A Lotta Matta's

 This Fun Frank Friday is going south of the border to Matta's Grill and Cantina, at Mesa Riverview.  A traditional family restaurant that has been in business since 1953.  We arrived around 6:30 pm with a party of 6 and it was only a brief moment before we were seated in a large booth.  Even though we had a good size party, we didn't feel that we were cramped or shoved into a small area.  These booths were obviously designed to hold 6 large adults.  This quaint restaurant was adorned with rustic Mexican decor.  It had everything from hardwood tables to a Mariachi band that serenades you from the balcony above the dining room.
Our waitress quickly came and that's when I popped my traditional question "do you serve Coke?".  She replied with "No coke, Pepsi" to which I replied "water with lemon, please".  So if you are a Pepsi fan like my co-worker, Peggy, you will be pleased with your beverage, even if it isn't the best.
Once we received our drinks, they placed two orders of chips and salsa.  There are two types of salsa available, mild and hot.  Both are freshly made on site.  I actually prefer the mild because it had more chunks of fresh vegetables including cilantro than the hot one, although the hot salsa was more authentic with a good "kick".  The waitress' hospitality was evident when she didn't even blink an eye at changing out one type of salsa for the other at our request.
Matta's has a good variety of food items on their menu including house specialties, combo plates and yes, even for those who would break our cardinal rule of restaurants, you CAN order off the "gringo favorites" portion of the menu.  Some of the house specialties are names after family members. 



 So we'll start of with Bryce's order, "Matta's chimichanga".  He chose his favorite type of meat in a fried burrito topped with green chili sauce, sour cream and guacamole.

Next was Kirk's "Sandy's Special", which is a fried burrito filled with chunks of pork and cheese and topped with green sauce and sour cream.

Susette ordered the "Robert's Tacos" as a two item combo plate.  This was also our waitress' favorite entree on the menu.  It consists of two deep fried tacos topped with shredded lettuce and tomato and served with rice and beans.

  If you are looking for something large, don't look any further than what Sundee ordered.  She chose the "Tostada Grande".  You get a choice of your favorite meat on top of beans then a layer of shredded lettuce, tomato and cheese.  A dab of sour cream and guacamole finish it off.

Patti and I had very similar ideas.  For starters, we didn't want to have the same thing that someone else had already ordered.  But we both wanted to try their fajita meat.  How would this be possible without ordering the exact same entree?  Well, let me tell you.  Patti ordered the specialty burrito combo which includes your choice of meat and she ordered it with fajita meat.  She had a choice of chicken or steak of course as most fajita entrees do and she chose steak.   The burrito begins with a warm flour tortilla wrapped around sauteed onions, red and green bell peppers and marinated steak.  This was neatly wrapped tight and served on a bed of lettuce and tomatoes with a side of rice and beans.  It has the flavor of a fajita with the convenience of being already wrapped for you.

Mine, I must admit was the best of all.  I ordered the fajitas with a mix of chicken and beef.  The meat was marinated throughout which gave it a distinct fajita flavor.  When paired with the sweetness of the onions and the sharp, crisp flavor of the peppers,  it made me want to join Pancho Villa's gang.  It comes with beans, sour cream, cheese and guacamole on the side.  The tortillas were wrapped in tin foil to stay warm and fresh.  I thought it might be a problem with I only received three small tortillas.  Well, if I run out of tortillas, I figured I could just ask for more.  After snarfing down the first filled tortilla, I did not have a chance to say anything to anyone as I was busy stuffing my mouth with the second one.  The third tortilla went quicker than a blink of an eye.  I did not want to waste precious time waiting for more tortillas, so I picked up my fork and dove into the rest with full gusto.  If I had my choice, this would be something that could be introduced intravenously to save time from all that chewing. 
It was THAT good!

Like we have been doing lately, we decided to finish it off with a traditional dessert.  We chose our favorite, cream-filled churros, which at Matta's they serve with a side of whipped cream.  We had to ask for the side of strawberries but we recommend that you do that as they are well worth asking for.  The great thing about this dessert is the elements of enjoyable eating are there.  You have your crunchy outer churro, the smooth cream center, the granulated sweet cinnamon sugar, the light airy whipped cream, and a firm yet slightly tart strawberry all vying for attention from your taste buds.  None of which overpower each other.  I would be surprised if there was anyone who was disappointed with this dessert.

So if you are thinking of heading south of the border for good food and Mariachi music, I recommend a truly authentic Mexican restaurant.  So if you haven't tried Matta's, try it now.