On the road again, this time in Flagstaff, Ariz., in search of breakfast beyond the humdrum and the frozen. We visited MartAnne's Burrito Palace. And we're glad we did.
Flagstaff is a college town, home of Northern Arizona University, and college towns often have a larger number of ethnic and/or quirky eating spots; MartAnne's falls into both categories. Giddily painted, including a sign outside that misspells its name but honors the artist who also contributed much of the interior, the morning food offers plenty of delightful choices. Service is casual, but things arrived hot, and a mention that the coffee wasn't as warm as we wanted brought quick results.
It's a sign of the times that MartAnne's draws visitors from a wide area despite not having a website; there's a Facebook page and plenty of discussion on boards devoted to food, which led us there. When a comment-writer disdainfully sniffed it was a little too hippie-ish,” we knew it had possibilities, especially when most one-time visitors spoke wistfully of their memories.
Small, seating about 30 at most, MartAnne's had only one table open when we came in at nine on a weekday morning; but another emptied just a few minutes later to accommodate six of us in town for the 2011 commencement commotion.
The portions are so large even St. Louisans will feel they're getting their money's worth. All the plates were packed to the edges. Chilaquiles, of course, but we went one better and kicked things off with FRATELLIquiles, their spelling. MartAnne's chilaquiles are eggs scrambled with corn tortilla bits, cheese and their green enchilada sauce. Fratelli, whoever he/she was, must have wanted theirs topped with the pork green chile. The meat was flavorful, deeply tender, the heat moderate, and the eggs cooked to satisfy all of us. Alongside came excellent beans, better-than-average rice, a flour tortilla and, to our surprise, hash-brown potatoes. While they're carefully cooked to a good degree of brownness, we were skeptical of the obviously frozen spuds, until we tasted some with the chile. Believe us, they belonged on that plate.
An omelet of fresh spinach, tomato and cheese charmed, with the same sides of rice, beans and 
potatoes adding real heft to the meal. The omelet, by the way, displays no heat, despite being named Joe's Favorite. No, no, it was that way long before arrival. Huevos Mexicano were scrambled with tomato, onion, chiles and cheese. Equally satisfying were cheese enchiladas topped with a couple of over-easy eggs. Alas, no one had room for the buckwheat-bacon pancakes promised on the specials at the door, and we regret not being able to try the posole, the breakfast burritos and other delicious-sounding menu iterms.
Cash only, an amusing restroom that is a little confusing to find, and an experience that made all of our group chortle.
MartAnne's Burrito Palace
10 N. San Francisco St., Flagstaff, AZ
928-773-4701
Breakfast & Lunch daily
Credit cards: No
Wheelchair access: Fair
Smoking: No
Entrees (breakfast) $7-$10
