"Friendsgiving Nachos" (Hastings, Barbados)

I apologize, the blog has been lacking. However, must admit it is hard to find new nacho spots on this island.  Anyways, didn't make it home for Thanksgiving as flights were too expensive so I decided to create a little friendsgiving celebration the following Saturday.  Surprisingly enough I don't have any American friends here in Barbados so I was able to introduce everyone to a new tradition.  Turkeys are also hard to find on this little island so we opted for whole chickens.  But, before we jump to the main course let's discuss appetizers.  Well, I have made a great new friend Henri, from Denmark who informed me that she'd be making some Mexican chips and dips to contribute to the feast.  Boy was I glad I had invited her.  Henri had spent two years at school in Mexico so I knew these dips were going to be delicious.  I was not disappointed.  When Henri arrived via bicycle she had managed to fit five bags of chips and two containers of dips in her basket.  She told me she had made a fresh, authentic guacamole and a black bean and cheese dip. WHOA is all I can say. Best guac I've had in my whole life hands down.  The flavor was out of this world.  Nice and spicy, with fresh lime juice, avocados and hot peppers.  Mhmmmm I couldn't stop eating..big surprise.  Then, there was the black bean dip..wow again! Not too salty as some bean dips can be, and just the right amount of kick. Both dips were outstanding as was our little Thanksgiving celebration. Would you believe that out of eleven of us eight countries were represented- Australia, Barbados, Canada, Denmark, England, Finland, US and Zimbabwe. Such a diverse mix and never a dull moment..except for when everyone passed out before the meal..had to explain its tradition to sleep afterwards..but that's what rum does to you. Greatest dips I've ever had. Guac gets a 10/10 and bean dip a 9.5/10.

Besos (East Greenwich, RI)

Last Thursday was a day of celebration.  One of my best friends, Ariana, got into vet school and turned 23!  "Nobody likes you when you're 23."  But Thursday, we loved her and tequila.  Started the night with a shot of Patron and things just went down/uphill from there, however you look at it.  Had dinner at Besos, a well known restaurant in EG on Main St.  The restaurant was really cool- bundles of birch trees adorned the inside along with eclectic mirrors and wallpaper.  The menu was extensive and you could find just about anything you'd ever imagine.  Ariana's mom went ahead and ordered some appetizers for the table- 2 orders of taquitos and an order of nachos.  The waitress insisted the portion was large for the nachos...I was skeptical.  Just as I had expected immediately when they arrived I knew that they would not be enough for our table.  So we went ahead and ordered a second serving.  The nachos were colorful- red, black and yellow corn chips were topped with a meat chili sauce, black beans, cheddar cheese, diced scallions and grated parmesan cheese.  Although the portion size was on the small side, the nachos were pretty good.  The grated parmesan cheese was a nice touch and added a little extra kick.  An abundance of toppings was distributed over all of the chips.  I thought these nachos were very good considering that I did not think I would find them at this restaurant.  The bottle of champagne I split, along with the two martinis were only the beginning.  The rest of the night turned out to be pretty wild, would write more about it if only I could remember.  I would definitely recommend this restaurant! The swordfish was amazing, as was the risotto.  The nachos were good, not the best, but a great way to coat my stomach for the evening.  Giving them a 7.7/10.

"Lobstah Nachos" Diego's (Newport, RI)

Just celebrated my 23rd birthday on Saturday..nothing too exciting about this birthday..so we'll call it the 2nd anniversary of my 21st.  Was a chilly night..but decided to head on over to Newport for dinner and some drinks.  I have been dying to try Diego's on the wharf for a while now.  The menu always looked like fresh, Cali style, Mexican food- homemade guac, fish tacos, and lobster nachos (which my mouth has been watering over for months).  So we stopped in and put our name on the list and were told that it would be about a 30 min wait so we headed on over to the nearest bar and had some birthday Kamakazee shots and coronas while we waited.  The air only seemed colder as the sun had gone down by the time we returned to the restaurant, but my friends are troopers and said they'd stick it out as we were seated outside on the patio.  The chairs all came with blankets which was such a great surprise and really thoughtful of Diego.  We started with a pitcher of margs (delicious) and the lobstah nachos and I was giddy with anticipation.  The nachos arrived and they were beautiful, so colorful and attractive.  I was in heaven.  The first bite was delicious! Lots of lobster meat on every chip.  Flavorful guacamole, sour cream, salsa, baja aioli, cheese and scallions topped the freshhhh, crispy chips.  It was such an exotic and unique experience I can't wait to go back and have them again.  A taste I can't completely explain, but amazing none the less.  The only complaint I would have is that lobster juices made some of the chips at the bottom a little soggy, but that's hard to fix.  Definitely a standout in my nacho adventure.  I'd also recommend the chocolate and banana empanadas...mhmmmmmm.  I'm giving them both a 9.3/10.

