Taqueria Cazadores (Santa Clara, CA): Nachos with Chicken

Sometimes, to get good food, ya gotta go to the "wrong" side of the tracks.  Not that anywhere in the city of Santa Clara is nearly as "wrong" as the funky parts of some cities in California, but hopefully you get my drift.  This little taqueria with 90% comfy booth seating (Nice!) is located off of Lafayette near Monague Expressway in a somewhat hidden strip mall.  20 minutes from my office, but worth the trip (and risk?).  Sorry - I'm over-doing it.  For the most part, the folks at Cazadores (Spanish for hunters) didn't over-do it on the nachos.  Characteristics of this plate fall into 3 categories:

Underdone:
- Cheese microwaved with some unmelted shreds hanging out on one side of the plate
- Under-ripe avocado (althought I love "pure" guacamole, I would rather they'd mixed the slices up with something else to mask this)
- My friend had to mix  of their salsas together (pico de gallo and roasted salsa) to get something that was really tasty, although the creamy green salsa (tomatillo and avocado?) was pretty good, if not a bit too spicy)

Just right:
- Chicken in a sauce that tasted a lot like enchiladas (bonus!)
- Home-made fried tortilla chips.
- I Remembered to hold the beans
- Their Logo...

...awesome, eh?  Looks like a cross between a jackalope, a lion, and a deer!

Overdone:
- Come on - just because I used a Google Wallet voucher ($5 for $10 of food), you add a $1 gratuity?  And you didn't even walk our food over to our table?  Puh-leaze!
- $3 for a 16 ounce bottle of Coke?  Ouch.
- $10.93 total for nachos and a can of coke is seriously pricey - thank God I had the Google voucher!

Rating: 3½ out of 5
Rating Notes:  Above average chicken, built-in enchilada taste and home-fried chips will get me every time!  Could have done with some better avocado/guacamole and salsa.  Questionable neighborhood.
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/M0cY8f

Taqueria Santa Cruz (Santa Cruz, CA - duh!): Super Nachos with Chicken

Best

Chicken

So

Far!

Wow - just when I thought I'd reached the pinnacle of shredded chicken (Pollo) goodness with Angel's Rock House and would never find anything even better, I come to this place and am blown away.  No contest, this is the best meat I've had on nachos anywhere (Rio Adobe's Adobado Pork is probably a close second if we're counting every type of meat).  No salsa on this batch, but the guacamole, sour cream, and jalapenos mixed in with the tasty chicken had the overall flavor of a delectable plate of chicken enchiladas, my next-favorite Mexican food.

Incidentally, I discovered this place while I was with my buddy, getting food for "Man Movie Night".  We were passing by on our way to Taqueria Vallarta and he said, "That place is pretty good." I said, "Really?  Should we go there?"  "Sure."  One fateful U-turn later, there we were, getting what would become my go-to chicken nachos in Santa Cruz.  Nice!

Rating: 4½ out of 5

Rating Notes: Also included home-made deep-fried tortilla chips like God intended!  Would have hit the magic 5 if it had pico de gallo and no beans.

Cautionary Note: You see that pinkish-red salsa on the right in the photo?  Stay away from it.  Tasted like a cross between pico-de-gallo, and sauerkraut and almost burned my face off.  Nasty stuff!

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/Khzz4j

Mariscos El Rincon Restaurant (San Jose): Supreme Nachos with Chicken

For this "Nacho Tuesday" excursion, I ventured almost 10 miles (gasp) from my workplace.  A Friend had recommended it to me, so I called him up, picked him up, and off we went.  How was it?  Lemme just say that the company was the best part of my lunch (and there was a waitress who was pretty easy on the eyes, too!)

These nachos reminded me of a Playboy model.  You look at the picture, drooling  because she looks so incredibly appetizing, so perfect, so put-together, but once you get to know her, there's a good chance that she won't be at all compatible with your tastes.  All the elements were there - shredded chicken, chips, sour cream, guacamole, real cheese - but upon taking a bite, I found bland chicken, mediocre chips, watered-down sour cream, and not enough guacamole (the guacamole was actually pretty darn good).

