But my favorite has to be something that's actually a staple on the menu: the Angelica della Morte or "Angel of Death." It's a homemade cheese with tons of garlic served ala Baskin Robbins clown cone. You know, the one that looks like an upside down ice cream cone? This popular appetizer is served in an actual ice-cream cone, surrounded by "chocolate" (balsamic vinegar), and a "cherry" on top (tomato). An olive tapenade leans against it for added support. It's fabulous!

And while I'm not a big fan of adding garlic to my desserts, I must say, I was pleasantly surprised by the Garlic Fudge Walnut Brownie with roasted garlic and peanut butter cream cheese swirled in. Just a little kick of spice at the end. Not overwhelming at all.

Coming up with the festival menu is somewhat of a competitive sport for the chefs at all three Lombardi's locations. The chefs from Everett and Issaquah join Matt in choosing just five entrees out of a list of dozens. Each location, by the way, offers the Garlic Festival menu. This is the first year the entire menu is brand new. Matt says it's the best yet.

In the three years Matt's been with Lombardi's, he says the Garlic Festival has always been the busiest time of year for him.

What did Matt do before becoming the Head Clove at Lombardi's, you ask?

You may remember him from the now defunct Restaurante Buonguston on Queen Anne, where he was the executive chef for three years before they closed in 2001. He also had a short stint at Broadway Grill.

But Matt was cooking way before that. It's hard not to when you grow up with an Italian-German family. Matt, who was born and raised in New Jersey, learned to cook at an early age from his aunts in the small town of Santa Maria, Italy. After graduating high school, he headed to Johnson and Wales University, where he says he absolutely fell in love with the restaurant industry.

It was then on to the Northwest where Matt landed the executive chef position at the now defunct Restaurante Buonguston on Queen Anne. He stayed there until they closed their doors in 2001.

Happy as a garlic-infused clam, Matt says he has no plans to go anywhere anytime soon.

And since he loves to cook and use his kitchen to test recipes on friends and family, he rarely goes out to eat. But when he does, these are the place he likes to GO EAT!: Palisade and Serafina.