For Those Lazy Sunday Afternoons

Have you ever had one of those Sundays where you wake up mid-morning, lay in bed for a while feeling quite comfortable, then finally get up with the intention of going out for a nice brunch? Then, on deciding on a place, being utterly disappointed when the place you choose is the antithesis of what you were hoping for? To save you this unbearable disappointment, I have just the place to avoid such situations.

"Matt's El Rancho," self-acclaimed, "best Mexican food in the world," in spite of having such a pretentious name, upholds this claim rather well. I must confide that I had my doubts of eating at a Mexican restaurant belonging to a "Matt." I mean, really! How much unsuitable could the name get?

From the moment you walk up to the vast, solid wood Aztec doors, you can't help but feel a little anticipation (especially when it takes you about five minutes to figure out how to open the seemingly impossible-to-open doors. Or maybe it was just me and my brunch companion).

On walking in, you immediately get the sense of having transported to a Latin-American home. The terracotta-colored floors, high peach-colored walls and black wrought-iron furniture emanates a welcoming vibe. Light lazily cascades in from the windows exhibiting the outside view.

As inviting as the interior looks, you also have the option of sitting in the just-as-welcoming, garden-esque outside patio with sprawling green vines replete with fluttering butterflies, an option of which we took full advantage.

The menu was no less impressive. At surprisingly good rates for such an elaborately-decorated place, the menu included traditional Mexican food which, upon being served, tasted even more traditional. It was like being served a full, home-cooked meal made by a small Hispanic woman. Despite ordering only two small-portion meals and a small queso, my brunch mate and I found that we were not able to finish all our food. All for $16.50!

Upon finishing our satisfying meal, we sat in the warm sun for literally an hour and a half, transfixed. We didn't even talk; we just sat there basking in the sun completely content watching the surrounding people go about their equally lazy Sunday afternoons. The sun was bright, the staff friendly, the food delicious, the setting pleasant. Yep, a good Sunday afternoon I'd say.