Guac It Out

Although Nacho Talk usually sticks to reviews of nachos, we occassionally like to post nacho-related topics. So, what more perfect than this epic YouTube video Guac It Out?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt-bGJoRb9A

Watch and Enjoy.

Xo,

Miss Nacho & The Nacho Family

Beantown Pub

So, I didn't know what to expect from Beantown Pub because I have never eaten there before and I tend to think of it as a tourist trap. Who doesn't want to admire a cemetery when eating? I was pleased to find out that Beantown Pub's nachos are a lot cheaper than other places! SCORE! Only $8 for the nachos w/no meat and only $3 to add meat (chili or chicken). So in total, they were only $11! Not bad (and affordable for poor graduate students or people right out of college).

So...here's the "scoop". The $3 was SO worth it for the chili because they give you SO much. It was like a mountain of chili! It could almost be overpowering but I ended up loving how much they gave us because I never ran out of chili and I love me some meat. Rawr. It was just piled on top like crazy. The thing I did feel like was I had to construct my nachos -- scoop some chili and then put it on the chip etc rather than it being on there with the melted cheese. So, now I had to work hard to eat my nachos and I am sorry but if I wanted to do that, I'd make my own! I am paying for convenience, baby! But, the chili was awesome -- I am craving some right now! Give me some BTP chili, stat.

For all of the chili there was, the sour cream was lacking. They only put a dollop of it on there and it would have been nice to have more to plop on top of my chili. Good thing the chili wasn't spicy or my mouth would have been on fire. Also, the tortilla chips weren't great...they seemed almost stale. Who the heck likes stale chips? NOT ME! Boo. Also, there were a lot of soggy ones and I got to a point where I was like, "is this a soggy nacho or is this just a hunk of melted cheese?" not that I mind lots of cheese but...I want to be able to tell my cheese apart from my soggy 'chos. The presentation was nice at first and the toppings were pretty well distributed but when we got to the bottom layers, things go sloppy. It was like at the end of a crazy night out when you look around and everyone is a sloppy mess. There was a lot of cheese caked onto the plate and not the nachos and there were also some nachos w/no toppings. They didn't evenly distribute the toppings and I feel like this is important when creating the perfect nachos. My solution: Cook them on a greater surface area to be able to spread out the toppings evenly.

The other downside, no guacamole and not an option to add it. LAME! I missed my guac. I would also say that for the amount of chili they could have had a little more salsa. Slightly less chili and more salsa would even it out a bit. Also, no lettuce or olives. Basically cheese, chili, chips, and some sour cream and a few jalapenos.

This portion feeds 2 adults easily. Two people shared this and it was a perfect amount but because we were both starving, I don't think that 3 people could have shared it.

I want to give it a higher rating on the nacho-meter because I loved the chili BUT because I felt like there were some missing ingredients and ratios not equal and the chips not being so great...I have to take away some points.

Nacho-meter: 6/10.

Xo,

Miss Nacho   

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Mr. J here, throwing in my two cents and giving you a second look at the Beantown Pub nachos. Let’s break it down.

First of all, I should make it clear that I'm a fan of Beantown Pub (BTP). I've only been here a handful of times, but I usually get pretty good service, decent food and heck, there is even a pool table in the back. As one of my Foursquare tips so eloquently put it, BTP is the only place "where you can have a cold Sam Adams while looking at the cold dead body of Samual Adams" across the street. What's not to love?

Answer: The nachos.

That's not to say they were bad. Actually, I was really digging them when they were first presented to our table by the wait staffs most thickly accented and highly inaudible Irish waitress. The presentation was great and the portions spot on. It was the chili, however, that made the nachos a meal for me. For only three extra dollars our nachos were inundated in some quality chili which was definitely worth the extra money and just a nice touch to boot. If our nachos were the Gulf of Mexico, the dark thick chili was another BP oil spill - this stuff was everywhere. I was about to call in the US Coast Guard. Regardless, I think it is definitely safe to say that without the chili, I would have probably been extremely disappointed. I always had something to put on my chip and the meat unarguably added some much needed protein to my nacho dinner.

