"We love a big, over-the-top sandwich. Picture the classics at places like Langer's and Bay Cities—layered with toppings and dripping with sauce. But sometimes we’re not in the mood for five different cold cuts, red sauce, and/or coleslaw. Sometimes we just want something simple. When that’s the case, you’ll find us at Maison Matho. This blink-and-you-miss-it French takeout window in Melrose Hill is a very unassuming place to grab a sandwich, but if you’re craving straightforward, high-quality fillings on baguettes that are baked in-house daily, you won't regret a quick lunch at Maison Matho. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Let’s address the location, though. If you’re familiar with this area of Melrose Avenue, you know that it’s one of the most cursed stretches of pavement in East Hollywood, famous for bumper-to-bumper traffic and cars haplessly trying to merge onto the 101, which is somehow even more congested. But here’s the good news: Maison Matho opens from 8am-2pm, a window of time when street parking is plentiful on Melrose and local traffic is lighter, meaning that parking, ordering, and picking up your food is generally a breeze. And once you take a bite of one of their sandwiches, you’ll realize no traffic anxiety would ever stop you from coming here anyway. By our count, no sandwich on the Maison Matho menu has more than four toppings. Take the jambon-beurre, a Parisian street food staple made with curls of shaved ham, creamy yellow butter, and crunchy cornichons on a baguette baked that morning. It’s an extremely uncomplicated sandwich, yet the quality ingredients and thoughtful balance of flavors are what make it shine. Even Maison’s more complex sandwiches, like a combination of spaghetti squash in a housemade French-style curry, pickled pomegranate seeds, celery, and hazelnuts, are built around simple flavors that complement each other perfectly. There’s also a daily baked goods case filled with things like flaky almond croissants, brioche apple buns, and savory tomato tarts. Order a box of them to go and you’ll be the king of whatever workspace you walk into afterward. If you don’t eat them while stuck in traffic first. Food Rundown photo credit: Jessie Clapp Pink Praline Latte Call us old fashioned, but we consider pink-colored coffee drinks a red flag. Maison Matho has us reconsidering this stance. Infused with vanilla bean and orange blossom syrup, the pink praline latte here has delicious floral/rose notes, rather than the candy sugar blast you might expect. If you’re tired of your regular coffee and cream routine, this is a fun change. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Baked Goods Maison Matho’s pastries change daily, but you can always expect some sort of savory or sweet croissant and several different buns. They’re all baked in-house every morning and are among the best pastries you’ll find in the area. Eat with your eyes and order whichever ones are calling your name. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Daniel's Favorite As the name suggests, this is the chef’s favorite sandwich on the menu. It’s our favorite as well. It’s essentially a jambon-buerre, made with prosciutto instead of ham. It’s a small tweak, but the added saltiness of the prosciutto mixed with the butter and warm crunchy baguette make this a sandwich you’ll be bragging about to coworkers after lunch. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Omelette Soft and silky smooth, this sandwich is a must-order for anyone who’s dream breakfast usually includes a Parisian omelette (us). We wish there was an acidic pop somewhere to balance out the eggs, but we’ll order this every time simply because the omelette itself is that good. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Spaghetti Squash Made with the fragrant French-style curry blend known as vadouvan, this savory vegetarian sandwich isn’t something you'd find at most sandwich shop. Rich, curried spaghetti squash is paired with pickled pomegranate, celery, and hazelnuts—it’s a decadent sandwich, but one that won’t immediately put you to bed. photo credit: Jessie Clapp Braesaola If you like your sandwich with an acidic bite, get this one. House-made bresaola (air-dried, salted beef) is contrasted with sour, aromatic preserved fennel and lemon, with some earthy roasted sunchokes to mellow everything out. Depending on the day, you might even get crumbled pistachios on top as well, as a little treat." - Brant Cox