Tequila Joe's (Rodney Bay, St. Lucia)

I have to admit I was not impressed by the Hangover 2, it paled in comparison to the original and this weekend getaway could give that weak story line a run for its money.  So we started off this little adventure with a stop at the rum shop by the airport..then took a cab up to our nice little guesthouse in Rodney Bay.  The guest house was very cute and had a fantastic view.  We were so excited about our mini vacation that the rum drinking began immediately.  One stop at the gas station to pick up supplies and my friend Hamoon had already started to make some new island friends (meaning arguing with locals about getting cut in the line at the register), but anyway we were just excited to see how cheap the rum was on St. Lucia.  Picked up a large bottle of Bounty Rum, some cokes, and grapefruit juice and we were on our way.  Decided to sit out on our deck and enjoy our beverages to prepare for the weekly street party.  This street party takes place every Friday night.  Reggae music blares, the aroma of BBQ chicken, fresh fish, rum and Pitons (local beer) fill the air and locals and tourists alike come from all over the island to enjoy themselves.  So we made our way down to the street party around 9 after we decided that we needed to absorb some of the rum.  The party was great, kind of a blur honestly but lots of dancing and lots of drinking and some eating too.  So around 1:30 (early for us), but we'd been drinking since we got there, we made our way back to our little home by cab as we had heard it was a bit dangerous to walk up our street after dark.  There were only 3 amigos that went home early my friends Billy and Ally and myself.  Hamoon stuck around at the street party to make a few more "friends."  We decided we'd leave the door unlocked for Hamoon, not open, just unlocked.  Big mistake.  The next morning around 7am my friend Ally came into my room and said "Katie, we've been .....robbed!"  Obviously, it was a bit early to hear this, my head was still spinning.  But, I did catch a glimpse of my wallet open on the bedside table and saw my camera missing.  Ally informed me that Hamoon's computer had been stolen too.  Now, the funny thing is we were home when this happened and the lights were on.  So this robber must have had some real cojones.  We notified the guesthouse owner and he seemed very confused and it appeared that he did not believe us.  But, honestly why would someone lie about being burgled? (Billy's amazing word, imagine it in a concerned, British accent).  So we decided to lock all of our other belongings in one room, secure all of the windows, and lock the back door by way of tying a sheet to the couch as Hamoons ass had broken the key in the door the night before. Basically, we were screwed.  But, we decided to make the most of our trip so we headed down to the nearest car rental agency and rented one of the most reliable cars they had.....or so we thought.  We headed south and we very excited to swim in tall, glistening waterfalls and hot bubbling mud baths.  Well...about 30 minutes into this road trip the car's brakes began to fail.  Now, this is quite dangerous, as St. Lucia is all hills.  We call the car rental agency to notify them and they claim that the brakes were changed the previous day.  Seems hard to imagine.  But, also seems to be right on par with our magical weekend.  We keep trekking along, nothing can stop us.  We follow the map and the road signs to Diamond Falls, supposedly very impressive.  Well, we're scammed into paying to see this waterfall, only later to find it is forbidden to swim under it and be completely disappointed by its size and beauty.  We leave immediately and decide that maybe the mud baths will be more exciting.  Well, approximately 2 hours later we find ourselves hiking on a main road..that supposedly leads to the mud baths.  Coincidentally, it does not...45 minutes later, dripping sweat, the sun is scalding we find ourselves back in our car to realize that we made a turn only 800 yards too early.  We finally make it to the mud baths.  They're awesome actually.  You completely cover yourself in mud and then soak in a hot bath.  Your skin feels amazing afterwards.  We made our way back up the coast and decided it would be smart to have an easy night..so we walked around Rodney Bay a bit, had a few beers, then went home.  We all slept in the same room, just to be safe.  We went to the beach the next day, rode some jet skis, and then headed to lunch at Tequila Joe's.  Service was slow, but the cocktails were strong so we were content. We decided on the shrimp nachos to start.  They took a while, but were worth the wait.  The blue and yellow corn chips were topped with cheddar cheese, guacamole, and well seasoned shrimp.  Black beans could be found at the bottom, beneath the chips and sour cream and salsa came on the side.  The chips were nice and crunchy, obviously had been in the oven.  The shrimp and guacamole were delicious! The serving size looks small, but it was actually just right for the four of us.  I loved them and after the weekend we had had, it was a great finish!  However, the weekend was not completely over..we phoned our cab driver to pick us up for the airport...he arrived around 7:30.  We pile into to the cab.  We had a great time, but were actually excepted to be going back to Barbados.  Then, we hear a strange sound coming from beneath the car...the muffler is dragging....the muffler drags for the 25 minute ride back to the airport.  We are travelling at about 25 mph..it was greatest finale to the weekend.  We sounded like something out of Uncle Buck driving down the road.  Stares were coming from all directions and we just died laughing in the car.  St. Lucia you were great, but we won't be back anytime soon. The nachos get a 9.2/10.

