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| - So, after just two visits, I am mystified as to how and why this Matta's location is still attracting customers. Granted the original was quite good and worthy of a stop to eat some tasty food; but that location is no more and Matta's has since opened four more locations. And like anything that has been divided, the parts must become greater than the sum of the original in order to be recognized as at least as good as the original. Matt's calls this location "Not fast food, but good food fast."
I am ok with the concept of quick serve or no table service, but here, it is an odd mixture of both that just does not work well. Perhaps it once did, or it makes sense to the owners and management, but I find the entire dine-in experience cold, indifferent and not at all hospitable. You walk in the door and are immediately in front of a small foyer that adjoins a counter with registers and a menu above and behind. If you have not been here before, seeing the drive-thru outside and counter placement upon entry, one would assume that this portion of the restaurant is for take away. It is also easy to think that someone would greet you at the door/counter area and take you to a table - but not so. You must order and pay at the counter. Once you do, you are given a number and empty beverage glass and are left to find your own table and fill your own drinks . . . easily done when they are not busy and there is an available clean and empty table. There is a reason restaurants seat their guests . . . so the restaurant is not over capacity, staff is available to assist and serve guests and there are clean and cleared tables of which to dine. But here you fend for your self to get a table (I guess this is the difference between dining and eating). The staff delivering the food bring you chips and salsa, and when your food is delivered, if you're smart, you will ask for an additional bowl of chips and extra salsa because it is nearly impossible to get more once your food is delivered . . . I know, I know, I'm just eating here, if I want to dine I will get takeout and go home (but at these prices? I should at least able to get more salsa or chips or a take-home container on my own without asking staff).
I think because if you pay for your meal first and also self-serve your drinks, it creates an arena for not tipping. Therefore, you are left with an "I don't really care" attitude by the staff and a bit of guilt that someone else has to buss and clean the tables. Further, a casual quick serve restaurant mandates concise meal descriptions, an ingredient list and preparation methods on the menu. And at the very least photographs of the signature dishes, if not all of the dishes. Just leaving it up to the staff to describe a dish or how it is prepared is just silly.
A positive: the chips and salsa are tasty, the Robert's Taco is an admirable attempt, however, it is a bit greasy and lacking in flavor or quality, especially given the price. The beans are passable and it is hard to mess up a cheese crisp, but beyond that, No Bueno. The Guacamole is a very similar to store bought in consistency and taste - if it is homemade, why prepare it in such a way that your customers even ponder the source? And as much as I have a love for potato tacos, I cannot, in good faith and conscience, return to try them. The final straw was a recommendation by the staff: the chilie relleno. The relleno was filled with ground beef that was severely lacking in flavor and an overall consistency that was off putting. Sadly, it was left uneaten, which is very unusual that I ever leave food on a plate, let it go to waste or not take it home for later. The biggest disappointment came from the $42 spent for two combo plates and a sampler platter - and only having water to drink. $42 is sit-down, full table-service, ingredients oozing with quality, flavorfully spiced and seasoned food, prepared, presented and plated with care price territory . . . but with the number of customers that frequent here I cannot see anything changing for the better.
Spending money on food without pleasure is, well, like flushing money down the toilet; but I digress. For me, I am just not going to do it again, there are so many other Mexican food places to eat, even ones with a drive-thru, that are better quality, better service, better layout, even better ambiance and certainly a lot less expensive. Yes, as I have said before, Mexican cuisine is so very subjective and that is precisely why on the same occasion that I had the dismal chilie relleno, a neighboring table was raving at how good it was.
All of this has left me with no reason to stop the car here . . . I will just keep going . . . and unless you have eaten here, and like the food, the service and the prices, I suggest you go elsewhere too.
Overall Rating: 1.5 Stars
Food: 1 Stars
Service: 1.5 Stars
Cleanliness: 2 Stars
Atmosphere: 2 Stars
Price/Value: 1 Star
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