Cucina Twist (Wakefield, RI)

The greatest part about being at home and celebrating a sibling's graduation is the excuse to go out to dinner every night of the week.  The second greatest thing is having a grandfather around who likes eating just as much as I do.  "Don't be shy, Katie, you eat that last nacho." Music to my ears.  It usually sounds something like this. "Kate, save some for everybody else or aren't you getting a cheeseburger too?"  Well little Liz graduated high school on Tuesday and we went out after for drinks and appetizers at Cucina Twist after the ceremony.  Traditionally, an Italian restaurant I was pleasantly surprised to see "Loaded Nachos" listed under appetizers.  I was told that it was Liz's night and she was allowed to order whatever she wanted.  I started off with a Blue Moon and a shirley temple while we waited for Liz to decide.  She chose Brushetta, Calamari Giovanni, a few grilled pizzas, and..... then looked over at me and said, "Kate- nachos? I knew we were sisters for some reason.  The appetizers arrived and by some miracle the waitress knew just where to place them.  It was the most interesting presentation I have ever seen.  Now the menu claims to serve tri-colored chips, but all I saw was orange and I loved it.  Orange is one of my favorite colors and it just jumped ahead of yellow after doing such a great job at pleasing my taste buds.  The orange chips were layered with a cheddar-jack cheese, tomatoes, jalepenos, black beans, corn, fresh salsa and sour cream.  We ordered the chili on the side-Liz is still pretending to be a vegetarian.  The nachos were fresh, crunchy, and proportionally covered with toppings.  The serving size was great, everyone at our table of 12 was able to have a few bites and then some.  The chili was good, not excellent-could have been a bit spicier.  The only improvement I would make to the nachos is add some extra cheese to the bottom layer.  You could tell someone in the kitchen made an effort to layer the nachos well and they did, but a few chips were lacking cheese in the underbelly.  If you're ever at Cucina Twist I would definitely recommend trying these orange nachos and a side of the Calamari Giovanni-it's to die for. I'm giving these babies an 8.2/10.

Cafe Sol (St. Lawrence Gap, Barbados)

I recently visited Barbados for a second time in only two months. I just got back on Wednesday and I must admit I'm falling in love with the place. The people, the beaches, the food, the music- the whole lifestyle intrigues me. When I was in Barbados for the 1st time all I wanted to try was Cafe Sol's nachos. I read about the restaurant before my trip and had discovered that it was the only Mexican restaurant on the entire island of Barbados. I knew it was fate when I found out that it was only a two minute walk from my hotel. Unfortunately, Cafe Sol was closed down in the fall because of a fire, but it had relocated only a few doors down. The new restaurant was scheduled to open the week before I arrived in March, but just my luck, it was rescheduled to open the day after I left. I was so disappointed that I wasn't able to try Cafe Sol's nachos, that I decided a trip back was necessary as a graduation present to myself. We were back exactly two months later. I was thrilled to be back on the island and couldn't wait to have a delicious plate of nachos. We went to Cafe Sol on the first night of our trip, but the appetizers were expensive and we had decided we were going to come back a second time for them. We never made it back that week to try the nachos, but fortunately my friend Eleanor had trouble with her green card and my vacation was extended for a few days! It was a sign. We went immediately to Cafe Sol after booking a few more nights at our hotel and ordered the ultimate nachos which consisted of chicken, steak, beef, queso, guacamole, sour cream, beans, and salsa. The meat was exceptional. Every piece of steak was juicy and succulent, the chicken was delicious, and the beef was just spicy enough. The plate was huge. However, Eleanor and I were not intimidated, we polished them off in about 15 minutes-impressive/disgusting I know. The salsa was amazing! One of the best I've had-not too much salt, chunks of fresh tomato, nice amount of cilantro and lime juice. The only thing I would have changed about these nachos was the cheese. I don't prefer queso-I love melted cheddar cheese atop my chips. The queso had little flavor and it didn't add much to the dish. Overall the meats were juicy and delicious, the salsa was one of the best I've had and the view was amazing! Because I love Barbados so much and location of this restaurant, I'll cut some slack for Cafe Sol's choice of cheese. I'm giving them an 8.9.

