Luann likes it spicy...

Been awhile since I did a post (okay - a REALLY long time).  This Luann comic in today's funny pages made me think of my nacho blog ;-)

BONUS POST: So Far, So Awesome!

I've been writing this blog for a long time now.  It hasn't ever gotten wildly popular, but it's a labor of love for me and I've had a great time doing it.  Eating nachos with friends in different cities, being surprised at how good or bad a certain plate of nachos can taste, eating 'til it hurts because even though I have no room in my stomach the nachos are just too good to waste, and as those of you who read this blog know, writing some pretty questionable prose!  I want to personally thank everyone who reads my blog and I hope you'll stay on this journey of delicious food with me as I soldier on!

Here are some fun facts about my Quest for the best nachos that I think you'll enjoy:

Months since I started this Blog: 29

Total unique venues where I've eaten nachos: 84
Total visits to venues to eat nachos: 110 This means I've averaged .65 visits per week to eat nachos, or about 2.8 visits per month
Total number of posts including "Bonus" and "Fun-Facts": 122

Total plates of nachos receiving a perfect score (5 out of 5): 0
Highest score ever achieved by a plate of nachos: 4¾ out of 5 (Rio Adobe)
My Top 5 favorite nachos: (See This Post)

Total hits to my blog since I started it: 11,285
Number of countries from which people have viewed my blog: 10
Number of people following my blog (THANK YOU!): 10

Top 5 Most Popular Posts:
1. La Cueva (Saratoga, CA): Nachos with Carnitas
I'm not sure why this is...
2. Del Taco (Campbell, CA): Macho Nachos with Chicken
Apparently a lot of Del Taco fans out there.  Incidentally these were among the absolute worst nachos I've had.
3. Angel's Rock House (Finley, CA): Nachos with Chicken
Notable because this obscure venue is located in Finley, one of the smallest towns in California.  A friend of mine from the area helped this post get slightly viral with the locals ;-)
4. Tacos Al Pastor 2 (San Jose, CA): Nachos with Carnitas
In the top 3 best carnitas I've ever had.
5. Taco Bell (Everywhere): Nachos Supreme
My first post ever.

Total Nacho Calories Consumed: I don't even want to know!
My weight when I started this blog: 215lb
My weight now: 180lb See? Nachos are good for you!

Now, where will I go next?...

REPEAT VISIT: Freebird's World Burrito (San Jose, CA): Nachos with Carnitas

Ugly, but oh so good...

Been here before so going to keep it simple:
- Best cheese-sauce anywhere that makes me not miss genuine melted cheese one bit
- Don't argue with me - you want the barbecue sauce on your nachos, period.
- Carnitas is still the way to go
- You'll clear your plate.  I did and that almost never happens for me anymore...
- Still kicks ass all over Mondo Burrito and Chipotle
Want a longer review?  Go to the original visit post.

Rating: 4¼ out of 5
Rating Notes: These nachos haven't lost their allure by any means, but teh presentation left something to be desired this time, so a minor ¼ point has been subtracted from the original score.
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/TQ6BdZ

REPEAT VISIT: Taqueria El Ranchito (San Jose, CA): Super Nachos with Carnitas

I'd previously come to this taqueria back in 2011 and had their chicken nachos.  I'd admired the nice presentation (which, for this jaded nacho fiend actually doesn't look that impressive anymore) and criticized the bland chicken.  In most cases, I'm all about giving taquerias a second chance if​ I wasn't wowed the first time.  Things weren't terrible the first time, and El Ranchito is located in a strip mall halfway between my old and new offices, so I was inclined to return and go another round.

This time I ordered carnitas since that's been my pattern lately.  What a difference!  Flavorful, great texture, and melted in with the monterey jack cheese, the meat complimented the thin crispy chips beautifully.  Generous helpings of Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, and Sour Cream rounded out the flavor and I really appreciated the lack of beans, which most taquerias add to nachos and are basically filler that distract from the flavor of the meat.  Kudos to El Ranchito for going against the norm!

​Oh - and they added a salsa bar since the last time I went there - way to get with the times!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rating Notes: Great Carnitas, chips were good, but could have been better (ALL taquerias should use the deep-fried tortilla type!)

