21 July 10th - July 16th, 2025 phoenixnewtimes.com PHOENIX NEW TIMES | NEWS | FEATURE | FOOD & DRINK | ARTS & CULTURE | MUSIC | CONCERTS | CANNABIS | At the Table Tex-Mex pop-up finds a new home in the Melrose District. BY SARA CROCKER S ince returning to the Valley in 2023, Kristen Martinez has been on the hunt for a perma- nent place to serve her Texas- inspired taquitos and breakfast tacos. Meanwhile, Melrose Kitchen Table chef and owner Harmon Swartz has been working to grow the restaurant he bought two years ago. Swartz met Martinez, a noise rap artist turned chef who serves her “new era Tex-Mex” under the moniker MB Foodhouse, through the Greater Phoenix Equality Chamber of Commerce, which serves LGBTQ+ businesses. Now, the two have teamed up inside Swartz’s restaurant on Seventh and Glenrosa avenues. A chef in Phoenix for more than 15 years, Swartz worked in kitchens of locally owned breweries and large resorts alike before taking over the restaurant that was previously called Melrose Kitchen. The Melrose Kitchen Table owner, who cooks global comfort food, saw alignment between his menu and Martinez’s. “We’re coming up with this combined menu that is kind of Southern comfort food, homecooking with the El Paso-style Tex-Mex that (Martinez) does,” Swartz says. As the pair navigates this new partner- ship, they’ll offer a taut menu Thursday through Saturday evenings and for Sunday brunch. During the evening, diners will find Martinez’s tacos served on homemade tortillas, a smash burger, a chili dog and beef-and-potato-stuffed taquitos topped with a guajillo chile-based red sauce, along with Swartz’s pork belly BLT. “We’re just going to start there and keep it modest,” Martinez says, noting she MB Foodhouse has opened at Melrose Kitchen Table. Kristen Martinez serves her El Paso-inspired breakfast tacos and taquitos Thursday through Sunday. (Emma Grey) wants to add smoked brisket and pork belly to the menu in the future. “Everything is handmade, scratch-made, and we care about it, but it’s also just like home-cooking.” During brunch, menu items from Melrose Kitchen Table with take center stage. Swartz’s linguica breakfast dog, shakshouka and buttermilk waffle- battered chicken “in” waffles will be avail- able, along with breakfast tacos and chilaquiles from Martinez. She also plans to make use of the restaurant’s walk-up window for late-night bites and to-go orders. The collaboration with MB Foodhouse is the first of what Swartz hopes will be several food concepts to serve under the same roof. The chef envisions the space as a “launch pad for small restaurant busi- nesses or small food producers.” “I’ve met a lot of small producers,” Swartz says. “They’ve got all these things going on, but nowhere to really find a home.” Martinez understands that feeling. When she launched MB Foodhouse in Phoenix, she popped up at local breweries and watering holes, including a residency at Yucca Tap Room. She also took over the kitchen at Cartel Coffee Co.’s Coronado location, serving breakfast tacos. In June, MB Foodhouse began serving late-night eats at Club Contact. With this new location, MB Foodhouse has departed from Cartel but remains at Club Contact. Martinez is hopeful she’ll be able to plant roots in the Melrose District. “I just want one shot with something that’s my own,” she says. “Melrose feels like it will be the closest thing to that.” Swartz admits, “we’re figuring this out as we go.” In the coming weeks, a coffee purveyor is anticipated to join the pair at the Melrose restaurant. “We’re trying to find something that opens the doors for a lot more people and a lot more opportunities for other busi- nesses,” Swartz says. MB Foodhouse at Melrose Kitchen Table 4306 N. Seventh Ave. ▼ Food & Drink
