http://stevelerer.com

I traveled to Phoenix only a few days away from the LA marathon in March and was determined to start carbo loading early. My first stop was Matt's Big Breakfast, a place I had patroned back in 2010. That time I ordered the item that Guy tried on triple D and it was really good. He ordered the chop and the chick which was a pork chop and two fried eggs. It was delicious, with a great pesto topping, I only wished I could have had more pesto but they may have given it to me if I had asked.

The restaurant is small usually with a 10 minute wait even for one person. I didn't mind and hung out with the locals for a little bit before I was able to sit at the bar. The decor and ambiance is not much different than most other small breakfast spots but it is clean and welcoming. The staff was nice and took my order quickly and it was only a short while before my order of the hog and the chick was in front of me. Placed at my spot of the counter was beautifully cooked think cut peppered bacon, crispy hashbrowns, and two perfectly cooked over medium eggs. Everything on the plate was cooked really well and was a perfect breakfast. The eggs were right under medium which is where I like them and the hashbrowns were crunchy and crispy on the outside while still creamy on the inside. Somewhat like a potato latke, just without all the onion. By far the star on the plate was the think cut bacon. Sometimes when a restaurant says that the bacon is think cut it really isn't and other times it is so thick that it comes out uncooked. Matt's got it just right and peppered right to the edge of too much. Just where I like it. I could have eaten platefuls of this stuff, if only they were in LA at the end of the marathon.

The last thing in my order was the real reason I returned to Matt's. Each breakfast arrives with a side of bread of which you have a few options. Bread aside, the start was the strawberry jam they served on the side. The jam is without a doubt the best thing in the restaurant. It is super sweet with chunks of fruit inside. It has so much flavor in such a simple concoction, I could eat a jar of it. Too bad they only give you about two ounces. I wonder if they bottle and sell it because I would buy.

All in all Matt's Big Breakfast is a really solid breakfast joint in downtown Phoenix. No wonder it always has a wait. The peppered bacon was delicious and the rest of the meal was nothing to scoff at but, in the end, I would come here every time I visit Phoenix just for the strawberry jam. Check out Matt's Big Breakfast the next time you are in town and let me know what you think.

Overall Review: 7/10