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It has been a good couple of days for Nacho Patrol. Not only have we joined the 21st Century by getting a Facebook Page and a Twitter (we still don’t know what @ or # means, but we hope to have it figured out by the time the next big social networking media hits the market), but we also enjoyed a wonderful night at The Rattlesnake courtesy of Brian Poe, Laura, and the trivia teams that were worse than us. In another news Nacho Patrol gets creative at Poe’s Kitchen? More news on that in a few days, but for now, we’ve got some reviewing to do!

This week Poe’s Kitchen offered New England Nachos: clam chowder puree, fried Ipswich clams, bacon, celery and onion salsa, and a thyme vinaigrette. As Mya would say, it was “like woah.”

  • Appearance: (6) a little blah, and when you factor in the strange black stuff in the fried clams (we try to avoid eating filter feeders whenever possible) and the grayish color of the batter, we felt ourselves only slightly repulsed. Setting that aside, we thought the splash of color provided by the salsa offered a nice contrast to the creamy off-white chowder.
  • Distribution: (7) We’d love for the Rattlesnake to pay a little more attention to distribution. With a mass of chips, it’s easy to end up with a situation in which the sauce takes over while the other ingredients fall to the wayside (or our bellies). There was certainly enough of everything (and by that we mean, not enough bacon), but it wasn’t where it mattered most. That is all we will say on the matter for this week.
  • Quality: (6) Let’s preface this by saying, Nacho Patrol are fish people. We’ve been advocating for calamari and marinara on nachos since the dawn of time. Recently, we’ve been devising methods to put salmon and a delicious creamy dill sauce on chips. So, this isn’t a matter of saying, “well, they just don’t know how to eat fish.” Fried clams on nachos just didn’t work. They just aren’t flavorful enough to carry a nacho plate.   On another note, we’re told the clam chowder at Rattlesnake is delicious–but with so many other flavors blended in it was hard to get an unadulterated look at the sauce. And as always, the salsa and vinaigrette could do us no wrong. If we had it our way, we’d put bacon on everything. Once again, a bottle of cholula was kept close at hand to compensate for the general lack of salt/flavor.
  • Overall: 19/30. Our least favorite so far.  But we have reason to be hopeful for next week….

We’ve spent a lot of time dwelling on the Sports Depot in Allston. It’s not far from Nacho Patrol’s ancestral manse–located just under the giant Ace Tickets sign, right on the 66 bus line, next to a giant red caboose, we oft pass it on our travels to the much classier haunts of Harvard Square. To us, it became a kind of mecca, the holiest of nacho areas, the destination one waits her whole life to experience. And after sixty-some reviews under our belt, we felt ready to venture into what would surely spell instant enlightenment. No longer would we wander from incarnation to incarnation of less-than-stellar nachos: finally, after two long years, we would reach the pinnacle and ascend directly to the nacho lover’s equivalent of heaven: a 40/40 score.

Unfortunately, the road a nacho reviewer walks is a long one, one perhaps assigned by the stars to end in failure.

If there were a way we could put our blubbering tears into writing, we would add it right here. Suffice it to say, we have thesaurus.com queued to search “disappoint” as we write this.  Many metaphors were made on the spot in an attempt to vocalize our disappointment. Remember when you were so excited to see the last Star Trek: TNG movie? You were sure that auteur Brent Spiner was going to weave solid gold. You waited and pined and dreamed, but when it got here, you were so dismayed you couldn’t even a remember a day when Star Trek was good. Heartbroken and dejected, you had to create and watch an entire 60-episode Star Trek: TNG syllabus in the hopes of rekindling the dim light of joy in your heart. To use parlance our younger readers will understanding, imagine if you were expecting Bella Swan and Edward Cullen on their wedding night, and instead got the sordid tale of Bella deciding to go back to Phoenix and losing it to her three-week boyfriend in a tent after junior prom. Now that we’re all on the same page, let’s break down the gritty details:

  • Appearance: (6.3) with the tears in our eyes, it was hard to get a clear mental picture, but we will say these nachos were nothing to write home about. Again, we apologize for the piss-poor image quality as of late–after many long weeks, we finally have a functioning camera and we hope that soon we’ll remember to bring it. Highlights from this particular plate have to the fresh tomatoes and the chopped green onions. Low lights have to be…everything else. Who knew a place that has its own caboose would lack any originality in its food.
  • Distribution: (7) in our effort to be cunning linguists, we can only say that the distribution was pretty crappy. On first glance we expected a lot more naked chips than we got. The refried beans certainly helped add a nice coating of flavor, but there wasn’t nearly enough chili (in fact, there may have only been one bean and one substantial piece of beef) or cheese or tomato or guacamole.
  • Quality (6): The fresh stuff was the tastiest–the tomatoes, guac, and green onions. The refried beans were exactly what you’d expect from a can and there wasn’t enough chili to gauge the flavor.
  • Price (6): Before tip, these nachos were $9.99. Average for this area, but still shitty considering the size.
  • Overall: 25.3/ 40

We’ve been told long ago that success is a journey, not a destination. And as much as it breaks our spirit to admit it, Sports Depot seems to be just another, rather forgettable step on Nacho Patrol’s path toward nacho perfection.

Having little else worthwhile to do on Monday evenings, Nachopatrol returned to the Rattlesnake Bar & Grill to have another go at their Nacho Average Monday specialty nachos. We love how Brian Poe is serious and vocal about making interesting food, and while it was rainy and we were tired and still slightly hungover and bruised from the weekend’s birthday celebrations, the description of these nachos was too good to pass up: Nachos con Sweet Poe-tato, topped with caramelized Spanish onions, gorgonzola cheese crumbles, frisee in watercress vinaigrette, and roasted sweet potato tomatillo salsa with rosemary sea salted corn tortillas

  • Appearance: ( 8 ) A muted green and orange color palette that vaguely reminded us of the 1970’s. We like the 1970’s.
  • Quality of Ingredients: ( 9 ) Once again, the salsa stole the show. The tomatillos in the salsa were cut into sizeable chunks that added a delightful tartness, working well with the sweet potatoes. The frisee added another layer of tart freshness. A sweet potato soup was used as the sauce in these nachos, and while it would have been delicious on its own, combined with the roasted sweet potato chunks it was just a little too sweet. Hankering for a little more zest, we made liberal use of the Cholula bottle and the chopped jalapeno and poblano chilies that our ever-accomodating waitress, Laura, brought to the table. The cheese, when we finally found it, was the missing link that these nachos needed.
  • Distribution of Toppings: ( 7 ) Everything was wonderfully arrayed, but for the cheese. There was very little of it and it was all in one slab in the center of the nachos. We would have loved more crumbles to add a little more savory.
  • Overall: 24/30. A meat-free nacho with substance, and a delightfully sneaky way to get in a serving of veggies. We could eat these five days a week, with only a little more cheese…

It is a rare, yet special day when we discover a kindred spirit in our quest to find the perfect nacho. More often than not, people stare in horror when we tell them we’ve eaten and reviewed some seventy different nachos. As amateur food critics and professional Tex-Mex connoisseurs, we were absolutely overjoyed to discover that someone in Boston–and not just anyone, but an actual chef at a popular restaurant–shared our affinity for the ooey, gooey, draped in protein goodness known as the nacho. Though we haven’t yet had an opportunity to speak with said chef–since he is a man after our own clogged arteries, we suspect he would love to speak with us–we have decided to dabble in low quality podcast-esque media productions, the result of which is included below:

On the table this night: Wild Boar braised in Southern Comfort, coffee beans and jalapeno with poblano blue cheese, winter greens in jalapeno vinaigrette with salsa fresca:

  • Appearance: (9) Compared to a “work of art” when they first graced the table, we loved the elegant heaping and the deep, rich colors.  The white, runny cheese sauce was a little unnerving, however…
  • Quality of Ingredients: (7) While a good idea, nothing was as bursting with flavor as we had expected or would have liked.  The meat was definitely tender and had a deep flavor from the SoCo/coffee, but could have used a touch of salt to really bring out those flavors and counteract the sweetness of the SoCo. Winter greens were decidedly a step up from your average bland lettuce topping, nicely complemented by the vinaigrette.  The cheese sauce was tasty but not particularly inventive.  Our favorite part was probably the salsa fresca, the least creative of the components, but done right.
  • Distribution of Toppings: (7) The cheese sauce was runny enough to coat everything, but the other ingredients were so heavy that they fell off of the chips when you tried to lift them out. Perhaps some real melted cheese would have provided some welcome glue.  In the end, we were left with a soupy, saucy mess…that we still dipped our forks into.
  • Price: We’re not sure of the market price for wild boar, but it must be up there to justify $14 for these nachos.  We won’t be giving them an actual score in this category, because as this is a weekly event and we’d like to be there most weeks, and most nachos will likely cost $14, it’s a bit of a null category.
  • Overall: 23/30.  A decent start, but Brian Poe is really going to need to kick it up a notch in the coming weeks.  While this was a decent nacho, if you had put it in front of us with no explanation, we might have mistaken it for just a normal pulled pork nacho with fancy lettuce.  We want our minds blown, our horizons expanded, our taste buds challenged!

See you next Monday!

Reunited and it feels so good…

For six months, we have been parted by seas, school, and self-imposed solitude. It’s been a tough separation, and though we’ve striven to continued Patrolling, only in absence have we come to realize the joy of eating nachos together. Celebrating our very own Unification Day and inaugurating our 2nd annual New Years Day Nacho Patrol (the first didn’t go so well), we decided to slog through the hangovers and test the nachos at the Thirsty Scholar (warning: we love Monty Python as much as the next guy, but music on websites is so passé).

First of all, we don’t know where the Thirsty Scholar got it’s name. Between the vomit outside and the college football on the television, this place didn’t exactly scream higher education. In fact, it seemed like just another Irish bar, with a bit of the townie flair thrown in for good measure. Nonetheless, we persevered and enjoyed some nachos. Excuse our photograph. Between us, we have one degree in an arts-related field and zero decent cameras.

  • Appearance: (7) The picture may be crappy, but we promise these nachos were not that pretty. Globbed inelegantly on the plate, piles of cheese lay helpless, while gooey chili coated most of the multi-colored chips.
  • Quality of Ingredients: (8) There was sausage in the chili, which we appreciated.  The guacamole was quite tasty, and there were black olives too! Even the jalapenos were edible for us wimps. The chips were nothing memorable.
  • Distribution of Toppings: (6) Not nearly enough cheese to go around, but the chili was everywhere and got the chips all soggy.
  • Price: (6) Four dollars for chili?  These were overpriced at $12.
  • Overall: 27.  But we’re gonna subtract one point for our practically non-existent waitress, so make that 26.

2009 Nacho Round-up

Well folks, it’s been quite a year, especially in the world of nachos.  After 12 months, 62 reviews, and approximately 7,428,391 calories, we’re reflecting on our year, and this is what we have found:

Fenway News: After a year and half of dedicated reviewing, we can safely say that there simply aren’t good nachos in the Fenway area. Trust us, we have done the leg work. After our disastrous 2008 review at Beer Works (23), we didn’t have much luck at Lower Depths (27), Cask & Flagon (28), or at Fenway (18) itself. The closest we came was Uno’s (30), and since it’s a chain, we tend to not count it as an independent “Fenway area” bar. In short, stick to hot wings, Bud Light, and street vendors. It’s what Fenway does best.

Boylston News: Avid readers will know that we’ve tackled many of the most famous restaurants on Boylston Street in something we’ve called the five-part Official Boylston Epic. This doesn’t include anything in on Newbury or the surrounding area…not that there’s much going on to mention. To be honest, everything is overshadowed by Pour House (number 1 with 36!), but if we had to recommend others, we’d probably have to go with Whiskey’s (29) and their extra spicy chili and Cactus Club’s (29) super cheesy nachos.

Best “Foreign”: Over the year, our crack team of Foreign Correspondents has circled the globe in hope of finding good nachos. So far…well, take a look for yourself. Apparently, the farther you get from Mexico, the worse they get. The two bright spots have to be Jordan’s (31) Irish Specialty Nachos just outside of Denver University and the Big Four Nachos at Bryant Lake Bowl (30) in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Best Specialty: sometimes, getting away from the typical bar nacho can be an enlightening experience, and after all the great specialty nachos we’ve had this year, we feel practically blissful!