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/o4pfcz

BONUS POST: My Favorite Nachos So Far, Brought to You in Haiku!

A friend of mine has written a lot of these fun little poems lately, inspiring me to put this bonus post together.  Funny how a lot of Taquerias' names have 5 syllables or at least they do when you add the word 'nachos' after...

Rio Adobe

Broiled - If only they all did!

Seasoned Spicy Pork!

El Guapo's Nachos

The Secret?  Pepper Jack Cheese

Pricey but worth it

Andale Nachos

Carnitas - the way to go

Good luck with parking!

Freebird's Burrito

Cool guitars on the ceiling

Barbecue sauce?  Yes!

Tu Mero Mole

Try the goat - it's really good

No - seriously!​

REPEAT VISIT: Andale (Los Gatos, CA): Nachos with Carnitas

A beautiful Friday Afternoon, a new friend, a great plate of nachos.  It doesn't get much better than that.  I'd been to Andale before, but it had been awhile and I'm glad I came back!  The previous time, my boss, who I'd come here with insisted that we should not only get chicken nachos, but order some of their famous, mouth-watering roasted chicken to throw on top.  Tasted great, but we had a lot of leftovers, and nachos make terrible, soggy-chipped leftovers.

This time, I stuck to my current groove and went with carnitas.  Great choice!  I can honestly say that Andale's Carnitas are in my top 3 of all time, right along side Los Pericos in Santa Cruz (review coming soon) and Tacos Al Pastor 2 in San Jose's Willow Glen area.  It's amazing how well-prepared meat can make you (or me, at least) eat WAY too many nachos.  I left with a stuffed belly, but went for a nice little walk on the Los Gatos Creek Trail afterward to get the digestion going!  The rest of the ingredients were simply ok, but well-proportioned and well-chosen.  If the chips had been of the homemade, deep-fried tortilla type, we'd have been looking at a contender for the best nachos I've had.

Rating: 4½ out of 5

Rating Notes: Carnitas that would stand on their own as a great meal, good overall mix of ingredients, light on the cheese.

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/1p35dk4​

El Pollo Loco (Multiple Locations): Chicken Nachos

I have my aging memory (or lack thereof) for landing at El Pollo Loco for my latest nacho review.  Visiting a bike shop in the same strip mall, I thought I'd suddenly found a new, charming little taqueria off of Meridian about a mile from my work called Neighborhood Taqueria.  But: (1) they were closed on the day that I went there and (2) I'd already blogged their nachos a couple years ago (click here for that post).  During my shameful, famished​ drive back to the office, I happened upon an El Pollo Loco and it occurred to me that they might have nachos.  If nothing else, maybe I could get some tasty chicken?

Upon examining the menu abo​ve their counter and double-checking on my iPhone, I didn't see nachos listed anywhere,  but I decided to just ask if they had them.  Turns out they do!  However, I wish the dining experience had been as exciting as discovering a "hidden" menu item, feeling like I did the first time I ordered an 'Animal Style' cheeseburger at In 'N Out.  Nope.

Although the El Pollo Loco gang are supposed experts with chicken, the meat was simply OK and the matched the mediocre presentation you may see in the photo above.  Up sides?  The chips were light and crispy and the 4 types of salsa were pretty decent.  I do like that they went light on the cheese, but it was unevenly applied like the rest of the ingredients, making it a difficult task to put together a bite with all of the ingredients working together to tempt my tastebuds.

Rating: 3 out of 5
Rating Notes:  Decent chicken for being grilled, good guacamole.  Thin on overall flavor and poor presentation made them difficult to fully enjoy.
Map to Location: http://www.elpolloloco.com

La Victoria Taqueria (San Jose, CA): Nacho Cheese Fries (with Al Pastor)

I've previously reviewed nachos from "La Vic" before and go there at least once a week for a taco or two, but the other day I noticed a sign on the wall for "Nacho Cheese Fries".  To use a nerdy analogy, nacho fries, with their use of french fries in place of chips, are to regular nachos what the original Star Wars movies are to the prequels: if you take them all in, the nacho fries, like the original movies, will stick inside you and make you remember them, for better or for worse, for a lot longer time.  Of course I had to try 'em and see how they stack up to Iguanas' Nacho Fries!

