Matteo's Pizza and Bistro

My son Zack and I had dinner recently at Matteo's Pizza and Bistro in Carmichael. I was expecting a basic pizza parlor, so I was amazed when I saw the restaurant's incredible wine selection. I ordered the weekly wine flight, which included two ounce pours of Rombauer chardonnay and two fabulous red wines, all for $12.00. That put me in a great mood while I looked over the menu for possible vegan options.

I ordered the hummus appetizer, which comes with garlic flatbread and olive tapenade. The flatbread was baked to perfection, and the hummus and olive tapenade were delicious. One caveat, however -- you'll need to ask that the parmesan garnish be omitted from the flatbread.

For my entree, I ordered the tasty Tree Hugger BLT, which consists of house-made vegetarian portobello "bacon", arugula, and tomato, served on whole wheat walnut sourdough bread. It normally includes white truffle aioli, so you'll want to ask your server to leave off that ingredient.

Other menu items that appear to be vegan or capable of being made vegan include:

Chop-chop Salad (romaine, radicchio, cucumber, carrots, cherry tomatoes, chick peas, and Dijon sherry shallot vinaigrette), if ordered without salami

Arugula Salad (roasted beet, oranges, pistachios, and hibiscus champagne vinaigrette), if ordered without goat cheese

Asian Noodle Salad (soba noodles, Napa cabbage, slaw, cashews, spicy sesame soy vinaigrette)

Spaghetti (vegetable marinara, sun dried tomatoes, and Kalamata olives), if ordered without feta cheese

Greek Vegetarian Pizza (roasted sweet peppers, kalamata olives, pesto, mixed greens), if ordered without mozzarella or feta cheese

Zack and I were fortunate that we arrived fairly early (before 6:00) for dinner, because people were waiting for tables by the time we left. We were happy to have discovered this lively neighborhood restaurant.

Matteo's is located at 5132 Arden Way in Carmichael. Their phone number is 916-779-0727, and their website address is http://www.pizzamatteo.com/. The restaurant is open Tuesday through Thursday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. until 9:00 p.m, and on Friday and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. Matteo's is closed on Monday.