As a result, I always had this slight disdain for Mt. Carmel as a town. In my old-fashioned North Schuylkill rearing, I was taught that the town was fool of Catholic snobs who felt that they were better than us. I don't think that was quite the truth, but nevertheless it kept me out of Mt. Carmel for much of my younger years. Except for one place.
My family used to take me to this little Italian restaurant called Mattucci's. I remember as a kid enjoying their Italian meals, but specifically that they were the only restaurant in the area where you could order a plate of Frog Legs. Yep, Frog Legs. I enjoy watching the Travel Channel show "Bizarre Foods", and even at a young age, I always enjoyed the cuisine that's a little "off the beaten path." If you can get past the fact that these things come right off the body of a frog, you'll find yourself eating a leaner, more tasty version of a chicken wing.
The other day my wife and I were thinking about where to go for lunch, and I suggested Mattucci's. We headed over, Mt. Carmel not being too far from Shamokin, and quickly found the little corner restaurant. It's a shame Mattucci's doesn't have a more prevalent location- it is not on any of the large streets in Mt. Carmel, being tucked away in a residential area somewhat near the local Boyer's Supermarket. The other part of their location is that there's a certain charm here- this restaurant obviously was once a house, retrofitted into a bar in the front and a medium-sized dining area in the rear.
Let's get this out of the way- if you are looking for "fancy dining", Mattucci's is probably notjfor you. They have the same wood grain paneling from the days of my youth, and I think the same tables and chairs, which are fairly cramped in the dining area. My grandmother and I have eaten a few times in the front room by the bar, which is fine if you don't mind eating in a fairly conventional bar setting.
As for the food, you would never expect to find dishes this good in a restaurant that looks so plain. Let's face it- nobody comes here for the decor. They come here for the excellent sauce, reasonably priced dinners, and a taste of home. Like the coal region itself, this place has something genuine to offer underneath a somewhat rocky exterior. That's part of the charm of the region for me- you are not going to find high society, but if you look deep enough, you will find plenty of diamonds in the rough. Mattucci's is one of those diamonds.
For lunch, Michelle and I split a large meat lover's pizza, but we started out with an order of mozzarella sticks. The Mozz' sticks were pretty much the same sticks you've had at other Italian restaurants, but here you get a side of Mattucci's homemade slightly-sweet sauce. That alone is worth it, as like most things here, you can taste the care and hard work that came in the creation of this sauce. It's come to my attention that you can by jars of their homemade sauce at the restaurant, and next time I eat there, I'm surely going to get some to take home.
As for the pizza, Matttucci's makes their own homemade dough, and the result is a tasty, crisp pizza that you can't get anywhere else. The crust is substantial, yet light, and five days later I am sitting here still craving it. The sauce is a derivative of their spaghetti sauce, which makes it excellent, and the various meats (meatball, sausage, pepperoni) were evenly spread out. There was no such thing as a lightly-topped slice. The mixture of meat, sauce, and cheese was a great taste, and quite frankly, I could have eaten another pizza after that one was finished. Win!
Our waitress was a very pleasant woman with a "coal region" attitude. She called my wife and I "kids", was fairly attentive, but also cursed when some patrons in the bar left before she could take their order. I should say as a native of the coal region that this kind of thing comes with the territory. I thought she was great, and she obviously knew some of the regulars, as you could hear her catching up with them (and you really couldn't help to hear the conversation because she had a somewhat loud speaking voice).
Anyway, I highly recommend this place. Go eat there now!
Mattucci's
451 West 4th Street
Mount Carmel, PA 17851
(570) 339-2310