To mix things up a bit, my meat of choice was Al Pastor (marinated pork).  The first thing I noticed when eagerly grabbing my order from the counter was the heft of this carbo-blasted basket of goodness.  Literally the weight of a brick - no joke!  Intimidating, yes, but I was really hungry, so I poured on some of La Vic's famous "Orange Sauce" and went to town.

The al pastor was a good choice of meat from a texture, if not flavor standpoint: about 5 minutes in, when everything started to mix together, the suacy meat and the fries assumed the perfect texture to be eaten in gluttonous bites with a fork (I don't recommend eating these with your fingers unless you want to look like a sloppy, ravenous heathen).  The flavor of the Al Pastor, which I love in La Vic's super tacos just didn't mesh with everything else well.  In the end, the sheer density of the concoction forced me to throw in the towel with half of the food still in the basket.

Rating: 3½​ out of 5

Rating Notes: Nacho Fries are awesome, but will never score as high as real nachos.  Good meat, just not right for nacho fries.  Guacamole with low avocado content, but tasted great paired with the sour cream, orange sauce, and pico de gallo.

Map to Location: (Multiple Locations) http://www.lavicsj.com

Smoke 'N Wings (San Jose, CA): Pulled Pork Nachos

I don't ordinarily seek out nachos at barbecue joints, but an engineer at work tipped me off to these and since Smoke 'N Wings is but 10 minutes from the office, I had to do it.  Good decision!  Mostly...
Barbecue pulled pork doesn't come to mind as the perfect meat for a plate of nachos, but here it works.  Sweet, savory barbecue sauce over tender, generous quantities of pulled pork shoulder.  And well played S-'N-W for using plastic cheese sauce instead of real melted cheese.  Not sure whether it was a cost decision or a purposeful stroke of genius, but the way that the barbecue sauce and cheese sauce mixed together to form a cheesy barbecue infusion (almost a BB/Cheese Aoli?) was almost magical.  Now, if they could have made a better choice on the chips (the giant Costco bag variety which I've fortunately only encountered on one other location at the mediocre Fiesta Taqueria)we'd have had something amazing.

Side note:  A coworker who came along ordered some of their exceptional wings.  The crisp texture of the skin and tenderness of the meat made for some of the best wings I've ever had - highly recommended!

Rating: 4 out of 5
Rating Notes:  Generous helping for just $6.95.  Jalapeños blended beautifully with overall flavor.  Scored bonus points for originality and generosity or would've been a 3 or 3½ at most.
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/SHVVAP

Señor Taco (San Jose, CA): Super Nachos with Carnitas

Working further south in San Jose nowadays, I have the chance to visit some taquerias that weren't on my radar before.  Senor Taco is a new one for me and is pretty close to work.  I'd actually found this one before, but skipped over it in the Yelp results because I thought it was a fast food joint!  Wasn't there a 'Senor Taco' fast food chain at one time?  Like so many taquerias, it's shoved into an anonymous strip mall next to nail salons, liquor stores, fitness clubs, etc...

The Super Nachos were good.  Nothing special, but they did certain key things right:

• Pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, all present and accounted for
• Generous helping of carnitas
• Not too much cheese
• Deep-fried, home-made tortilla chips

The meat was so-so.  They should have seasoned them more because there was just a hint of that "plain pork" taste that grosses me out a little because it reminds me of a petting zoo.  This hurt what could have otherwise been a higher score.

One standout item:  The salsa bar is epic!!

Such variety and unique salsas.  I absolutely loved their creamy chipotle salsa and ate a bunch of it with my nachos, burning the you-know-what out of my tongue because it was a tad too spicy, but loving every minute of it!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rating Notes: Would have been a 3½ but that salsa bar was good for ½​ a point bonus.  Carnitas were some of the weaker ones I've ever tasted.