Bert's Bar (Rockley, Barbados)

This sports bar is only down the road from Bubba's and I was recommended to try this place by my friend Ally who luckily shares my appreciation for nachos.  I have been to Bert's three times in the past two weeks and must admit the nachos are ranking high on the limited Barbados list.  Bert's is a great sports bar that caters to the Canadian hockey lovers and it features both indoor and outdoor seating, it's a cool layout.  I will write about the first time I visited Bert's and tasted these delicious nachos.  Lindsay was visiting Barbados for the third time and of course on top priority of our list of things to do was to scope out a new nacho spot.  Once again it was a rough Saturday afternoon that included crawling out of bed at about 2pm and passing out on the beach for a few hours while our stomachs calmed.  We decided that the best idea would be to grab some greasy food and we headed to Bert's.  We ordered chilli nachos, caeser salad and a pepperoni, mushroom and green pepper pizza...tell me you're not salivating at this very moment.  The nachos arrived and we dug right in.  The nachos had obviously been baked judging by the temperature of the plate, which I absolutely appreciate because of the way the cheese melts and becomes crispy in some sports.  The chips were covered in cheddar cheese, chilli, jalapeños and diced tomatoes, sour cream and salsa were served on the side.  As you can see from the picture I didn't even have enough self-control to wait before taking a photo of these babies.  The nachos were great!  The chips were warm and crunchy, cheese could be found on every layer and the chilli was just spicy enough.  The portion size was perfect for Lindsay and I.  I must admit at this time, they're my favorite on the island. I'm giving them a 9/10.

Bubba's Sports Bar (Rockley, Barbados)

It was a wonderful Saturday afternoon, St. Patrick's Day to be exact and I was really craving some nachos.  I've only had them once since I've been here and it was at Cafe Sol which I've already reviewed so I apologize for the lack of posts.  Now, I must admit I might have been a tad hungover on this glorious St. Paddy's Day because the night before I had been out at a place that offers unlimited drinks from 10-3.  This is dangerous add that I live directly across the street from this place haha, can't get much better than that. So my friend Ally and I decided to make it Splurge Saturday and we rented lounge chairs on the beach and ordered pina coladas like we were cruise tourists and then figured..go out for nachos? Why not! So we headed to this sports bar in Rockley called Bubba's that we had both never been to before, but I'd done my research and knew that they served nachos, plus how can you go wrong with a place called Bubba's when looking for healthy food ha.  When we got there we ordered the chilli nachos and a Caesar salad, can't go wrong with those two.  The nachos arrived very quickly, considering things in Barbados move at their own pace.  The nachos were topped with cheddar cheese and a chilli salsa, sour cream, jalapeños and guacamole were served on the side, but I dumped them right on top.  The nachos were fantastic! The chilli salsa had a great little kick to it and sort of like a curry taste which I don't usually prefer, but it added a unique flavor atop the crispy chips.  There was a perfect balance between toppings and chips which is usually hard to find.  We devoured the nachos, as expected and I scooped up every last bite.  They definitely aren't number one, but they sure did satisfy my cravings and my hangover! I'm giving them an 8.2/10.  Barbados remains at a 47/10.

