There’s a method to the merriment at Mad Mex

The management of Mad Mex restaurants is so wild about good food and fun dining that it goes easy on the Mex factor.

"We're not trying to dress our waiters up in sombreros," says Bill Fuller, corporate chef for the Big Burrito Restaurant Group, which owns the Mad Mex chain and five other restaurants in Pittsburgh.

Mad Mex -- a favorite with college students, young singles and families -- entertains its guests with Mexican fusion food, a hip atmosphere with a lively bar, and funky decorations, including chile pepper lights. This time of year, hanging skeletons symbolize Halloween.

"We're just enjoying ourselves, and we want people to enjoy coming here," says Fuller, 37, of Morningside. "We're trying to have a place where people can come here, eat and have a drink -- and, by the way, there's a Mexican style."

Not that the menu at Mad Mex is at all amiss on Southwestern flavors, Fuller says. He calls the cuisine California Mex, or Cal-Mex, which is similar to Tex-Mex, a term sometimes used to describe Americanized Mexican food. Cal-Mex cuisine is known for having a lighter consistency than traditional Mexican food -- for example, more dishes are cooked on a grill.

"It's a lighter, more fun version of Mexican food," Fuller says. "We serve freshly prepared, tasty food that is Mexican in flavor and contemporary in style."

Mad Mex's best seller is the Mad Mex burrito with chicken, he says. Mad Mex's wings also are popular, as is the black bean dip appetizer. Diners start with a bowl of yellow and blue tortilla chips and salsa, often accompanied by the restaurant's margaritas.

Big Burrito Group has opened six Mad Mex restaurants in Pennsylvania since the original debuted in Oakland 11 years ago. Three more Pittsburgh-area restaurants followed, in Ross, Scott and Robinson; the two others are in State College and near the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

The four Pittsburgh-area locations vary in size. The Scott restaurant seats 100, and the Ross branch seats 90. The Robinson restaurant is the largest, with 180 seats; the Oakland branch has 65 seats.

Big Burrito officials are considering expanding to other places within five hours of Pittsburgh, and they might open one or two more Mad Mex restaurants in this area, Fuller says.

Each existing and future Mad Mex follows company guidelines for menus and operations, yet has room for individuality, the chef says. "We want to be both consistent and original at each place."

Mad Mex Salsa is available at most area grocery stores. Chickpeas also are known as garbanzo beans. If you have any leftovers of Chickpea Chili, serve it as soup.

Mad Mex Super Portobello Burrito

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 2 large portobello mushroom caps, 4 to 5 inches in diameter
• 4 (12-inch) flour tortillas
• Mexican Rice (recipe follows)
• Chickpea Chili (recipe follows)
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves, cleaned, stems removed
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• Sour cream and guacamole (optional)
• Mad Mex Salsa (optional)

Heat a grill to high heat.

Place the olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper and garlic in a stainless steel bowl, and mix thoroughly with a wire whisk. Using your hands, rub the mixture into each side of the mushroom caps. Do not dip the mushrooms in the marinade, because the spice will not distribute evenly. Place the mushrooms, gill side down, on a plate for a few minutes, until the excess oil is absorbed.

Grill the mushrooms for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until tender. Do not overcook. When done, let the mushrooms cool and slice them into 1/4-inch strips, or according to preference.

Heat the tortillas for about 10 seconds on high power in a microwave oven. Lay the tortillas out flat. Place a 1/4-cup scoop of Mexican Rice halfway between the middle of a tortilla and the end nearest you. Add a 1/4-cup scoop of Chickpea Chili on top of the rice, and top with a handful of spinach, to taste. Add the slices from half of a portobello cap onto each burrito. Top with a handful of cheese, to taste.

Roll up the burrito halfway from the bottom. Fold in the sides so it looks like an envelope; roll up the rest of the burrito. Serve with a scoop each of sour cream, guacamole and Mad Mex Salsa on the side, if desired.

Makes 4 burritos.

Mexican Rice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup grated onion
• 1/4 cup grated carrot
• 2 cups Converted rice, uncooked
• 1 cup tomato juice
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

Warm a pot with straight sides over medium heat. Add the oil and let it get moderately hot. Briefly saute the onion and carrot, then stir in the rice. Add the tomato juice, bay leaf, salt and black pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover the pot tightly and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and serve.

Makes about 3 cups.

Chickpea Chili

• 2 pounds fresh tomatillos, washed and peeled
• 2 jalapeno peppers, stems removed
• 1/2 cup roughly chopped Spanish onion (1/2-inch pieces)
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 (32 ounces) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Heat the oven to 500 degrees.

Place the tomatillos in a heavy-duty ovenproof pan or pot with the jalapenos, onion, garlic, kosher salt and olive oil. Place the vegetables in the oven and roast until they are soft and lightly browned, for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the tomatillo mixture from the oven, pour into a blender and puree until smooth. You might have to do this in 2 batches. Pour the pureed mixture through a fine-mesh strainer, and pour the strained mixture into a saucepan. Place the pan over medium heat. Add the chickpeas, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Stir in the pepper and cilantro.

Makes about 6 1/2 cups.

Additional Information:

Details