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/UoH28c​

Iguana's (South San Jose): Nacho Fries with Carnitas

This must be what they serve at baseball stadiums in Mexico!  Wait, do they have baseball stadiums in Mexico?  I don't know for sure but what I do know is that this was one tasty pile of calorie-ridden goodness that would go great with a $14 (182.51 pesos at the time of this writing) cup of beer!  Fries instead of chips, a pile of tender Carnitas, plenty of warm, gooey "plastic cheese sauce", way more sour cream and anyone should ingest at one sitting, and an entire container of Iguana's famous orange sauce on top!  I still prefer home-made tortilla chips as the "bed" but this is a great change of pace for the nacho-phile who may be getting a little jaded.  Make sure you bring a healthy appetite, though (or your teenage son) because these are super filling - I shamefully didn't get all the way through the serving...

Bonus:  Check out the goofy (and kinda creepy?) iguana artwork they had up on the walls!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rating Notes: Can't rate these as highly as "Real" nachos, but the good carnitas and tasty orange sauce gave them a boost!

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/1eVyxtQ

Carl's Jr. / The Green Burrito (San Jose, CA): Super Nachos w/Charbroiled Chicken

Back in the early 90's during my time at UCLA, there was a 'Green Burrito' tacqueria on the way from school back to my apartment off of Wilshire Blvd.  I used to stop there and get chicken nachos from time to time and they were great, with their big portion, lots of chicken and plenty of cheese and sour cream, especially for a hungry college student.  It was also the first place I ever tasted green tomatillo salsa.  However, The Green Burrito is quite a different place now, most likely due to its getting purchased by Carl's Junior...

This time, I was actually on my way to La Victoria, where I'd been before, but wanted to try a different meat selection on my nachos (I was also thinking about that delicious "orange sauce").  Sitting at a stop light on Almaden, I noticed a 'Carl's junior/Green Burrito' restaurant and decided that it was time to see if The Green Burrito's current cuisine could bring me some college-days nostalgia.
Kind of strange to be standing into a restaurant that has food that's blatantly American on one side of the menu and food that's reminiscent of Taco Bell on the other...  I ordered the "Super Nachos" with "Charbroiled Chicken" and grabbed a table.  When the nachos arrived, 2 thoughts went through my head.  The first?  When did they switch to plastic cheese sauce?Second?  When will I ever learn that you shouldn't, under any circumstances, order chicken on your nachos at a fast food restaurant?  I could tell just by looking at the chicken that this was going to be Del Taco all over again.  Sure enough, the chicken was chewy, soft, and too salty.  My first bite with a bit of everything (Chip, chicken, "cheese", guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo) told me that this was going to be a disappointing lunch.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the salsa bar, and not a moment too soon.  With the ingredients from there (red salsa, more pico de gallo, minced onions, sliced jalapeños, and minced cilantro)...

...I was able to make my plate of nachos look like this...

...and the taste improved a lot!  But  there's an expression, "You can never go back".  So true this time.  Green burrito, I'll try to forget this experience and remember you from my college days instead.

Rating: 2½ out of 5
Rating Notes: Would've been a 1½ if not for the items from the salsa bar that I piled on top of these disappointing nachos.
Map to Location: http://www.carlsjr.com/greenburrito

Fiesta Del Mar (Mountain View, CA): Nachos with Chicken

Wait, I had nachos for lunch?  Where did that picture come from?  Yes, that's how bland these were. 

Gonna keep this short since these nachos don't deserve a lot of creative writing energy.  In a nutshell, they looked nice and filled my stomach, but were far overshadowed by the fun conversation with old friends about pheromones, using dirty sweat socks as a handkerchief, Halloween in 'Vegas, and explaining to my un-hip ass what "bottle service" is (here's a link to the wikipedia article on it in case you're as un-hip as I am!)

So glad to have seen you all - you know who you are!  Maybe next time we can go after work and sample some of their extensive tequila selection?  I'd like to try some different food, too since everyone else's looked much tastier.

Conclusion?  Great lunch with great people, not so great nachos.

Rating: 3 out of 5
Rating notes: Would've been a 2½ if not for the extra ½ point I awarded for how perfectly cooked and moist the chicken was.  Now if they just could've given it or at least the refried beans some flavor...
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/190d6hH

Chili's (San Jose, CA): Classic Nachos with Chicken

Alright.  How many nachos do you see in the picture above (my picture)?  I see 7...

How many do you see in the picture below (Chili's official menu picture)?  I see what must be at least a dozen!

