Matthew's Steakhouse set to open in downtown Winter Garden

WINTER GARDEN  Steak lovers: Get your forks ready and come hungry. Matthew’s Steakhouse is set to officially open its new Winter Garden location this week.

If you used to frequent Matthew’s Steaks & More in Ocoee, you’ll be pleased to know that it’s essentially the same restaurant, with the same family — the Winters — behind it.

The family, which lives in Ocoee but hails from Germany, shuttered Matthew’s Steaks & More on Maguire Road in 2012 but has been anxious to fire up the grill again since.

And with a 2,000-square-foot space in a new building, right in the midst of downtown Winter Garden, it’s a chance to dive right back into doing what they love. 

The Winters have wanted to open a location in Winter Garden for years. When the new building at 360 W. Plant S.t was in the works, Horst Winter made sure to get on the waiting list.

After 15 years of Matthew’s Steaks & More, a brief run with owning and operating the 269 West Wine Lounge and two years on the waiting list to get into the new building, the Winter family got the green light for the Winter Garden restaurant about one-and-one-half years ago. It took about a year of preparation and many months of buildout.

“They handpicked everything in here themselves, from the floor to paint and chairs,” said Joy Christmas, Matthew Winter’s girlfriend and an employee at the restaurant. “They designed the whole thing, from color scheme to curtains. … They waited for so long because everyone loved the location, and the customers were so loyal.”

The restaurant can seat 68 people, and each table is set elegantly with a black tablecloth, glassware and silverware and surrounded by white chairs. Brightly colored salt and pepper shakers add a pop of color, as does a wall in the back that’s painted with elegant splashes of pastel colors. 

One row of booths is situated parallel to and just feet away from the cherry-and-oak wood grill. Here, guests can watch Horst Winter — Matthew’s father — cook their steaks to perfection. For this reason, Christmas said, those booths book out quickly.

All food on the menu at Matthew’s is made fresh daily, and from scratch. Each steak is hand-cut by Horst, and the menu is infused with special Winter family recipes.

“The preparation is done daily,” Christmas said. “Horst cuts the steaks, and Gabi (Matthew’s mother) cooks everything from the homemade side dishes to desserts and soups. It’s all family recipes handed down from Germany. It’s all unique — it’s their secret. Their customers remember it and know and ask, ‘Are you still going to have your goulash or your French onion soup?’ You get that down-home feel with a fine-dining experience.”

One of Horst’s favorite dishes to cook up is his New York Strip steak, which is not only hand cut but also fat-free. He selects the finest Supreme Angus Beef and hand-trims all excess fat before cooking it to order over the open grill.

Horst offers and can cook to order anything from filet mignon and New York Strip to pepper steak, porterhouse and ribeye steaks. For steaks, prices start at $28 and go up to $44.

But Matthew’s still offers more than steaks. Also on the menu are varieties of pork, chicken and fresh seafood, as well as salads, homemade soups and appetizers. Prices range for $6 for side orders to $22 for pork tenderloin.

New to the Winters’s steakhouse is a bar area, which features a selection of wines from pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon and merlot to sparkling, pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc and chardonnays. It also offers a selection of interesting reds and whites.

Although the restaurant is not yet officially open, the response the Winters have received is positive, they said. Calls have poured in daily, and they couldn’t be more excited to be part of Winter Garden and to hold the grand opening on Friday, Jan. 19.

“The response has been overwhelming, but in a good way,” Matthew Winter said. “It’s been unbelievable. We have very loyal customers.”

Each family member and employee is an essential piece to the puzzle of making the dream work, Christmas said. And since everything is fresh and made to order, reservations are required so they can know what and how much to prepare.

“Everyone has a role,” Christmas said. “Without Horst, it doesn’t work, without Gabi it doesn’t work, without one of them it couldn’t work. … You still get that family-owned feel. You hug your customers when they leave, you don’t just say goodnight and thank you.”