  1. Big City Mediterranean Nachos (34): pita chips covered with spinach and artichoke dip, jack and feta cheese, chopped balsamic tomatoes, kalamata olives, roasted peppers, and hummus on the side. Greek and unique!
  2. Christopher’s Yuppie Nachos (31): sour cream, guacamole, jack and cheddar cheeses, goat cheese, and sun-dried tomatoes. It makes our mouths water just thinking about it!
  3. Jordan’s Irish Nachos (32): kettle-fried potato chips topped with corned beef, swiss cheese, horseradish dijon, tomatoes and scallions. If your nachos aren’t fattening enough, get them with potato chips.

Best bar nachos: Let’s start off first with a definition–bar nachos are any plate with tortilla chips, cheddar cheese (or equivalent), chili or chicken (or similar protein), salsa, guacamole, and sour cream. Maybe some jalapenos and black olives for good measure. That said, we can say unequivocally that Sunset Cantina and Sunset Grill & Tap (35) have the best, most reliably good bar nachos around. With a variety of interesting proteins and an eye for brilliant distribution, we have never been disappointed with Sunset nachos. Our only complaint is the shredded lettuce on top. However, the keenest readers among you will notice that we’ve given Harry’s Bar and Grill (35.5) a higher total score. All we can say is that this score is up for reevaluation after a particularly unpleasant nacho experience we had at the aforementioned bar…Nonetheless, we will leave it up for the time being.

Excellence in Mexicana: no, nachos aren’t Mexican. We’ll admit it…begrudgingly. Nonetheless, 2009 saw some great nachos at Boston’s “Mexican” restaurants. Cantina La Mexicana (32) in Union Square and Cafe Sol Azteca (32) on the edge of Boston University campus may have had tied scores, but we’ve got to give Cantina the number one spot simply for their amazing waitstaff. Still, both restaurants had great foods, great drinks, and a great atmosphere. Viva Mexico!

Best Nachos on a Mediocre Internet Date: Cambridge Common (31). Self explanatory.

Best Nachos with Cheese Sauce: Nachopatrol is divided on the issue of cheese sauce.  Some like it, some hate it, but all came together to hail the Rattlesnake Bar & Grill (28) for their legitimately cheesy, obviously homemade sauce.  Although their sauce tasted from a can, the friendliness and persistence in following our blog that the fine people of JJ Foley’s (also 28) have demonstrated gives them an honorable mention.

Biggest Disappointments/Hall of Shame: Coolidge Corner Clubhouse (21).  After bragging about their nachos, and hearing about them from many others, we were disgusted to find a towering inferno of burned, greasy chips and lackluster toppings. Sometimes we can be accused to bias, but in the case of the CCC, the coffin has been shut, nailed closed, burned, and the ashes buried under six feet of earth. We will never return.

Nacho Patrol of the Year: Every now and then we get on our knees and thank the stars that Border Cafe (32) in Harvard Square exists, so maybe it’s not surprising that most fun we’ve ever had while Nacho Patrolling was at this upbeat, friendly, and always-packed Tex-Mex restaurant. And that’s not just the margs talking! After order $15 worth of dips and sides, we created our own nacho plate, and even got a manager to discuss with us why a Tex-Mex joint doesn’t have nachos. As she explained it, Border only deals in “original” Tex-Mex. We’re still not sure what that means–it must be ego that allows them to call enchiladas and fajitas original. But whatever. It was worth the doubting looks. Bring back Cholula and we’ll be there every day.

Review of the Year: It goes without saying that our favorite review had to be of Nachopalooza ‘09. What will become a yearly tradition (and by yearly, we mean weekly), Nachopalooza allowed us to express our nacho love with our 20 closest friends, while drinking jello shots (SPRING BREAK) and taking pictures with our homemade Carson Daly. So, if you’re thinking of hosting your own very classy, very tasty nacho party, read our syllabus.

2009’s Most Controversial Nacho: The review hasn’t been posted yet, but trust us. It will get violent.

Best Comment: This year’s comment award was a tie between Mama S, who hated our blog so much it made her puke and the good people of J.J. Foley’s, who gave us hope that perhaps our reviews will one day change the world of nachos. Unfortunately, Andi was the tie-breaker, and because of a possible conflict of interest (Mama S=her mom), she had to bow out of the race.