Maybe they shouldn't have served these as the lovely, individually-built style of nacho if they were going to gyp me out of at least 5 nachos (the pile-o-chips variety would've hidden a quantity deficit better)?  "But wait," you may say:  "mine came with guacamole!"  But I say "Nay!  The guacamole is an extra cost add-on!"

Aside from the dubious serving practices, this plate of nachos was pretty darn tasty.  I do love a restaurant-style plate of individually constructed nachos, after all, especially when they broil them instead of microwaving.  The combination of authentic chips, beans, tenderly grilled chicken, and a lovingly placed jalapeño slice in every bite made for a delectable flavor explosion, especially after I applied an equal dollop of sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo to each one.

By the way, that beer glass and bottle are empty because it took forever to get the food out to our party of 16 who invaded the local Chili's for "Bosses' Day".  We all had plenty of time to guzzle our drinks while we were waiting.

Rating: 3½ out of 5
Rating Notes:  I have a feeling that someday, that magical 5 out of 5 rating that I haven't bestowed upon a plate of nachos yet will be given to a plate of individually-built nachos, but it wasn't these.  Grilled chicken will never be number one (I vastly prefer the shredded, marinated variety because it has so much more/better flavor) and I'm still on the fence about whether beans belong on nachos.  Extra ½ point awarded for these being individually prepared nachos.
Map to Location:  http://www.chilis.com/EN/Pages/locationsearch.aspx

BONUS POST: "Pega-Nacho-Corn!"

We'll, there you go.  In every man's life, there comes a time when it happens: he turns 40.  On October 12, 2013, it happened to me, and my lovely wife, who forever entertains and surprises me, chose to throw a party with a magical Unicorn theme.

As you may have suspected, this precipitated a flood of wacky gift giving, including stuffed unicorns, unicorn stickers, an inflatable, wearable unicorn horn, a 'My Little Pony' Unicorn lunch box, and this shirt, which at first I thought that my friend had custom made for me.  Not true.  You can actually buy this online!  It's up for debate, but I'm convinced that some person, whom I don't know, but must have been watching me over the last couple years, knows 2 of the signature interests in my life (the other one is nachos, of course).  Not only did they take their obsession to the next level by creating a shirt, but instead of putting a unicorn on it, they put that even more mystical creature on it, the Pegacorn!

Bask in its majesty... BASK, I SAY!

P.S.  You may want to know how I became so exceedingly associated with unicorns?  Let's just say it involved an evening of hanging out with friends and drinking, plus a private screening of 'Despicable Me'.  We'll leave it at that...

Rating: How do you rate something this magical?
Rating notes:  Hey!  I don't see you basking yet!
Map to location:  Fly towards the rainbow, turn right at the fairy princess's castle, then straight on 'til morning...

Buffalo Wild Wings (San Jose, CA): Screamin' Nacho Burger

Wow - it's been over a month since my last post!  I have no other excuse than that I've been on kind of a heath kick lately.  And how do I reward your patience?  With a post about a nacho BURGER??

Well, Before you open a can of queso and fling it all over your screen in anger, let me tell you, this burger actually has the minimum requisite ingredients to be a bona-fide plate of nachos.

Check it:
Chips?  Check! (see them peeking out from under the pattie?)
Cheese?  Check! (gooey queso slathered all over the burger)
Meat?  Check! (hey, no one said the meat on the nachos couldn't be one-piece, right?)
Bonus?  Jalapeños and Salsa!

I have to admit that all of this together didn't actually create the virtual flavor of a plate of nachos, but it sure was good in all of its 1400 calorie glory!

Rating: 2½ out of 5
Rating Notes:  Would have had another point if it were actually a plate of nachos, but hey, not a bad score for something that's not actually nachos!
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/1dpE4El

Itasca Grill (Minneapolis Airport, MN): Nachos with Chicken

Yep, you read that right: airport nachos!  I've done bowling alley nachos (twice, actually), so why not Airport nachos?  Can you think of anything better to do on a layover in Minesota than eat nachos?  I didn't think so.  The reason that I ended up in Minnesota at the beginning of August was because my dear maternal Grandfather passed away on July 22nd.  He was a wonderful man, and I'm sure he would've wanted us all to enjoy ourselves while travelling to his funeral.  Nachos is one of the ways that I enjoy life, so this was perfect, especially because everything else having to do with air travel totally blows.