Nationals Park (Southeast, DC)

Take me out to the ball game...take me out to the crowd...buy me some nachos and Heineken...I don't care if the Nationals win! It was a gorgeous Monday night in the city and we decided to head down to Nationals park to watch a baseball game. Going to a Nats game has been on my list since I came to college and I decided to make it happen during my last week here. I was so excited to just have a beer and a hot dog and watch the game. Nachos were ridiculously expensive, but I was starving so they were added to my meal. Now, they're baseball park nachos, so I wasn't expecting someone to be scooping out avocado in the back and whipping up some fresh guac or homemade salsa. The nachos had the basics-chips, cheese, chili, diced jalapeños, and sour cream plopped on top. The chili wasn't too thick or spicy and the jalapeños gave each bit that extra kick. The only thing I didn't love about the nachos was that the cheese wasn't melted. It was strewn on top of the chips and melted only because of the warm chili that was poured on top, so some of the cheese remained in the shredded form. But, the nachos were satisfying and they complemented my Heineken perfectly. I would give them a 5.5- did the job.

Busboys and Poets (Washington, DC)

Now, regretting that I had never made my way out to this place before. Really great vibe, excellent food, and eclectic artwork, Busboys and Poets truly captures DC's history in a unique light. The restaurant has a bookstore inside which also features fair trade products such as jewelry, pottery, and clothing. It's a great place to look around while you're waiting for a table. Went in on rainy Friday night. There were no performers that evening- but I've heard the live poetry readings and bands are entertaining and a bring a unique element to the dining experience. The hosts and servers were very friendly. The dimly lit dining room carries such energy from the artwork strewn along the walls. Of course, I had taken a gander at the menu before arriving. The fact that the appetizers section featured nachos was an added bonus, I had planned on going to this place anyways. My sister was in town and I wanted to take her somewhere different, somewhere truly "DC" and I thought this would be a great place to go and it was. We ordered the nachos-didn't see that one coming did you? They were wonderful. Served on blue corn chips (a personal favorite) with cheddar cheese, guacamole (delicious), pico de gallo, jalapeños, roasted corn, beans, and sour cream. I asked for some chili on the side (Liz gave up meat). The nachos were delicious the combination of the roasted corn, cheese, beans, and refreshingness of the guac filled my mouth with flavor. The chili had a sweet taste, but a great kick. Overall I think what I loved most about this plate of nachos was their presentation. The blue corn chips with the contrasting guacamole and corn brought such color to the dish. Blue corn chips had a better crunch and taste in my opinion. The pico de gallo was delicious and the chili had excellent flavor. Definitely a competitor in the DC region. I'm giving them an 8.8. Also a must-falafel mhmmm best in the city!

"Irish Nachos" District 2 (Van Ness, DC)

So, I thought it was about time that I added a little variety to this page. I realize that I have an awful lots of posts about chili nachos and when I set out on this nacho adventure I was hoping to embark on all kinds of interesting nacho dishes. However, I tend to only come across pretty standard nacho platters and I'm afraid my posts might be becoming a bit monotonous. So, I saw that District 2 had Irish nachos which used kettle potato chips as the base instead of the standard tortilla chip- I thought this would be a great chance to mix it up a bit, man what a disappointment.

A few friends and I hiked it up to District 2 last week, purely because I had been wanting to try these nachos for a while now. I really appreciate my friends and their patience. When we arrived we immediately ordered some drinks and the Irish nachos. The waitress said that they no longer served them on the kettle chips and that they've now converted to the tortilla. Man, was I bummed. I hesitated for a minute as she asked if that was okay...she seemed to think it was absolutely fine. I on the other hand was completely disappointed. I sat there pouting for a a few minutes and then agreed that I would still have them. I had been so excited to try the Irish nachos and add something a little different to my resume as nacho connoisseur. The nachos came out a few minutes later and they looked sad and I was sad. They were just blah-white corn chips with a cheese fondue sauce scattered on top of them. The sour cream was chunky. The guacamole had little flavor and the salsa was eh. I mean I ate them of course, but was not pleased with them. The chips had no flavor, no salt, no crunch and the cheese probably only covered 50% of them. I was not happy, so I was forced to order another drink. So I would say skip the nachos at District 2, but the fried pickles are a MUST! I promise I was skeptical too, just try them and you'll die.

I give the nachos a 2.2/10 and the pickles a 9.3/10 for my girl Snooki.

