Tag Archives: Pub

Places we wish had nachos: Deep Ellum

29 Apr

Nacho Patrol likes places that serve nachos. However, Nacho Patrol also likes places that do not serve nachos, and wants to share them with the world. So today, we unveil a new feature: the fantasy nacho league. We take some of our favorite nacho-less haunts and try to imagine just how good their nachos could be, if they made them. The one rule: try to keep it within the general theme of the menu, incorporating some of the signature ingredients that make a place what it is. First up, Deep Ellum.

A welcome respite from the bromaldehyde poisoning that can often befall one in Allston, Deep Ellum is dark, cozy, and reeks of beer-geekitude. With a collection of draft and bottles leaning heavily towards the extreme and/or belgian, it’s not our dream beer bar, but the cocktails are damn tasty as well. The menu manages to combine nouveau-American gastronomy and cheap, retro hipster irony into a small collection of dishes that provide something for just about everyone. Nacho Patrol fell in love with the first bite of the truffled gorgonzola fries and has been in the honeymoon phase ever since.

The nachos: Given the dual nature of the rest of the menu, we would like to see two nacho options: basic classic, and a more gourmet twist. Deep Ellum already has chili on the menu, both on its own and over fries, so it’s a slam dunk to assume that it would grace the standard nachos as well. Since Deep Ellum is big into both interesting meats and cheeses as well as changing daily specials (The cheese and charcruterie plates rotate daily), we would like the second plate to rotate between a variety of more unconventional option. Chorizo and gouda? Raclette and prosciutto crudo? Sign us up!

Pita chips in lieu of tortilla are usually a signal of at least an attempt at upper-crustness. So while we wouldn’t like to see them in the standard nacho, they could work very well in the rotating plate.

We would expect the standard nachos to run $7-$8, and the specialty around $10. We wouldn’t mind paying extra for guacamole because we are pretty certain that Deep Ellum would make some downright delicious guac.

The ranking: The standard nachos would likely place in the top seven, though we doubt that they would be able to crack into the top three. The rotating special, though, would likely consistently reach the top of our specialty nacho rankings.

Olde Magoun’s Saloon: Codger Patrol

16 Feb

Though Nacho Patrol is comprised of a few fabulous twenty-somethings, we’re nothing if not 80 year old men at heart. Which is exactly why we love Olde Magoun’s Saloon, a cozy bar located off the beaten path in Somerville. Great draught lists, Irish people, and a guacamole for the ages. Heading out for an early dinner (we like to be in bed by 10pm), Skyler, Andi, and car-driving correspondent Angela enjoyed the nachos with chili and guacamole.

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  • Appearance: (8 ) No, they weren’t pretty, but damn did they look appetizing! Multi-color chips, scrumptious-looking chili, vibrant green onions, and a waterfall of guacamole (which is exactly how guac should always look).
  • Quality of ingredients: (7) We really can’t rave enough about the guacamole–big chunks of avocado bathed in the perfect quantity of lemon and tomato. Just a little bit of spice. Yummy! It went quite well with the chili (you can buy it by the bowl as well–Wicked Magoun’s Chili), which was more like a spicy stew given the melee of meat–”loaded with steak, hamburg, kielbasa & sausage.” Nom nom nom. The biggest problem has to be the staleness of the chips. Tasteless and barely crispy and crunchy, they undermined the entire nacho experience.
  • Distribution: (8 ) Nothing to complain about here.  Just perhaps a little more cheese?
  • Price: (7) $10.50, with guacamole.  It took three hungry girls to wrestle it to the ground.
  • Overall: 30/40.  These nachos had so much going for them, but the stale chips put a kibosh on the whole plate.  We love this place and we might come back, but we won’t be getting the nachos again.

BU Pub: We’d rather be studying

7 Oct

Yeah, we went to BU. Yeah, we used to live down the street. But we don’t really care for the BU Pub that much. Sure, it looks like Hogwarts from the outside, and the beers are multiple, interesting, and relatively cheap. But when we drink, we try to get away from BU students. However, seeing as Andi still (occasionally) attends class at BU and it’s difficult to get through a day as an English major without drinking, we spend a fair amount of time here. So why not review the nachos?  We ordered them with BBQ chicken, refried beans, pico de gallo and black olives (!).

  • Presentation: Moderately attractive (which is more than you can say about most BU men).  Salsa and sour cream on the side in ramekins (7).
  • Quality of Toppings: Standard tortilla chips, and decent cheddar cheese.  The black olives, which aroused much excitement, were oddly tasteless.  Pico de gallo came straight from the BU dining hall (not that there is anything wrong with that; we love Towers burritos as much as anyone).  Salsa and refried beans were straight from a can, nothing to write home about.  It was difficult to tell the chicken from the tomatoes, as they were the same color.  The BBQ chicken was not the best choice as it did not coalesce pleasantly with the rest of the dish; and yes, while it was our fault that we ordered them this way, we don’t think that anyone would find this delicious, and question the judgement of the BU Pub keeping this option on the menu. (In addition, Andi wishes to mention that she has eaten the nachos here with chili and they were not tasty at all). (4).
  • Distribution of Toppings: There weren’t enough chips to properly judge distribution. Based on plate size, everything worked out well. That said, it took Andi the better part of five minutes to find a piece of chicken (perhaps that’s why the tomatoes tasted so strange, though???). The cheese seemed to have entirely missed the memo about sticking to the chips, instead congealing on the plate. For the most part, everything was just piled on the top. While this was aesthetically pleasing, a more thoughtful distribution would have been much tastier (5).
  • Price: $7.61 altogether? Not too bad.  (In addition, they are only $5 on Friday nights during Red Sox games) (7).
  • Overall: 23/40.  Not very good at all.  We’ll be back, but we won’t be ordering any more nachos here.

Once again, BU proves to be mediocre.  But at least this didn’t cost us $160,000.

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