For most people the name Duncan Hines conjures up thoughts and memories of birthday cakes. They know only of the name they see on boxes and cartons of cake mixes and ready made frostings. The male counterpart to Betty Crocker as it were. What they don’t however realize is that Duncan Hines was indeed a real person. A traveling salesman from Bowling Green, Kentucky. At least, that’s where our story begins.
In the 20’s and 30’s there was no interstate system and virtually no chain restaurants. Travellers were more or less consigned to eating at mom and pop type restaurants all over the country. Having eaten literally hundreds of meals across the country Hines began keeping a list of restaurant ratings he would share with friends and family. So popular was his list that in 1935, Adventures in Good Eating hit the shelves and Hines would become a household name. He would go on to pen another book rating lodging and a newspaper column featuring recipes he collected along the road. Adapted for the home cook. Almost literally, the forerunner to the modern day food blogger.
If Hines were around today you can rest assured that in his list would be an entry for Matt’s Big Breakfast in Phoenix, Arizona. Long a popular establishment for Phoenicians, Matt’s gained nation wide notoriety when Guy Fieri and Triple D gang paid them a visit. (Just scroll down to view the segment.)
Matt’s consists of two small brick boxes, one smaller than the other. So small in fact that they don’t have room for a freezer or even a microwave oven. The dining areas are as cramped as they can get. With popularity come crowds. Lineups, as you can see are common but the whole operation hums along at a pretty good pace so your wait isn’t too long. All in I was only out 45 minutes of my time.
A dispenser of ice water with citrus wedges is a complimentary way to keep from dehydrating in the dessert sun. I’m not a real fan of water flavoured like that. So it really didn’t do a whole lot for me.
So let’s see what comes out of the tiny kitchen.
I had my mind made up (salami scramble) but the waiter/host talked me into the daily special. The Three Meat Scramble was 3 eggs scrambled with pork sausage, tenderloin and ham. Fresh jalapenos and cheddar joined the party and it came served with a flour tortilla and side of home fries. Fresh squeezed apple cider is available seasonally and, fortunately, t’was the season.
The scramble was fantastic. The ham and tenderloin nicely played in the back ground while the sausage shone. The jalapenos added a fresh component and some heat. I was a bit surprised that the whole thing wasn’t hotter with all the chilies but not so. I quartered the tortilla and used it like bread. A fantastic meal.
The home fries came with sautéed onions and rosemary. I thought the rosemary flavour was a little lacking. Especially with such a powerful herb. All in all though these were good. Nothing that would “Wow” you but solid none the less.
The cider was like drinking a delicious apple. So fresh and apple-y tasting.
So there you have it folks, a great little spot to get your breakfast feedbag on. While you wait you can check out this Website. A "Where are they now" of places featured by Hines.
You can find Matt’s Big Breakfast at 801 N. 1st St. in Phoenix, Arizona.
View Larger Map
You can also find them on the web.
Well that’s all for now, see you next time in the food court.
Davwud
I didn’t try them all in Phoenix but I’d be stunned if any were better.
A peek in Carolina’s Mexican Food kitchen at breakfast will reveal a platoon of women dedicated to the tortilla making process. They make that many daily. In fact, in the mornings the kitchen is quite populated since basically everything they serve is made in house. The only exception may be the soft drinks.
Immediately after booking my trip to Phoenix I started planning meals. Top of the list?? A hole in the wall, outstanding Mexican place. Some poking around on the internet (and in particular Chowhound) turned up Carolina’s.
Pronounced Care-O-LEEN-az this Phoenix institution has been serving up their crepe like flour tortillas since 1968. In fact, if you count selling food out of the back of their car, Carolina and Manuel Valenzuela got started in the business back in the 50’s. They’ve both since joined the great fiesta in the sky sadly but have left a strong legacy. Their kids and grandkids now operate the restaurant and catering ends of the business. If you take into account Carolina’s mom was the first employee it’s basically a 4th generation now.
The current flagship restaurant has been at it’s original location since 1986 having moved twice previously. Once to make room for the near by Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. Business always flourished through the moves, family crisis and economic hard times. The reasonably priced and rather large menu has meant that the neighbours could always get a good meal without breaking the bank.
Inside the restaurant it’s rather lunar. The building once housed a coin-op laundry and has all the pleasing esthetics you’d expect from one. The once painted floor now shows the bare concrete. The tables are a mishmash of old Burger King, 80’s burger joint and flea market food court. Not to worry though, this place is clean but if you really don’t like the divey appearance or sketchy neighbourhood, it does full take out as well.
So not only did Carolina’s fit my Mexican dive restaurant criteria but several people hailed it as having the best machaca Phoenix has to offer.
Originally made from dried beef or pork that’s been rehydrated and pounded until tender machaca is a staple in north central Mexico. These days it’s more like the beef version of carnitas. Slow, slow cooked until ridiculously tender and shredded. The beef is then returned to it’s juices and stewed until the desired consistency has been achieved.
Anyway, let’s have a look at the goods. I’ve had both lunch and breakfast and I’m pretty sure you could throw a dart, blindfolded at the menu board and hit a homerun. It’s that good.
The tortillas were as good as advertised. Paper thin with a delicate yet sturdy feel and very good taste.
The salsa could easily be confused for ketchup. Served in little paper condiment cups from a red pump action (ketchup) dispenser. That’s where the similarity ends though. This sauce is salty, garlicky and spicy. A perfect compliment to the entrées. 
