Tag Archives: Foreign Correspondant

The Famous Cock Tavern: Is there anything melted cheese can’t fix?

14 Jun

Seldom have we seen such fantastic distribution with such mismatched ingredients.  But then again, seldom do we eat at places with “cock” in the title.

It's real!

The Famous Cock Tavern is a short walk from London’s Arsenal Stadium.  The draft list is decent and the food is cheap.  And, more importantly, they’ve decked the place out with flat screen TVs for the World Cup. The name refers to poultry, just like Ye Olde Cock on Fleet Street or The Cock Tavern in Smithfield.  (If you’re still giggling, we’d suggest riding the Piccadilly line in London, which ends at Cockfosters.)

Appearance (5): These nachos looked like a bit of a mess. It was unclear where the salsa ended and the chilli began. Gobs of sour cream were melting in the corners. We couldn’t see much cheese. The jalapenos looked like they were genetically-enhanced. Thankfully, though, looks can be deceiving.

Quality of Ingredients (6): The chips were like Doritos, but much thicker. They were heavily seasoned, with a bit of a spicy kick. (Sort of reminded us of Long Acre!).  There was too much salsa and it was too sweet to go with the spicy chips.  The chilli con carne was mild.  The sour cream was warm and gloppy.

Distribution of Toppings (9): These nachos were exceptionally constructed.  Melted jack cheese was layered through the whole plate, including a bottom layer!  While the toppings were an odd mix, they were spread out evenly. There was more than enough to cover all the chips.

Perhaps the management has been talking to John Harvards?

Value (9): At £7.49 (or $11), these were an

excellent value for London. The plate was enough for dinner for two or a hefty-sized snack for four.

Overall (29): These nachos slowly won us over. They looked weird, and we were reluctant to dig through the warm sour cream and salsa layer. By the end, though, we couldn’t get enough of the spicy chips, melted cheese and chilli. Still, we’d guess that the Famous Cock Tavern is famous for other things.

Dearth in Venice–of nachos

12 May

Venice is the land of canals, Rennaisance grandeur, and—these days—decaying buildings.  It’s as if Disney built a theme park on the glories of power in the 1500′s, and then left it to slowly crumble.  All the employees are still on the payroll and you can ride around in boats, but the maintenance crews have been off smoking cigs for the past 300 years.

But we digress from the nachos sitting gloriously before us. YES, there are nachos in Venice if you consider sitting in a Hard Rock Cafe off San Marco Square being in Venice.   It’s a bit like visiting a McD’s while touring Tibet.  We felt guilty forgoing more traditional Italian cuisine for the evening.  And yet, duty calls. Couldn’t amazing Italian nachos be possible? We’re thinking something simple and elegant: fresh melted mozzarella, juicy chopped tomatoes, and plenty of olives.

Alas, those were not the nachos are Hard Rock. Instead, we got a plate of truly American nachos, right down to the imported cheese. Words such as “adequate,” “enjoyable” and “boring” come to mind.

Appearance (7): At first glance, these nachos exceeded expectations. There appeared to be an abundance of cheese, ample guacamole and fresh veggies.  The portion size was also quite substantial for Europe.

Quality of Ingredients (6): The ingredients were remarkably American, and probably all imported from the USA. (Might explain the rather outlandish cost!) Apparently, the cheese in Italy just isn’t good enough for Hard Rock. Fresh and flavorful is so not cool, so they use medium cheddar and monterey jack that were probably pre-shredded at the factory. The chips were corn, and slightly greasy but not stale.  There were pinto beans and jalapenos,  also from cans. The highlight was the guacamole and salsa we ordered for an extra 2 Euros.  We didn’t see avocados for sale in the local markets, and were surprised how good they were.  Imports or not, the guacamole was fantastic.

Distribution (7): We were pleasantly surprised again. The pinto beans were on the bottom layer. Cheese, sour cream, tomatoes and jalapenos covered the top. We had a good balance between the chips and toppings. As we dug in, the cheese began to cool down and some of the chips became soggy. However, that may have been more related to our leisurely eating than design faults.

Price (4): This was the most expensive plate of nachos we’ve ever reviewed: 12.25 Euro plus 2 Euro for guacamole. If we’d added pulled pork or chicken, it would have been another 4 Euros. At today’s exchange rate, we paid $18!  That said, given the location and the brand these are actually not that bad. In Venice, a coke costs 4 Euro at most cafes. (It’s actually cheaper to just order wine usually!)

Overall (24): No one will be singing arias over these nachos, but they are definitely adequate for patrolers needing a reassuring fix in a faraway place. We’re holding out for some true Italian nachos. If they’re out there, we’ll find them. Hopefully before global warming puts Venice and much of the surrounding area under water.

2009 Nacho Round-up

10 Jan

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
← Older Entries
Newer Entries →

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.