Rating: 3 out of 5
Rating Notes: I'll take the Playboy model instead.
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/LBWIKE

Taco Bell (Everywhere): Beefy Nacho Burrito

You all knew that sooner or later I'd return to the site of my first nacho blog post.  Why did I do it?  Wouldn't you if you loved nachos and heard that they'd invented a burrito with nachos inside it?  That's right, nachos in a convenient, portable, edible package!  Word.

So, what was it like to eat such a glorious creation?  Well, let's not forget that this is Taco Bell.  BUT, I do like a bit of plastic cheese every now and then, and the chips stayed surprisingly crunchy from beginning to end.  Of course, that may be due to some crazy Clark-Griswold-inspired food additive but that's to be expected when you venture into the realm of fast food.  And I must admit that I loved the idea of being able to eat nachos while I was driving home.  Try that with a "normal" plate of nachos and it'll be the last nachos you ever eat!

Even though it's par for the course, I must point out the stark difference between the picture in the Ad and what this thing actually looks like when you unwrap it an take a bite:

Look how the chips, meat, "cheese" and sour cream playfully spring forth from the burrito in the ad, as if to say, "Hey!  There's a party in here!  Come on over!"  Then look at the dark, cheesy pit of despair that is the reality of this fast food creation in real life.  Would I eat one again?

Hell yes!  Doesn't everyone love to huddle up in a dark cheesy pit of despair every now and then?

Rating: 3 out of 5
Rating Notes:  It gained 1/2 a point for being portable, but lost 1/2 a point for not actually being a plate of nachos.  Surprisingly good taste!
Map to Location: If you really need me to tell you where to find a Taco Bell then you're probably living somewhere that there aren't any...

Taqueria Tlaquepaque #2 (San Jose): Super Nachos with Carnitas

Great name!  And there are 3 of these in San Jose.  Try saying Tlaquepaque (tuh-lock-way-pock-way) 3 times in a row!  Wait - no - #1 is closed for some reason, so just say it twice!

So, from what I heard from a semi-reliable source, this mini-chain of taquerias is home of some of the best carnitas around.  Impressive, considering how many taquerias there are within a 10 mile radius of it!  But…

Take a look at the picture in my previous post (Al Pastor #2), then take a look at the picture in this post.  Do the math.  Actually, don’t even do the math (my apologies, I should never ask my readers to do math!), just look.  Yep, no comparison.  To their credit, the chips were great – can’t go wrong with the home-made deep-fried tortilla type.  Good guacamole and salsa, too.  I’d eat here again if I were in the neighborhood.  My friend’s cheese enchiladas were very tasty and enchiladas are my second favorite Mexican food!

Rating: 3½ out of 5

Rating Notes: Disappointing carnitas, but great chips and good cheese, salsa, and guacamole.

Map to location:  http://mapq.st/L4oRNB

Tacos Al Pastor 2 (San Jose, CA): Nachos with Carnitas

I don't care what anyone says.  Questing for the best nachos never gets boring!  2 more reasons for this that came out of this nacho excursion:

1. When you have really good meat, it's a whole different experience.  Take the awesome carnitas on these nachos for example. Big, tender, flavorful chunks of pulled pork and plenty of it made me devour this entire plate without even thinking about it.  Some of the best meat I've had anywhere.  When the meat sucks or is mediocre, he whole experience becomes nothing more than a way to fill your stomach.  When the meat is this good, every bite is pleasurable and you hope your stomach never fills up!

2. This may be silly, but the fact that this place had a mascot, "El Taquito" and the character that add's to the dining experience makes a difference to me!  It means that the owners didn't just open yet another taqueria, they took the time to create something extra to be remembered by.  Give me an El Taquito sticker - I'll stick it on my window!

Rating: 4 out of 5
Rating Notes: These could have scored higher, but the miniscule amount of cheese that had cooled to the point that it glued the chips to the plate plus the lack of sour cream and pico de gallo made these a bit dry overall and hurt the rating.  Thankfully, that could be easily remedied by some customizing of the order.
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/JS1Lu7

