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

Taco Bell (Everywhere): Cool Ranch Doritos Locos... Taco??

Ok - I know.  This is a taco.

BUT, it's a taco made in a shell that's technically a chip - a Cool Ranch Dorito chip to be exact - just one that's round a folded into a 'U' shape.  If you threw a dozen of these on a plate, you'd have a bunch of chips with stuff on them - isn't that what a plate of nachos is?

Alright - so maybe this is a big stretch, but who cares?  This shit is good - and cheap!

BTW - you'd think that the Nacho Cheese version of this would be better and more nacho-y tasting.  Wrong!  The Cool Ranch version wins!

Side note:  This has inspired me to make a plate of nachos using Cool Ranch Doritos instead of regular corn chips!  Stand by for a future post...

Rating: One of the best $1.69 worth of junk food I've ever eaten!

Rating Notes:  Can't put this on the same scale as nachos - tacos aren't nearly as awesome!

Map to Location: http://www.tacobell.com

Taqueria El Coral (San Jose, CA): Nachos with Spicy Pork

Those of you who have been reading my blog for at least the past 6 months or so know that this is a repeat visit, but I have a good excuse!  Last time, the nachos here scored a 4½ out of 5.  Great presentation, great taste, and decent price.  And this great little taqueria is only 5 minutes from my new office!

This time, instead of carnitas (see last El Coral post) I ordered my nachos with Spicy Pork, which is, from what I can surmise, what El Coral calls al pastor.  Once again, a great plate of nachos and the al pastor was really flavorful and tender, especially for a grilled meat.  The only drawbacks?  A little too much fat (had to spit out a couple pieces of meat) and chips that were hard and crunchy enough (stale?) to make me fearful of chipping a tooth or stabbing the roof of my mouth.  Thankfully, neither happened.  The only side effect was a really full stomach!

Rating: 4 out of 5

Rating Notes: ½ point lower rating this time because of the fatty meat and dangerous chips!

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

Taqueria La Mordida (San Jose, CA): Super Nachos with Chicken

Uh oh!  This could be dangerous.  A taqueria literally within 100 yards of my new job?  I'm really going to have to control myself - especially after the rave reviews that my coworkers have given the place.

Aide note: Starting a new job is always a big adjustment, but there are bright sides beyond the obvious ones of a steady paycheck and health insurance, one of them being that a change of location equals a whole new slew of taquerias at which to sample my favorite cuisine!  Admittedly, my new job is only 5 miles from my old one, but this puts me closer to places that I was too lazy to drive to when I worked in Campbell.

Walking into Taqueria La Mordida, I was really optimistic and hopeful.  The last time I lived or worked this close to a place that served real nachos was... never!

For the order, I chose to go with my old standby,  Super Nachos with shredded chicken.   They look good, don't they?  Well, let's just say that this time I really think I chose the wrong meat selection.  While the meat tasted fine, there was very little of it and it wasn't really shredded (I got one piece that was the size and shape of a silver dollar, albeit thicker - weird).  Up sides?  Real, deep-fried tortilla chips which are a must for a great plate of nachos, and a nice portion of pico de gallo, sour cream, and guacamole.

Next time (and there WILL be a next time in the near future, considering the serendipitous location of this taqueria) I'm going to go with a different meat selection.  A coworker of mine was eating a torta from this place with al pastor pork in the office the other day and it looked and smelled amazing.

Update (9/17/2014):  As you may have assumed, I've returned to La Mordida many times in the past 1+ year that I've worked at DeVero and of course, I've tried different stuff.  Here's a picture of my favorite nachos that they have to offer:

"Super Nachos con Al Pastor!"

These are easily your best bet nachos and raise the score for this taqueria by a full point!

Revised Rating (Al Pastor): 4 out of 5 (was 3 out of 5)

Revised Rating Notes: Get the Al Pastor!  The chicken at La Mordida isn't very good.  Great chips, didn't overdo it on the cheese, and all required ingredients present and accounted for.

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/11sW0td

Bonus Post: Let's Taco 'Bout It!

My awesome friend, Steve R, showed me this hilarious video and it's a perfect nacho blog bonus post.  Enjoy!

Ruby's Tamales y Más (Saratoga, CA): Nachos with Chicken

Alas, my nacho wing-woman declined to accompany me to lunch today of all days when I ended up returning to a taqueria, formerly know as Cazuela's, now as 'Ruby's Tamales y Más".  Our previous visit to this location had been bittersweet - bitter because they were closing this taqueria that my wing-woman used to frequent with her family, and sweet because the chicken mole that covered my nachos was awesome.

This time, I went with my standby, shredded chicken nachos (they offer both grilled or shredded chicken).  I should have gone with the grilled chicken.  How do I know this, having ordered shredded chicken?  For some reason, hidden beneath the sparse layer of shredded chicken atop the nachos was a moderate portion of grilled chicken that was far superior in flavor.  I'm not sure why they did this, but once I tried the grilled chicken I didn't complain.  It was much more tender and juicy than most grilled chicken I've tasted and had a smooth, savory seasoning applied.  A happy mistake or a sneaky cook?  I don't know and I don't care...

Rating: 3½ out of 5

Rating notes:  Quite a run of 3½ out of 5's I'm having here, eh?  Despite the tasty grilled chicken, there was no guacamole and the chips, while crispy, got soggy very quickly.  That, combined with having so little cheese that I almost didn't notice it made for a less than stellar plate.  Excellent salsa bar, though.  Their tomatillo salsa was some of the best I've ever had.

Map to Location: http://mapq.st/107THJh

Dia de Pesca (San Jose, CA): Nachos with Prawns

There are a few things to remember, should you visit Dia de Pesca and partake of their "Si Food" (I didn't make that up - it's on their sign - awesome pun!).  First, their fish tacos are the best I've had, anywhere, and you can choose from numerous different types of meat, ranging from salmon, to halibut, to shrimp, to chicken or beef on any of their menu items.  Second, watch out when you park.  Their lot is ludicrously small for how many people show up at lunch time and you can get a stiff ticket if you park on the wrong side street (I know from experience - $90 ticket the first time I went here - that's one expensive-assed lunch outing).  Lastly, don't waste your time and order "Si Food" nachos.  It just wasn't meant to be...

Yes, I thought I'd be all gourmet and order their tasty prawns atop my nachos.  Note to self: shrimp and cheese do not go together.  I should have learned that when I ate some very disappointing shrimp nachos at Wahoo's.  These were definitely better than Wahoo's, simply because the prawns were mouthwatering -  probably sauteed in garlic butter or something - and the nachos were topped with an orange sauce reminiscent of La Victoria's famous concoction.  I was disappointed, though, to find half-melted cheese, indicating a short stint in a microwave oven rather than a proper broiling or baking.  Obviously, nachos are not Dia de Pesca's specialty, but I'll definitely be back for fish tacos someday...

Rating: 3½ out of 5
Rating Notes: My fault for not ordering a complimentary meat for my nachos, but these still would have been pretty average.  Go there for their Fish tacos, not their nachos.
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/16gDIw4