The nachos were surprisingly decent, with scallions, olives and jalapeños generously sprinkled on top and plenty of crispy chips and good cheese.  The guacamole ($1.69 extra) was obviously of the "Wholly Guacamole" variety from Costco which tastes a little weird but was probably the only choice, given the dearth of avocados in Minnesota.  Overall, I enjoyed this plate and it beat the hell out of the Burger King Sausage Croissandwich I had for breakfast on the return trip after being stranded in Minneapolis overnight (a whole other story that sucks so bad that I refuse to soil my nacho blog with it).

Rating: 3½ out of 5
Rating Notes:  Microwaved, but chips stayed crispy.  Real cheddar cheese (I was expecting platic cheese sauce). Chicken was of the pre-cooked variety with fake grill marks that the chef most likely just microwaved and cut into cubes.  Bonus ½ point for brightening my bereavement trip a little ;-)

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/15CNQCd

Side Note:
Besides being a nacho freak, I'm also a souvenir shot glass freak.  The Minneapolis Airport gift shop in concourse 'C' has the best selection of single-location souvenir shot glasses that I've ever seen!  They must've had 20-30 different types, including one style made out of wood.  Check it!:

There was even 1 more shelf above the ones you see that didn't fit into the frame in the tight quarters of the gift shop.  Wow!

Taqueria Lorenas (San Jose, CA): Chicken Nachos

Prologue:

Isn't it funny when you're trying to clear space off of your smartphone and you come across a photo that makes you say, "oh yeah, I forgot about that!"  This was one of those times.  In this case it was, "Oh yeah, geez, how long ago was it that I went to that place?  Long enough ago that I don't remember..."

Accompanying short story:

Ah, what a cute little plate of nachos. Worth the 15 minute drive from my work?  Only for the sake of nostalgia.  Well, almost.  My nostalgia in this case was misdirected because it turns out that the place I thought I was going to, which was actually down the street from Lorenas (and where a buddy of mine and I used to get tasty Mexican food) had had a truck drive through the side of it some years back and is now repaired but has some other business in the building.

The Review:

Like I said - kinda small plate of nachos.  And look closely:  see anything that looks odd?  Yes, another "authentic" taqueria that doesn't put any goddamn cheese on their "nachos"!  I should start printing out my "Origin of Nachos" post and  taping it to the front door of every place I've gone that doesn't put cheese on their "nachos".  The only saving graces were good chicken and decent chips.  Altogether not worth the drive.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Rating Notes: No cheese = no chance of a high score, no matter how good the meat and chips are.

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/13C0waq

BONUS POST: NACHO HALLS OF FAME AND SHAME!

When people hear that I'm a nacho freak and that I have a nacho blog with over 100 posts, they almost always ask me who has the best nachos, and sometimes they ask me what were the worst nachos I've ever had.  Well, here you go:  My top 5 and bottom 5 nacho experiences!

Hall of Fame (The top 5!)
An exceptional group of nachos that I'd go back for again and again!

Fifth Place: Angel's Rock House (Finley, CA): Nachos with Chicken

If you're ever in the Clear Lake area, be sure to stop in Finley for a plate of chicken nachos at Angel's Rock house.  Don't blink as you're driving by or you'll miss the whole town and won't get to try some great shredded chicken!
Rating: 4½ out of 5

Fourth Place: Taqueria Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA): Super Nachos with Chicken

Lots of sour cream and guacamole, homemade chips, and THE best tasting shredded Chicken that I've had anywhere!  If you're in Santa Cruz and looking for great nachos - these are an excellent choice!
Rating: 4½ out of 5

Third Place: Freebird's World Burrito (San Jose, CA): Small Nachos with Carnitas

This excellent go-to-the-counter-and-tell-them-what-you-want-on-your-plate not only blows Chipotle (overrated in my opinion) out of the water, but they also have the fixin's for an excellent plate of nachos.  Get both regular cheese as well as their homemade cheese sauce AND have them sprinkle a generous helping of their excellent barbecue sauce on top - trust me!
Rating: 4½ out of 5