Worst: That’s right, these are our worst nachos of the year. Avoid like SARS (or maybe Swine Flu)…

  1. Other Side (17): Technically, The Other Side had a higher score than El Paso and Casa Bonita, but we hate it so much that we gave it the honorable position of #1 Worst Nacho Anywhere in the World. Congrats, you over-rated piece of shit, hipster hell hole.
  2. Casa Bonita (10): The lowest nacho score to date, but no one was expecting much.
  3. El Paso (15): Only slightly better than a poke in the eye.
  4. White Horse (21):  We’re ashamed to admit we even considered this American-cheese monstrosity.
  5. Coolidge Corner Clubhouse (21): A low-down, dirty punch to the aorta.

Top Ten Nachos of 2009:

  1. Harry’s
  2. Sunset
  3. Big City Mediterranean Nachos
  4. Fajita’s and ‘Ritas
  5. Cantina La Mexicana
  6. Sol Azteca
  7. Crossroads
  8. Cambridge Common
  9. Christopher’s Yuppie Nachos
  10. Bryant Lake Bowl

Of all the many, many reasons we have an epic, undying love for nachos, perhaps most importantly of all, nachos bring people together.  They are the quintessential sharing food, as it is difficult and often inadvisable to eat nachos alone.  Nacho reviewing is the perfect activity to engage in with old friends, new friends, or with one with whom one wishes to become more than friends.  It is especially good to engage in with parents, as it can provide needed conversational respite from all those pesky questions about your “future” and and “job prospects”, in addition to making you seem like you’ve done something with your life since you at least have your own URL.  Yes, a nachos were definitely in the cards when 2/5 of our parents (you do the math) rolled into town for Christmas.  But no ordinary nachopatrol would do: these people are card-carrying members of the extra-virgin-olive-oil, baby-arugula-and-heirloom-tomato, artisanal-goat-cheese-drizzled-with-balsamic-reduction club.  There is no way they would be cool slumming it at the Pour House, no matter how cheesy the nachos.  So, we set out to find some upper-crust, high-fallutin’ nachos to share!

Enter Zocalo Cocina Mexicana.  Conveniently located just a short walk from Nacho Patrol World Headquarters, Zocalo is a bright, colorful restaurant peppered with wacky Oaxacan statues.  On top of their fantastic margaritas, multiple varieties of sangria, and downright delicious food, Zocalo offers tableside preparation of guacamole and ceviche, which is an opportunity not to be missed.  Yes, for a mere $8.50, a burly man will wheel his cart over to your table and make short work of limes, chili, and more avocados than you would like to think you can ingest, then present it to your table in a giant stone crock.  ¡Shazam!  We also went for the Nachos Supremo, with steak:

  • Appearance: ( 8 )A bright kaleidoscope of colors and textures, a little lacking in the green but that could be helped by a little guacamole.  We did notice that some of the cheese did not seem to be completely melted…
  • Quality of Ingredients: (8 ) The chips, the same ones brought out in a complimentary basket with salsa, were just OK…it was hard to tell if they were house made or not.  The beef, on the other hand, was delicious, in little chunks of tender steak.  Black beans and pico de gallo added nice little pops of flavor.  The jalapenos were actually edible for us gringos, and added a nice spicy flavor.
  • Distribution of Toppings: (6) The cheese could definitely have been melted more, which would have added a little extra glue to keep the toppings on the chips.  Overall, because they didn’t have chili, these were a rather dry nacho, but the flavor of the ingredients more than made up for it.  There was no layering, but these were rather flat, and we could use the naked chips underneath to scoop up the extra toppings.
  • Price: (9) At only $8.50 (with steak!), these nachos are a steal, especially for this restaurant.  Not too huge, but they make up for it in taste.
  • Overall: 31.  A pretty darn good nacho, but not as delicious or exciting as many of the other items on the menu.  Still, mission accomplished, parents impressed!

From everyone at NachoPatrol.com, we’d like to wish you a safe and merry holiday season! May your chips be crunchy, your cheese fully melted, your salsa fresh, and your chili perfectly seasoned! With your continued readership, we hope to make 2010 the cheesiest year the world has ever known!