At the same time, it was almost as if some ingredients were thrown out to make more room for the copious amounts of chili that deliciously bathed my nachos. Now chili is great and all, but I'd like to see some diversity in the ingredients. If I wanted to dip chips into chili, I would have ordered that instead. But this is a nacho blog, and damn it I wanted nachos. Where was the sour cream? Where was the salsa? Where were the jalapenos? This whole nacho situation at Beantown truly made me understand and appreciate the concept of affirmative action. Attention people of Boston! In order to build a better nacho society we must be inclusive and accepting of diversity in choosing ingredients!

I also have to briefly criticize the last quarter of the nacho eating game where, for whatever reason, the cheese had encased every bottom layer chip in a Mattel^® Barbie-like casing that reminded me of the mosquito from Jurassic Park. Someday in the future, scientists will drill into this cheesy amber and build an amusement park with my reanimated nachos. Don’t act like you wouldn’t totally pay to see giant chips chasing humans around an island, but I digress - Spielberg, call me.

On the upside, I would say that the cheese was fairly well distributed across the dish and there weren't any bare chips meaning that every chip was covered in one ingredient or another. Still, at the end of the day my feelings were mix.

Nacho-meter: 6/10.

Over and Out,

Mr. Jalapeno

 

Check out the menu here! Beantown Pub 

Suggestions

Do you know of a place with good nachos? Let us know and we will go and pig out and rate them! Just leave a comment :-)

Game On!

So, seeing as nachos are probably one of the most popular foods to eat while watching a game, it is imperative that sports bars have good nachos! Let's get down to business.

The good -- One of the things I liked about these nachos is they put shredded lettuce on them. I feel like shredded lettuce is a great nacho topping despite it not being very common. Second, the nachos were quick. We ordered them and they were out in less than 10 minutes. So, this may not be ideal if you're on some romantic date where you want to discuss life before dinner but if you're just there to relax with some friends and grab a bite to eat, this is quick. One of my biggest pet peeves with nachos is if they are soggy. Luckily, the nachos here were not soggy! Brownie points. Last, these nachos had some of the most sour cream I have seen yet on nachos. So, if you hate sour cream this may not be ideal but for sour cream lovers, this would be a good place to get nachos.

The bad -- Unlike some other places, Game On charges extra for guac. ($2) I know that guac is usually extra at a lot of places but I feel like this should be a given with nachos as it is a classic nacho/mexican ingredient. While we are on the topic of guac, their guac is good but not great. I would prefer yellow onions over red but that is just personal preference. Now, I personally do not like jalapenos but since I shared these w/a jalapeno lover (Senorita Jalapeno!) she wished that there were more jalapenos on them.

The portions here are big! Three adults can easily share the nachos here. Mr. Holy Guacamole and I ate most of them and Senorita Jalapeno had some and there were plenty left over to eat.

The one thing I did notice was that although they were good, they were not amazing and I am on the search for amazing nachos! The standard order is $12 and has black beans, no meat. You can add beef chili or chicken for extra. I think it was about $2-3 dollars for meat so if you add that and guacamole, we are talking $17 nachos...seems a little steep for me. 

Xo,

Miss Nacho

Nacho-meter: 7/10

Check out the menu and the restaurant here: Game On!

The Nacho Family

Let's put it like this..."where there are nachos, there is love" and that is how the nacho family has developed. My love for nachos has united many people so that we can all rejoice in their deliciousness. Naturally, this has led to the birth of a large nacho family!

Some of you may be wondering, "how do I know that Ms. Nacho has good nacho judgment and good taste?" Well, first off -- that is a silly question but I can understand. To ensure Nacho Talk is objective, I will invite other members of the nacho family to co-write reviews, post reviews, etc. This way you can get multiple perspective, not just mine (even though mine are obviously the best, don't tell).

So...let me introduce you to some of the members of the nacho family!

Ms. Salsa -- Our own sassy, Latina mama will be rating nachos and paying particular attention to the quality of their salsa. Canned salsa?! Unacceptable! Ms. Salsa expects fresh salsa at all times!

Mr. Jalapeno -- Mr. Jalapeno is hot and fresh - just like his reviews!