Clyde's "St. Patrick's Day Nachos" (Chinatown, DC)

Last Thursday happened to be one of my favorite holidays of the year, behind my birthday that is. It was St. Patrick's Day, I had just purchased some ridiculous 2 foot green and orange Dr. Seuss style hat off the street and been spray painted green by a homeless man so I decided it was time for dinner. My friend Maria gets to have the pleasure of celebrating this fine holiday along side her own birthday. She's one lucky girl. We had planned on going to an Irish pub for dinner, seeing as it only seemed right to have corn beef and green beer to celebrate March 17th, but of course there was a four hour wait and we were starved. We made our way over to Clyde's in Chinatown-it's a great restaurant, lots of options, nothing spectacular, but good ol' American food. There was a large group of us out that night and we decided appetizers would be too difficult/expensive to share amongst everyone. Well they decided. I had made up my mind-it was my second favorite holiday of the year and ninth down on the list of Starters was Chili Nachos and I was getting them. When it was my turn to order I think I turned some heads, as no one was expecting to have any appetizers that evening. But, when they arrived no one seemed hysterical that I had ordered them, after all how many pieces of bread can you have to trick yourself into thinking you're not starving. Mhmmm and they were great! Nice big pile of fresh, crunchy chips layered with a sweet, meaty chili, cheese, salsa, sliced jalapeños and sour cream. Now, the one thing I truly loved about these nachos was their size and the flavor of the chili. The nachos were big enough to allow everyone at our table of 10 quite a healthy sampling. The chili was wonderful, sweet and spicy at the same time. It's listed as ground beef on the menu, but it was definitely an authentic chili with beans. It's always a problem at the end when there are too many chips and not enough toppings, I never seem to mind it when the scenario is the opposite. This plate offered an overload of toppings, but they don't give you forks for nothing. So scoop it all up and enjoy. Definitely a great night out and that was only the appetizer. I give them a 8.3/10.

Lucky Horseshoe Steakhouse (Worthings, Barbados)

So, I just got back from my last spring break trip to Barbados last night. Man am I bummed to have to be back at school today. First of all I recommend Barbados to everyone-it is an amazing island with amazing people, awesome nightlife, beautiful beaches, delicious restaurants and NACHOS. I of course had been doing a little research before I left for Barbados to look for some restaurants that served nachos. Unfortunately, the only Mexican restaurant on the island was closed down because of a fire it had last fall. It was supposed to open last week, but the opening was postponed till today, so I missed it-now forcing me to book a return trip to the island.

But, luckily on our drive home from the beach one day in a van/bus I was hanging out the window and happened to catch a glance at a restaurant menu while at a red light. I swore I thought I saw nacho platter, but wasn't quite sure. So, later that night I decided to go on a nacho hunt. Couldn't quite remember where the restaurant was, but I was willing to do whatever it took to find some nachos. It was day four on my trip and I was desperate for the savory snack. Luckily the restaurant I had driven by earlier in the day wasn't too far from our hotel-only a 20 minute walk on a sketchy, unlit street (gotta do what ya gotta do). But, there it was The Lucky Horseshoe Steakhouse (it was exactly like it sounds) tacky. I immediately ran up to the menu out in front of the restaurant and nearly teared up when I realized I had been right. There it was under starters-Americano Nacho Platter. I was ready. Realizing by the decor of the restaurant these wouldn't be the best nachos I had ever tasted, but desperate times call for desperate measures. The nachos came out quite quickly considering we were dining in the Caribbean (very laid back, service is pretty slow). They were a colorful batch- red, black and yellow chips covered in cheddar cheese (Barbados cheddar is sharper, but it was good), chicken, jalapeños, sour cream and a delicious homemade salsa. The nachos weren't great, they were good. I would say their presentation and the fact they were probably the only ones I could find on the island made them seem a whole lot better. I enjoyed every bite. My favorite thing about them would definitely have to be the homemade salsa, it was delicious. The sour cream had a weird consistency I tried to steer clear of that and the chicken was distributed quite sparsely. But, I wasn't expecting much so I was satisfied. I was so happy that I had found them. So if you're ever desperately craving nachos while on a trip to Barbados I would recommend the Lucky Horseshoe-it served its purpose. I would give them a 6.4/10. I would give Barbados a 47/10.