Mondo Burrito (Santa Clara, CA): Mondo Nachos with Spicy Shredded Beef

This super-popular taqueria, with an excellent name is located right next to Santa Clara University and is almost always hoppin' at lunch time, especially on Fridays.  We got lucky and walked in right before a big rush.  This being my first time here, I was happily surprised by their point-to-what-you-want style of food preparation.  Kind of like the all-the-rage "Chipotle" chain of taquerias but with better prices and more choices.  I ordered my nachos with the jack/cheddar cheese mix, spicy shredded beef, olives, green onions, tomatoes, sour cream and guacamole.  Aside from cringing when I saw them melt the cheese in a microwave, it was refreshing to be able to watch my nachos being built the way I wanted - cool!  Combine that with a surprisingly friendly and talkative cashier, great-tasting green salsa, decent chips and  the ability for this nacho fan who is getting a bit more health conscious to get a "half-order" and it all added up to a tasty and pleasant dining experience.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rating Notes: Would have been a 3½ due to the lackluster flavor of the beef, but they scored an extra ½ point for the novel build 'em how you like 'em setup.  AND I might have given these a 5 or at least a 4½ if they'd let me take home that cool inflatable Corona biplane that's hanging from the ceiling!

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/Kn1H0D

Puerto Azul (San Jose, CA): Super Nachos with Chicken

Ha!  You thought that this place would have a blue door, didn’t you?  Actually, it's white, BUT the awning, and walls on the way into this quaint little restaurant are definitely blue as can be!  I certainly wasn't feeling "azul" at all when this appetizing-looking plate of nachos was delivered to our table.  They had everything a plate of nachos should: shredded chicken, sour cream, guacamole, jalapeños and tomatoes.  The chips were even of the home-made, fried tortilla variety (the REAL tortilla chips that every taqueria and Mexican restaurant SHOULD be serving!).  So why didn't they score higher?

No, you presumptuous nacho lover, it wasn't because I couldn't see them due to the light reflecting off of the giant soccer (fooootbol) trophies in the corner.

It wasn't because I was distracted by the multiple shark jaw skeletons they had hanging on the wall.

It wasn't even because of the stale-looking buffet right next to our table that only one person visited the entire time we were eating lunch.

It was because like many restaurants that specialize in seafood, they don't take a lot of care in the flavoring of their more pedestrian meat selections.  In this case some fairly bland chicken.  That said, I'd definitely walk through the puerto azul again to try some of their tasty-sounding seafood options!

Rating: 3½ out of 5

Rating Notes: Maybe I should have had them put some shrimp or fish on them?  I'm a little averse to trying shrimp nachos again at this point because of the Wahoo's fiasco (see previous post).

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

Wahoo's (San Jose, CA): Shrimp Nachos

So, I know the question on everyone's mind is, did I say "WAHOO!" after tasting these promising Shrimp Nachos?  Sadly, no.  I didn't even say it backwards ("OOHAW!") which sounds only slightly less festive.  As you can see in the picture, everything came separately with this order, which to me means one of two things to me:

1. They weren't confident enough to assemble their plate of nachos so they separated all of the ingredients and left it up to me

OR

2. They wanted to show off the Shrimp included with this order of nachos and decided that the best way to do that was to not put anything on top of them.  But why the heck would they do this if there were only 6 (count 'em) shrimp visible in the sloppy sea of melted cheese that dominates the plate?

Shrimp nachos should be good like the excellent ones I've eaten at Tu Mero Mole.  These were simply disappointing.  No more to say.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Rating Notes: Yes, there was as much cheese as it looks like, and no, the shrimp weren't as tasty as they look.

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/IoO4lQ

300 (San Jose): Nachos with Chicken

Yes, these are as big as they look (see dollar bill next to them for comparison.  And no, I wasn't pleasantly surprised by an unexpectedly great-tasting "diamond in the rough" batch of nachos at a bowling alley of all places...  Actually, this was more of a "lump of coal in a Tiffany store" moment.  Considering the relatively trendy, pricey bowling experience you get at '300' and some of the other, better-executed menu selections at this admittedly cool bowling alley, I'd have expected a kickass plate of nachos.  Alas, all they really have going for them is sheer size.  We had a party of 8 people and didn't polish off this plate.

Side note: Got an extra $10k laying around?  Rent the "Back 9", a 9-lane, 50k sq ft private bowling suite for you and 699 of your closes friends or colleagues and have a high-brow bowl-o-rama (drinks not included in price, but there is a private bar).

Rating: 2½ out of 5

Rating Notes: Decent chips, tons of plastic cheese, and lots of pretty terrible grilled(?) chicken

Map to location (San Jose Franchise): http://mapq.st/IoKYOC