Sir Cheddar -- He loves cheese.

Ms.  Holy Guacamole -- She loves to bathe in avocados. Who doesn't? Good for the skin.

Mr. Monterey Jack -- Our favorite Texan, he only seems appropriate to be Mr. Monterey Jack.

Mamacita Chili -- Smoky & Spicy is the way she likes it.

Colonel Crunch -- He likes soggy nachos as much as he likes wet socks, stay crunchy!

The question is, why does no one want to be Capt. Sour Cream?! Doesn't everyone love sour cream!!

And I am the matriarch of the nacho family -- Miss Nacho!!!

Xo,

Miss Nacho

Coolidge Corner Clubhouse

Well, let's be honest. The Coolidge Corner Clubhouse (CCC) is one of my favorite places to eat nachos in the city. However, don't be alarmed, my reviews are always objective! The CCC has great "Mile High Nachos" -- 3 adults can easily share a half order. A full order is higher and on a bigger plate. This is what you call a beast of a nacho plate. I'd give a prize to someone who could eat a whole order on their own! That'd be impressive and that person deserves a nacho trophy.

Now, let's get down to business. What's the deal w/the nachos? I will tell you.

The good -- The Mile High Nachos come w/chili, guac, salsa, cheese, sour cream and jalapenos and they are delicious. Personally, I go sans jalapenos but if you like it hot and spicy then get them. The chili is the best part of the nacho. The CCC has great chili and it is the only way to go (in my opinion) if you're going to order nachos here. Oh and their guac is good and it doesn't cost extra - woo! The portions are HUGE! The CCC layers some cheese and salsa throughout and then starts piling on the good stuff -- chili and all of the toppings. The sour cream and guacamole are plopped on top. This makes it easy for everyone to get to the toppings. 2-3 adults can easily share the half order and 3-4 could share a large.


The bad -- Well, overall I love the CCC's nachos but their layering needs improvement.They need to put more than just cheese on the bottom layers. Once you get 2/3 of the way through, it is mostly just cheese and a little salsa. This could easily be improved w/more chili and salsa. Also, I think some of the cooks make them better than others. There were a few times I went and the bottom cheese wasn't melted -- unacceptable! However, we told the waitress and she went and got it fixed for us. Hooray - melted cheese! Also, I've been given a side of extra chili before if I ask.

The ugly -- these nachos are pretty. There really isn't anything ugly about them.

Now for the photos:

Keep in mind this is a half order!!

 

In order to conduct test retest reliability, I took these photos on two separate occassions but and the results were the same! Delicious!

Nacho-meter: 7/10

Xo,

Miss Nacho

*****************************************

Miss Nacho here for a quick update.

Well, it's been two months since I wrote the review but I went back to CCC. I will always have a special love the CCC nachos since they were some of my first nachos in Boston and I used to eat them weekly. I ordered them again last night and realized why I love them -- they are huge and they taste great. My pet peeve w/the CCC nachos continues -- the layering. After we got through half of the half order it was mostly just chips and cheese. Granted the nachos are huge so eating half of a half order is still a large portion but I just wish they would throw some more chili and salsa on the bottom layers so that it isn't just chips and cheese when you get there. I did realize that the actual tortilla chips themselves at the CCC taste great - really fresh! I can't tell if they are homemade or not but they taste really good and are very crunchy, salted perfectly and are great.

I want to give the CCC a higher score but the layering remains mediocre so the rating will need to stay at a 7.

Check out the menu now: Coolidge Corner Clubhouse

Nacho Talk

Hello fellow nacho lovers!!

Miss Nacho is here to let you know the scoop on nachos in Boston! Eating nachos (preferably chili nachos) happens to be one of my favorite past times. The sole purpose of this blog is to review nachos at different restaurants in Boston -- the good, the bad and the ugly (seriously, some nachos are prettier than others!). Also, I will feature members of my nacho family to review different nacho spots too! Or maybe just to give another opinion...Ms. Salsa may have something spicier to add.

Hopefully this blog will help guide my fellow nacho lovers all over the city!


Xo,

Miss Nacho