RESTAURANT REVIEW:

When the winner of the Masters golf tournament comes back to defend his title the following year he hosts a dinner and can chose whatever he wants to serve all the past champions who attend.

There have been several unusual selections. Sandy Lyle served haggis, and Mark O’Meara served sushi and fajitas.

Professional golfer Paul Goydos, who lives in Dove Canyon, has said if he won the Masters he would have his dinner catered by Super Mex and it is easy to see why.

Goydos became acquainted with the food when he was at Cal State Long Beach. It was the perfect treat for the struggling student. The food was well made, cheap and, most important to college students, there was plenty of it.

That philosophy has served owners Manuel and Socorro Orozco well. They opened the first Super Mex in 1974 on First Street near downtown Long Beach. When I was in college there I had an apartment half a block from the original location and it used to be adjoined to a great dive bar. When the bar closed, Super Mex expanded, doubling its size. They had no problem filling the extra space.

That is not the only expanding the Orozcos have done. They now have 13 locations including one in Huntington Beach and another in Sunset Beach. I live nearby and go there often.

The food has always been the main reason for its success and little has changed since I went to the original location in the late ’80s. Burritos were what drew my friends and me there initially. They were huge, the flour tortilla looked like it was smuggling a brick. My favorite is the chorizo and egg. Generous portions of the Spanish sausage were stuffed in the tortilla along with beans. I always substitute rice for the beans and put a little more cheese on top.

It was terrible for my diet, but heaven for my taste buds. The chorizo was always flavorful and it seemed there was more meat than eggs, which is the way it should be.

When I got older and decided to give my cholesterol a slight break, I sampled some of the other burritos. The super burrito is a tempting choice. The ground beef is lean and mixed with rice, beans, lettuce and their specially made red sauce.

There are 10 other burritos on the menu, including a green chili pork and a chile relleno burrito.

Recently I had the pleasure of dining with a woman who had never been to the restaurant. She is Mexican and used to eating and preparing homemade dishes.

I figured if anyone could be a judge of authentic Mexican food it would be Linda and she was impressed with her combination.

She went simple and ordered a cheese enchilada and a chicken taco. What she liked about the meal was how much it reminded her of her mom’s cooking and I thought that was the ultimate compliment.

I had a hankering for a tamale and got a very tasty beef tamale with a chicken taco. All the combinations are served with the usual rice and refried beans.

The chips and salsa that are served are unique. Instead of salsa chips, circular corn chips the size of corn tortillas are put in a basket with salsa that is a salso rojo type. I like their salsa, but tend to prefer the chunkier pico de gallo.

It is the perfect place for casual Mexican food that will never leave you hungry and will always have you longing for a return visit.

Super Mex

Address: 19684 Beach Blvd., Huntington Beach and 17210 Pacific Coast Hwy., Sunset Beach

Phone: (714) 964-1828 or (562) 592-4849

Cuisine: Mexican

Specialty dish: one of the 12 burritos

Alcohol served: beer

Dress: Casual

Family friendly: yes

Credit cards accepted: American Express, Visa and MasterCard

Rating: ***

JOHN REGER reviews restaurants for the Independent.