I have long known it’s nearly impossible to find great southern food unless you are actually in the South. So thank God for Matt Horn, who makes the best barbecue (and brisket!) I’ve had in the entire West at Oakland’s Horn Barbecue.
Now at Horn’s newest restaurant, Matty’s: Think burgers and McDonald’s-esque fish sandwiches in a brick-walled, blue-and-gold, diamond wall-papered space, accented with retro-chic chandeliers, photos of legends like the Rat Pack and comfy, cushioned wood-slatted chairs.
Matty’s is the kind of place where farmers market ingredients make their way into your rich milkshakes, where fried bologna is piled high and smoked at Horn Barbecue and mac ‘n cheese is luxuriously loaded with lobster. There’s steak frites and a “fancy,” horseradish-laden steak tartare, both showcasing the same 30-day-aged beef, but the menu is mainly burger, hot dog and other hefty sandwiches, alongside starters like anchovy-draped Caesar salad, all done with gourmet flair.
Matt Horn works with chef Kevin Schantz, formerly at Michael Mina’s restaurant group in San Francisco, to create the kind of comfort food that epitomizes “mouth watering.” It’s also filling AF, so this means, per usual, my partner Dan (“The Renaissance Man”) and I trekked across the Bay Bridge and totally overdid it, taking home a big bag of leftovers.
The fried bologna sandwich was a “must order” for me, piled high, juicy, unctuous and almost impossible to get one’s mouth around. There’s one other great fried bologna sandwich in the Bay Area from San Francisco’s New Orleans’ queen, Brenda Buenviaje at Brenda’s Meat and Three. She’s been serving this sando for years smothered in pimento cheese. It’s a winner I hadn’t seen the likes of since my Oklahoma and Kansas City, Missouri, years up through age 6 — and never with quality pork.
Schantz’ fried bologna is entirely different. Hot and cold smoked at Horn Barbecue, it gets a little of that smoky BBQ love, then is shaved and piled with cheese, honey mustard aioli and fried onion rings. The edges of the bologna are crisped up and browned, while those brioche buns hold 40% butter content, made by Chris Nisi of Nisi’s Craft Bakery in Mill Valley. It’s partnered with a heaping plate of fries and housemade cherry ketchup. Fuggedaboutit.
Horn’s signature Matty’s Burger is another draw, which he first served at a pop-up, just as he did his cult-level barbecue years ago. His proprietary blend of 30-day-dry-aged beef is grilled in beef tallow and clarified butter. Damn. The patties are double stacked, topped with caramelized onions, onion pureé, American cheese, pickle slices, garlic aioli, ketchup-molasses “Matty Sauce” laced with bacon and cradled in black sesame seed-dusted, griddled Nisi’s brioche buns. I cheer on doubling down on onions in pureé and caramelized, even if I never love bacon in a burger. When the meat is quality, I want am about that beef, no distractions. Both sandos are decadent and far from healthy. This is soulful comfort.
Both burger and bologna sandos have their fans. But, believe it or not, my favorite of all three is a bit more simple. I’ve had gourmet-ified, McDonald’s-esque fish sandwiches just a handful of times over the years, like chefs Jeremy Cheng and Randy Magpantay’s fab fish filet at Winner Winner Chicken in San Mateo. Matty’s fish sandwich is childhood-memories-worthy, lightly fried fish in American Cheese and house tartar sauce on fluffy brioche. It’s the first thing I’d go back for.
Surprisingly from a meat master, seafood dishes are some of Matty’s best, pulling on chef Schantz’s years at Mina’s Japanese great, Pabu. A lush “sea dip” of Dungeness crab and head-on Hawaiian shrimp in Duke’s mayo, creme fraiche, diced green bell peppers and onions with baked Parmesan on top is ridiculously good, scooped up with little toasts.
Also in the “so decadent it’s ridiculous” category: Maine lobster mac is a filling bowl of mac’n cheese in buttery herbed tarragon breadcrumbs, Parmesan, cave aged cheddar and lobster bits with a leg on top. I tasted booze, guessing it might be sherry or the like adding that nutty, subtle warmth. Chef Schantz confirmed Armagnac is the secret, a glorious lifting note in a creamy melange of lobstery heaven.
There are dry-aged veal, pork and beef meatballs, breadstick-shaped pretzels with cheese and a house salad in addition to that Caesar. We opted for summer peas, a bowl of yellow and green pole beans Schantz picked up on his weekly farmers market run. A Calabrian chile vinaigrette and accents of spearmint and micro basil made it pop with summery brightness, as Dan and I pretend to negate all that fatty goodness with some veggies.
Menus are printed up simply with no frills and practically no description. The wine list, created by Perle Wine Bar’s Marcus Garcia, is likewise unadorned, heavy on France and California. Waitstaff were helpful in pairings as we indulged things in two of life’s greatest taste joys: Champagne and Chablis. We veered from Champagne Henriot Brut NV Rosé to a stony, mineral 2021 Louis Michel Chablis Villages, to a richer 2020 Bouchard Pere et Fils Bourgogne Blanc Reserve ideal with the lobster mac. A lean 2020 Francois Labet Burgundy Pinot Noir and earthy, layered 2016 Stephane Ogier La Rosine Syrah did the burger and bologna right. A craft beer list is underway, as is a full liquor license, ready for those 13 bar seats near a pink neon sign that reads, “Stay old fashioned with me.”
Horn recently formed AH2 Hospitality group with culinary director Schant, COO John Costello and VP Nina Horn. Since my early August visit to Matty’s, they brought on Manuel Maricsal as Matty’s executive sous chef, who also worked with the Mina group and thus rejoins chef Schantz at AH2. This bodes well for seeing more from this black-owned restaurant group.
Despite no website (there’s Tock for reservations and Insta) and that uber-basic menu, Matty’s holds promise. It feels in need of a bit of fleshing out, which upcoming brunch hours — currently evenings only — and drink menus will help with. But service is earnest and kind, and dishes are hearty and filling. Though there are a couple uber-fresh veggie dishes, this is clearly not a vegetarian or vegans’ paradise. I appreciate the commitment to decadence and diner comfort food with gourmet flair. I’d love to see more diner favorites get the upscale treatment, including all-day breakfast fare. It’s a different turn for Horn so far, and one that lays strong groundwork. Especially with the tight team he and Nina are building around them.
// 464 8th Street, Oakland; www.exploretock.com/mattys-old-fashioned-oakland
Virginia Miller is a San Francisco-based food & drink writer.
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