- Santa’s Blessings,

Nacho Patrol (Skyler, Andi, Ann Marie, Smash, Shanti, Harrison, and our many trappings)

Despite the narrow subject matter of this blog, the ladies of Nacho Patrol have a wide variety of divergent interests.  And when as many of those interests (sports, African politics, Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon’s rear end) collide in an orgy of awesomeness as they do in Invictus, we jump at the chance to combine them with our first, true love.  Enter Chunky’s Cinema Pub in Nashua, NH, a mecca for those who like to combine the holy trinity of drinking beer, eating nachos, and watching movies.  From the comfort of your leather easy chair, you hit a table-top light to attract your server and order off of their expansive, movie-themed menu, and then have the food delivered to your table.  Sounds like heaven, right?  Well, let’s save that judgment for the Mission Impossible Nachos:

  • Appearance: (7) The movie had started by the time these babies arrived and we had to wait until the photo review.  Verdict: pretty OK, but not as vibrant and gooey as they could have been.  Our spirits dropped a little at the sight of the dreaded lettuce.
  • Quality of Ingredients:  (7) The chili had some of the largest chunks of ground meat we had ever seen! At one point, we came across one that was easily 1/4 the size of a standard hamburger.  It was almost too much of a good thing!  The chips were standard, pretty tasty.  The cheese was good but got cold fast… although we have to admit, we weren’t paying strict attention to the nachos once Matt Damon’s glutes were ten feet tall on the screen in front of us.
  • Distribution of Toppings: (7) Placing the sour cream and salsa in such tiny containers made them nearly impossible to access.  The aforementioned hardening of the cheese made it difficult to extract chips full of toppings, leaving us with lonely bits of chili and cheese.  Forks, and the chunky chili, helped us to solve this conundrum, and overall it was not a huge drawback…
  • Price: (9) Well, let’s do some math…$9.29 for the nachos, but if you count the $2 we saved on the movie ticket compared to Boston prices, and the fact that a large pitcher of Sam Seasonal was only $11.50…pretty damn cheap!
  • Overall: 30.  A solid nacho, but not the main attraction here.  Chunky’s is definitely worth the drive, especially if one makes a pit stop at the NH State Liquor Store…

For today’s adventure, Nacho Patrol headed south. And after heading south, we boarded another plane and headed even more south, and then after that, we drove even farther. While we’re holding out hopes for nachos in Antarctica, this may be as geographically far as one can go to find our favorite dish. For those of you who skipped your New Zealand geography class, the beautifully hilly town of Dunedin can be found here. They’ve got castles and albatross and penguins and the steepest hill in the world and, apparently, a decent plate of nachos…Decent by South Pacific/Commonwealth of Britain standards at least.

  • Appearance: (7.5) for a place that bills itself as a pizza joint (a word to the wise, avoid New Zealand pizza), Dunedin’s Metro Cafe and Bar–located conveniently in the Octagon–sports quite a tasty looking plate of nachos. With a pile of toppings in the middle surrounded by a sea of round chips, these weren’t what we’re used to, but pleasant nonetheless.
  • Distribution: (6.5) Just when we think we’ve seen every method of distribution out there, Metro gave us something a little different–a ring of crispy chips filled with a creamy center of chili, sour cream, and salsa. Acting much more like a dip than a unified arrangement, it worked for us, though there wasn’t nearly enough cheese.
  • Quality: (6) Here’s what interesting/slightly horrifying about New Zealand nachos–instead of using straight corn chips, they use nacho flavored Doritos. Weird, we know. That in itself isn’t too terrible, but after awhile they become overwhelmingly salty, especially when combined with the subtly sweet chili. It wasn’t bad, but it had us grasping blindly for the water glass. FYI, if you’re a dirty, tree-hugging herbivore, they have a vegetarian nacho.
  • Price: (5.5) These nachos came in at about NZD $19 (USD $13.60). Big, filling, and absolutely too much for two people. But still pretty pricey if you want to get drinks and a pizza as well.
  • Overall: 25.5/40

Oh Dunedin, in comparison to some of our other New Zealand/England nacho reviews, you’ve done us proud, even if you are about a ten minute walk from the antarctic.

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