Posts from the ‘United States’ Category

I Got Porked Before 10 a.m. at Matt’s Big Breakfast

Phoenix, you know how to give a girl a good time in the morning.

When I travel away from my home, I have been looking to The Food Network for interesting and fun food places to visit.   If it is a big city, usually I make a list of several places that I might want to try. Recently, I visited the Phoenix Arizona and had a blast but never did get to one place on my list.  Then serendipity intervened. I was at the airport, cruising around PHX Fitness Trail, trying to get in 10,000 steps before I sat on my a#@ for several hours; when there, in Terminal 4, Gate B-5 I saw “him.”  Turned out I was not leaving Phoenix without a check on my list.

Matt’s Big Breakfast has been featured on a few television shows including The Food Network Diner’s Drive In’s and Dives.   Now with three locations, and a wall full of prestigious accolades, their menu reads”…Our mission from day one was to elevate the common meal – breakfast to an uncommon level.” I remember watching this television show and the owner; Matt, said that they had no freezer and no mixer. Matt wanted to emulate a midwestern style diner and refers to the restaurant as an “ingredient based restaurant where everything is cooked to order.” The motto on the menu reads “We think food tastes better when it’s real and honest.”

On the show, I watched Guy Fieri, with those sunglasses shading his back-hair, get all RIGHTEOUS over “The Chop & Chick.”  I love going out for breakfast but I’m not big on the pig; I ordered this fantastic salad, organic chicken made with fresh local vegetables (whenever possible).

On the show, I watched Guy Fieri, with those sunglasses shading his back-hair, get all RIGHTEOUS over “The Chop & Chick.”  I love going out for breakfast but I’m not big on the pig; so I ordered this fantastic salad, organic chicken made with fresh local vegetables.

But I did beg my husband get the dish featured on the show- two eggs and a skillet-seared Iowa pork rib chop (why Iowa) that was served with toast and choice of potatoes; I was the one that ended up LOVING that chop. HOLY PORK CHOP BATMAN!   So what’s the big pig about this chop and breakfast?

The pork chops are first put in a pesto marinade; garlic, EVO, pine nuts, fresh basil and some salt, poured over the pork with fresh ground pepper and lets it marinade for about 3 hours, finally that chop is fried on the griddle. GANGSTA!

High quality ingredients made this breakfast OVER THE TOP: grain-fed natural Iowa pork, jams are made from local preserve, the coffee is roasted locally in small batches, the milk and cream are organic, the eggs are cage-free and cracked to order, real butter and EVO is used and fresh rosemary is on those potatoes. All of the breads come from a local bakery. The buns for sandwiches that were coming to the surrounding tables looked fabulous. I saw on the show that Matt slices his own bread, because he doesn’t like uniformity of bread. SHUT THE FRONT DOOR!

 This is great food cooked right. If I lived in the metro Phoenix area, I would be a lifelong customer. OUT OF ThIS WORLD!

MEGastars 5*****  Even before I ordered food, I had to ask where the coffee was from? I loved the coffee, organic cream and the food here at Matt’s Big Breakfast.  This is great food cooked right. If I lived in the metro Phoenix area, I would be a lifelong customer.

I love how they use Wisconsin cheese and  Maytag Blue Cheese (Iowa)  I have lived in both these states and consumed the cheeses so pretty much the 5 is spot on.  This family run business with Matt and his wife Erenia deserve every accolade.

MEGatips

1. Don’t miss the freshly squeezed orange juice or the lemonade.
2. That coffee is SPOT ON.
3. Ask them how they get Iowa pork and have no freezer?  Let me know.
4. Breakfast is served all day. Don’t like breakfast?  They have a fantastic lunch menu beginning at 11 a.m. But who doesn’t like waffles and pancakes.
5. I understand that these restaurants have lines at times.
6.  The capitalized remarks were some of Guy Fieri’s signature phrases. Had to be there, I guess.  And idk if he has back hair, he always wears his sunglasses on the back of his head.  You Tube.DDD Matt’s Big Breakfast