One of my favorite culinary delights are nachos. The basic premise, tortilla chips and cheese, lends itself to an almost infinite amount of combination with various ingredients of Mexican cuisine and otherwise. What I enjoy even more is critiquing the abysmal excuse for nachos many restaurants and eateries try to present me. So it was with great delight when last week I partook of an almost near-perfect plate of nachos. This got me to thinking, what makes a great nacho?
1. Chips. The foundation - this is crucial but often overlooked. The chips must be crispy and warm, a little salty but not overly so. They must be sturdy, able to support the weight of many toppings, and they must not sog easily.
2. Cheese. Most places strike out on nachos by using the generic, chemical-style nacho cheese. I have nothing wrong with this, in fact, I do enjoy it from time to time. But it's something you expect from $3 nachos at 7-11 or Taco Bell and is inexcusable at any sit-down restaurant. All it takes is a proper amount of Monterey Jack or a mild cheddar, and anything more exotic than that is a definite bonus. Of course, there must be enough cheese to go around, but not too much cheese that the nachos are bogged down by it.
3. Quality toppings. Here's where things get tricky: some places try to cram too much onto nachos, others get too skimpy. My preference is for one type of meat, usually chicken, ground beef or steak make for the best nachos. Then you need one, maybe two other layers of warm toppings. Black beans are good, but can end up sogging many of your nacho chips. Refried beans are also good, provided they are properly placed and not just a crushing pile in the middle of your nachos. Chili also makes an excellent topping. Then there's the stuff that is/should be a basic requirement of all nachos: sour cream and guacamole. On the side, preferably. Lettuce and tomatoes also help, and maybe a little salsa or taco sauce, but just a little, again - soggy chips = bad nachos. It is also my experience that 99% of nachos with scallions/green onions on top are quality nachos. More optional ingredients include green/red peppers, jalapenos, and black olives.
4. Presentation. The hardest part - how do you arrange everything just so? Making sure that almost every chip has some sort of nacho goodness? There is no easy way to do this, but some people just have the magic touch.
5. Value. Easy enough - how much bang are you getting for your nacho buck?
Grades:
A+ = Possibly the greatest nachos ever
A- = Almost perfection
B = Pretty good, missing a key component or two
C = Needs work
D = Barely qualify as nachos... missing most components of nacho-ness
F = NACHO FAIL
Presenting, Milky Manchester's first ever Official Nacho Rating!
Location: The Central Bar, Union Square, New York City
Menu Name: "Central Bar Nachos"
Options: Chicken or Steak (I chose steak)
Price: $10
Chips: 5/5
Cheese: 4/5
Toppings: 4/5
Presentation: 4/5
Value: 4/5
Milky's Official Nacho Rating: A-
Toppings: steak, black beans, guacamole, sour cream, scallions, tomato
The steak topping was excellent, nice size hunks of steak and plenty to go around. Fresh guacamole for extra points. A few chips were soggy from the black bean juice, probably one of the only factors keeping these nachos from an A+ rating. A perfect distribution of cheese. Crispy, delicious chips. While $10 is a little steep, it is NYC and the plate was big, easily enough for 3 people.
While doing a little research for this article, I came across a blog devoted to rating Nachos. YES!
Yummy Nachos Blog
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