'Not the usual' is chef's motto for Match Cuisine at Phoenix's newest hotel
- At Match, 80 percent of dishes will be cooked with pecan or oak wood
- Dogs have their own menu: $6 items named after staff pets
- Veteran chef Akos Szabo seeks family story in every recipe
Match Cuisine and Cocktails greets patrons with a massive version of the iconic cheeky centerfold shot of Burt Reynolds, made famous in Cosmopolitan. The painting, altered with Reynolds sporting long, flowing blond hair, spans the length of the check-in desk.
“Not the usual,” chef Akos Szabo says. And that's his motto for the restaurant inside the FOUND:RE Phoenix hotel. Both the restaurant and the hotel open Tuesday, Oct. 25, at the northwest corner of Central Avenue and Roosevelt Street, the former Lexington Hotel site.
Szabo is a veteran chef who honed his skills at The Phoenician’s former fine-dining restaurant, Mary Elaine's, and expanded his artistry in top destinations like Chicago, Boston and Spain. In Match, he has created a restaurant that is unusual, but a menu that is familial.
He sought to hire diverse cooks for the breakfast, lunch and dinner eatery. "What is a family dish in a potluck situation that you would bring that 100 percent reflects you?" he asks.
The result are things like cook Adela Jamoca's family mole recipe or the mousse created by pastry chef Audrey Enriquez.
Global meet local menu
Every recipe contains a story, he said, and he wants the modern decor with concrete floors and a groovy, arty-vibe to bubble with storytelling.
"We want our dining room to be a micro environment from a scene in 'The Godfather,' where people are sharing stories, sharing the wine and laughing," Szabo says. "It's all about the stories for us."
Szabo's menu is global meets local. He partners with 78 farmers and vendors within a day's drive, including Cochise Cattle Company, Crow’s Dairy, Noble Bread, Mediterra Bakehouse, Recycled City and the Orchard Community. That blend creates a menu that is eclectic but not intimidating and includes some dishes inspired by Szabo's own Guatemalan and Hungarian heritage.
Among them:
- "Ain't No Thang," a shareable plate of crispy chicken wings, Homeboy's Caribbean hot sauce and house ranch; and coctel de camaron (shrimp cocktail) with avocado, tomato, lime, red onion, cilantro and sea salt crackers.
- Wood-oven roasted Moroccan lamb meatballs, served with organic tomato chutney, preserved Meyer lemon, garden mint and pistachio.
- Taco "Mama Lola," Guatemalan-style braised beef, pickled curtido, shaved onion, hard egg, salsa and cotija. The street food is served as a taco.
- The 100 percent AZ Burger, with Cochise County grass-fed beef, Arizona Cheddar, red fife wheat roll and Homeboy's habanero spread.
- Steak frittes, wood-grilled steak with house-cut fries, Albufera sauce or black garlic butter and Orchard Farms arugula.
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5 'not the usual' perks at Match:
- Wood-fired everything: About 80 percent of the menu items will be roasted or finished in a pecan- and oak wood-fired grill or oven. Even the bread. "We want to cook with raw fuel," Szabo explains. "These aren't just for pizza."
- Chef’s table: A 10-seat counter that provides a view into the kitchen where the chef — and diners, if they want — will help prepare and serve a personalized recipe that could be family favorites or nostalgic meals.
- Power breakfast and lunch: Szabo aims to assure people heading to work or on a lunch break that they can eat, pay and be on their way in 30 minutes or less. Light-rail riders will receive $1 off their bill if they show their ticket.
- Organic and affordable: Whenever anyone says organic or clean eating, the bill often starts trending upward. But it doesn't have to be that way, Szabo says. "Our prices aren't crazy. We don't use 8 ounces of goat cheese that is $15 a pound; we use a teaspoon." Sandwiches and wraps are $9 to $11, social plates are $7 to $14 and large plates are $14 to $18.
- Doggie menu: Dogs are welcome on the patio and have their own menu, with $6 items named after staff pets. "Charlie" Pizza is chicken liver pate, a cheese blend and garden herbs. The "Baxter" burger is Cochise County beef, terrine treat and "cat"-sup.
Details: 1100 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. 602-875-8000, foundrehotels.com.
Reach the reporter at sonja.haller@arizonarepublic.com. Follow her at twitter.com/sonjahaller.
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