Matt's Big Breakfast

I was with Judy in Phoenix recently and we stopped for breakfast at Matt's Big Breakfast located downtown at 801 N. 1st Street (602-254-1074). Matt's was featured on Triple D (Diners, Drive-ins and Dives) and I was commenting to Judy that I have been very disappointed with a number of restaurants I've been to that have been featured on that show. However, even when a restaurant does not live up to expectations, it is still a fun experience to try something new, especially in a city where we are not familiar with what is available. Well, unlike some other Triple D featured restaurants I've tried, Matt's delivered. Matt's is open Tuesday through Sunday from 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Many Yelp reviews warned that you could have a long wait, particularly on weekends. Judy and I visited Sunday, before attending church, arriving around 7:35 a.m. We had to wait over 30 minutes to get a seat. The rest of downtown Phoenix was virtually empty, but there was a line waiting outside this restaurant. Amazing! This picture, taken as we left, shows about 30 people waiting outside to be seated.

Matt's apparently tries to serve organic and locally grown food and though, with simple menu items, wows with great cooking of good ingredients. Judy picked particularly well. She got one of the specials with 3 scrambled eggs, chicken habanero sausage (very juicy and relatively spicy), sweet peppers (still somewhat crispy) and pepper jack cheese. They were some of the best scrambled eggs I've ever eaten. The eggs were not over-cooked and the peppers and sausage worked incredibly well. It also came with hashbrowns, thin, with plenty of crunch, but also a nice moist inside. Some of the best hashbrowns I've ever tasted. Judy also got fresh-squeezed organic tangelo juice.

I got a porkchop and asked if they would cook it medium rare. After warning me about the health risks, the waitress said they would do it. It turned out too well cooked for my taste, but the seasoning on the porkchop was very good - lots of fresh ground pepper. I got it with two eggs over-easy. It also came with hashbrowns, home-made sourdough bread and fresh made blackberry jam that was delicious.

Finally, I got a side of bacon and some fresh squeezed honey lemonade. The bacon was very meaty and crisp. I like my bacon more fatty and less well down, but it was good and the lemonade was fantastic.

Matt's is worth a wait, or better, getting up real early for to avoid a wait (I hate waiting). If I lived closer, it would be a place I would go back to again and again, to try all of the menu items.