The tamale was very tasty but not the best I’ve had. First of all, it seemed to be pretty sloppily made. Simply unwrapping it saw the filling spill out. It seemed they didn’t use enough dough to fully encase the meat. Now that said, having a too much meat to dough ratio is far better than the other way around. And as usual, taste trumps all. The red beef stuffing was quite good.
The chorizo, egg, beans and potato breakfast burrito was terrific. A little heavy on the potato which meant the beans were a little over shadowed but that could just be a personal taste issue. The chorizo is fantastic in spite of having very little heat. 
The machaca is everything it’s cracked up to be. Juicy, flavourful and very tender. I copied a standard order from a fellow Chowhounder which was a “Red machaca burro, foot long, enchilada style. Don’t skimp on the brown sauce.” Again the tortilla was great. The “Brown sauce” is really red enchilada sauce and was certainly better than any other I’ve had. It had it’s usual chili flavour but fortified with a brown beef gravy component. It was very interesting and incredibly addictive.
Chorizo, tamales, tortillas and salsa are all available for sale as well.
So if you’re ever in Phoenix and on the prowl for some great Mexican food head to the hood and check out Carolina’s.
You can find Carolina’s (south) at 1202 E. Mohave St. in Phoenix, Arizona.
View Larger Map
There are also north Phoenix and Peoria locations as well.
You can find them on the web or like them on facebook
Davwud
It’s rather unfortunate that most times the best way to get family that’s scattered all over the country (or planet) together is at a funeral. We never seem to be able to find (or justify) the time to hop on a plane and visit someone and then before you know it, it’s too late. Such is the case for my visit to Phoenix. My Uncle moved the family to the Valley of the Sun in the 80’s and much to my shame, I didn’t make the time to see him. Now it’s too late.
My Uncle was quite a character. A persistent partier that played tennis almost every day with his bottle of Vodka and Gatorade near by. He once told me he’d rather live 100 years in 50 than 50 years in 100. By that yard stick he was certainly playing with the house money. Racking up nearly 70 fun filled years.
Living 3,000 miles apart meant we were never all that close but he did leave me with one very good piece of advice. He told me “There are two people on this planet you never lie to. Your doctor and your lawyer.” I always thought that advice to be awfully sound.
RIP Uncle Brian.
So with a couple days to hang with my cousin in Phoenix we set out to eat like Vikings. Perhaps his favourite place is Chino Bandido and that was dinner my first night. This Mexican/Chinese conglomeration was featured on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. You can watch the segment here. Just scroll to the bottom.
And yes, you read that right. Mexican/Chinese. The fusion of these seemingly “Nothing in common” foods is further confused by the addition of Caribbean flavours. If all this seems like a complete train wreck let me assure you it’s not. The food is very tasty and while it does seem weird to put Jen Red Chicken in a quesadilla or have Jerk Chicken Fried Rice, once you wrap your head around the idea it seems almost like a natural fit. The other thing that makes this all come together is that the food is very good in and of itself.
They also have a pretty good sense of humour here too. The sign out by the road says (as does the title of this post) “Takee Outee.” Playing on the stereotypical fake Chinese accent of course.
So let’s go through some things about Chino Bandido. It’s kind of a take out place with a dining area.
The ordering area is to the left as you walk in. Basically everything is available for sampling before you order. An ordering form that looks like a parlay sheet is not nearly as hard as it would seem. There's even a demo on their website.
Take it away with you or sit in the fairly decent sized dining room. It was busy with people in line but the dining room was half full.
As per usual we split most things.
The Emerald Chicken Quesadilla. Fresh ginger and scallion with grilled chicken and cheese in a light, crispy flour tortilla. It was crazy good.
The BBQ Pork Burrito didn’t take a back seat either. There was a nice sweet component that always goes well with pork.
The accompanying Pork Fried Rice and Cuban style Black Beans were very good on their own but I found played well in the sandbox if you mixed the two of them together.
The Jade Red Chicken Quesadilla was also very impressive. Much like a sweet and sour chicken then made up quesadilla style.
The Red Devil Pork Burrito was smokin’!! No fooling around here. Pork with fresh and dried chilies that really packed a wallop.
The Jerk Fried Rice was pretty good. It wasn’t like the Jerk I’m used to back home but was still good. Again, mixed with the Black Beans it was better.
A complimentary Snickerdoodle (no picture) cookie replaces the fortune cookie at Chino Bandito. It was perfectly cooked. Crispy on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside.
You can find Chino Bandido at 15414 N.19th Ave, Phoenix, Az.
View Larger Map
You can also find them on the web or become a facebook friend here.
Well that’s all for now food fans. ‘Til next time.
Davwud
Matt’s consists of two small brick boxes, one smaller than the other. So small in fact that they don’t have room for a freezer or even a microwave oven. The dining areas are as cramped as they can get. With popularity come crowds. Lineups, as you can see are common but the whole operation hums along at a pretty good pace so your wait isn’t too long. All in I was only out 45 minutes of my time.
A dispenser of ice water with citrus wedges is a complimentary way to keep from dehydrating in the dessert sun. I’m not a real fan of water flavoured like that. So it really didn’t do a whole lot for me. 
The scramble was fantastic. The ham and tenderloin nicely played in the back ground while the sausage shone. The jalapenos added a fresh component and some heat. I was a bit surprised that the whole thing wasn’t hotter with all the chilies but not so. I quartered the tortilla and used it like bread. A fantastic meal.
