the highlight of the restaurant’s offerings.  In an incredible example of local supporting local, Matt saves the restaurant scraps to give to local farmers to feed their pigs and, in turn, he gets a pig from them each year to roast for his annual staff party.  It’s that kind of relationship with local producers that allows Matt to include the freshest, highest-quality food possible.  And, I couldn’t help but think:  lucky pigs!

Thanks to the generous portion sizes of our main courses, the desire for dessert is a result of sheer gluttony rather than hunger.  But, I’m pretty good at being gluttonous, so I go ahead and order the house-made berry sorbet floating in a chai and earl grey tea syrup.  It’s light and refreshing, and the essence of the mixed teas combined with the berries is a revelation. 

My friend decides to go for the decadent Gateau de Trois, and, being the good friend that she is, allows me to sink my fork into the thick layer of ganache and light buttercream sandwiched between layers of moist chocolate cake.

All too soon, the evening shadows begin to lengthen and my kiddo’s forays across the patio become punctuated by quiet snuggles, and I know it is time to head back to the heat of the city. I know I will return soon as my escapes to Mahone Bay are quite frequent, propelled there  as I am by the thought of new yarn, wandering the waterfront and shopping in the little boutiques. 

I now have yet another reason to visit:  after savouring butter-drenched local fish and tea-infused sorbet, I cannot wait to again sample the delectable fusion of Matt Krizan’s creativity and passion for local food.