"Two for Two" Mews Tavern (Wakefield, RI) 2nd review & Brick Alley Pub (Newport, RI) 2nd review

Yesterday was a momentous day for sure.  I had the pleasure of enjoying nachos twice in one day!   Amazingly enough, myself being such a nacho freak, I have never done that before. First stop was the Mews for a farewell lunch with my Aunt and Uncle and little cousin.  The Mews actually has a new menu and unfortunately one of the items that has been affected is the nachos.  The selection has decreased from about four different kinds of nachos to just one.  But, of course we were still getting them.  My Aunt ordered them right away as we sat down at the table, without even asking. Then I proceeded to order a Shirley Temple as did my seven year old cousin. Oddly enough mine came with no cherries and hers appeared to have four swimming at the bottom of the glass.  I think someone at the bar was trying to hint that I may be too old for them.  I will never be too old.  We get the chili on the side because my Aunt is a vegetarian.  The nachos arrived minutes later and they did appear to be much different from the old ones.  The cheese was not burnt on top of the chips as it has been in the past.  The chips were different, much thicker and so was the chili.  The chips were topped with tomatoes and black beans.  The chili was meaty-er too. Always a plus.  The nachos were served with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream on the side. The biggest disappointment was that the cheese was not evenly distributed throughout the layers.  The first layer of chips and cheese was outstanding! However, as you got beneath that first layer there was barely any cheese at all! I swear I saw 30 naked chips under there and it was colddd yesterday.  So for a return visit I definitely see an improvement, but please someone layer that cheese!  They get an even 8/10.  Next stop was the Brick Alley Pub, a personal favorite, with my two friends Sarah and Ariana. Sarah insisted that we had to get the nachos and I didn't disagree in the least.  She was actually with me on my last visit to Brick Alley when we had the Texas chili ones, this time we opted for the "Ultimate."  They came with freshly made tortilla chips (you can always tell the difference), cheddar-jack cheese, refried beans, salsa, sour cream and guacamole.  These nachos were exactly the opposite from the Mews.  We needed to ask for more chips because of the amount of cheese and beans oozing over every layer.  They were amazinggggg.   The guacamole tasted very fresh and the sour cream didn't not overpower the plate as it had on my last visit.  There was a lot of it, but it mixed in great with the salsa and beans.  The chips were buried beneath a beauty of a melted mixture of cheese and beans were a layer below that and I couldn't get enough.  We literally stuffed ourselves.  "Belly-bombed" as Sarah would say.  These nachos were great! The three of us are all very good eaters and we couldn't even finish them!  Definitely an upgrade from last time!! I'm giving them a 9/1/10.  Unfortunately, the picture doesn't work for the Mews, but here is Brick Alley's.

Thunder Burger (Georgetown, DC)

Decided to make a little sneaky trip down to DC to see some friends for New Years before I depart for Barbados. Just had my wisdom teeth out last Wednesday, have to say really not that bad at all. I think I was pretty lucky. Anyways, I did know that I couldn't have nachos immediately because if I tore my teeth stitches I knew I'd be in big trouble. So I waited two days. I arrived in DC Friday morning and went out to lunch at this amazing burger joint in Georgetown with my friend Dan. He had told me that I was writing too many nacho entries from RI so I knew I needed to make this next one a DC entry. We met at Thunder Burger around noon. It's really great inside. It's got this biker chic look going on- leather couches and chairs, cow skin scattered about, bright red walls, just neat and different. They have an amazing selection of burgers, one of my other favorite food groups, but they also have nachos! Chuck beef chili nachos to be exact. They were topped with salsa, guac, sour cream, of course covered in cheddar- jack cheese and piled high with this rich and chewy chili. They chips were blue corn, which is a personal favorite, and yellow corn. I thought the nachos were great, the portion size was perfect for two good eaters and the soggy chips at the bottom of the pile covered in toppings were just what I needed for my sore gums. I wish the nachos were a bit hotter, but that is probably the only thing I would change. The chuck beef chili was amazing. The beef was tender and succulent and the texture was much better than the standard ground beef based chili. Definitely a great afternoon! I'm giving them an 8.5.