Second Place: El Guapo's (Campbell, CA): Santiago Nachos with Carnitas

Don't let the styrofoam container fool you.  Although a little pricey, these nachos, in addition to excellent carnitas, are packing a unique blend of ingredients, including cheddar, pepper jack, and feta cheeses, giving them a rich, amazing flavor.  Great selection of salsas, too!
Rating: 4½ out of 5

First Place:  Rio Adobe (Cupertino, CA): Adobe Nachos with Adobado Pork

The best nachos I've had.  Tender, flavorful pork, a mix of cheddar and jack cheese, just the right amount of guacamole, salsa, and sour cream over a bed of crispy, chips.  And they're broiled, the only authentic way to cook nachos (99% of all places serving nachos microwave them - a travesty!)
Rating: 4¾ out of 5


Hall of Shame (The bottom 5...)
These are the nachos that never should've seen the light of day, or the darkness of my stomach...

Bad: La Playa (Fort Bragg, CA): Nachos with Carnitas

Don't you love it when you're vacationing and you stumble across great food?  This wasn't one of those times.  Don't let the decent presentation fool you: bland "barnyard"-tasting carnitas, overpriced, lame.
Rating: 2½ out of 5

Worse: Two Pesos Taqueria (Los Gatos, CA): Chicken Nachos

Look great, right?  Wrong!  Should literally have only cost two pesos.  Grilled, charred-tasting chicken that wasn't at all offset by the other assortment of ingredients.  Ugh.  These nachos ruined lunch on my birthday!
Rating: 2½ out of 5

Even Worse: El Tule Taqueria (San Jose, CA): Nachos with Chicken

Blaaaaaaannnndd, just like the black-and-white photo says.  Poor service at this place, too.
Rating: 2 out of 5

Just as bad as you'd expect: Taco Bell (Everywhere): Nachos Supreme

Don't get me wrong - I love plastic cheese (Taco Bravo nachos are one of my favorite low-line lunch feasts), but Taco Bell takes a glorious snack and turns it into processed junk.  I have to admit, though, that it's processed junk that I've eaten many many times ;-)
Rating: 2 out of 5

Oh, the humanity!!:  Del Taco (Campbell, CA): Macho Nachos with Chicken

For fast food nachos, these actually LOOK ok.  But what a horrible surprise the Del Taco patron is in for if they order this awful mess.  The chicken is salty, slimy, and disgusting.  If you must have nachos here, stick to the ground beef version, trust me.
Generous Rating: 2 out of 5

El Mejor Mexican Deli (San Jose, CA): Nachos with Carnitas

I came across El Mejor Mexican Deli on a bike ride down Capitol Expressway during one of my lunch hours.  I checked it out on Yelp and saw 4½ stars, making me look forward to my "Nacho Tuesdays" visit the next week.  Alas, this is one case where Yelp didn't provide reviews that corroborated with the quality of food or service.

I walked into the deli to find deserted tables and no one working the cash register.  I woman walked out from the back eventually and started putting together a to go order or something while ignoring me standing at the counter, obviously ready to order.  Eventually she yelled something in Spanish toward the kitchen, which, after 5 minutes or so, caused a friendly-looking, chubby-faced dude to emerge.  I ordered nachos with carnitas, a request that was met with a funny look from the guy, followed by him asking the indifferent lady something in Spanish, to which she answered something else in Spanish.  I got the vibe for a moment that they weren't able to serve me nachos or something, but the man eventually took my $9.52 ($6.50 for the nachos and $2.25 (ouch!) for the soft drink + tax) and I sat down.

After a relatively long wait - especially since there was NO ONE else in the place - my order was delivered to the table...

Just look at these.  Sloppy mess, I say!  The only saving grace in the presentation is the extra sprinkle of cheese on top and the shredded lettuce.  But even the lettuce, which is quite a rarety in the world of nachos (and that I really like, incidentally) didn't add enough charm to these mediocre cheese-covered chips.

Bland, dry, carnitas were the nail in the coffin for this sorry interpretation of my favorite food.

Rating:  3 out of 5

Rating Notes: Nothing more to say, other than the chips were decent and I was only able to get an okay level of overall flavor by dumping my entire bowl of salsa over the plate.

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/11wYGBW