Grill on Main (East Greenwich, RI)

Since I've been home I've been trying to be really good about saving money for Barbados.  Having a financial planner for a mother makes that task a joy.  So, when I decide to go out to dinner I have to know it's going to be good.  And if my friend who's allergic to wheat sacrifices her digestive tract for some nachos I know they're going to be delicious.  My friend Ariana has been talking about this restaurant and their nachos for a while now.  So, naturally I've been dying to try them.  We decided to go last night, pre-binge drinking escapades, to coat our stomachs.  The Grill on Main is a great locals pub with dark wood paneling, a large bar area and a friendly atmosphere.  All of the food on the menu looked good, some better than others. Guess which some I'm talking about.  Loaded nachos baby.  I was ready to eat, so we ordered them right away.  Our waitress was friendly, but one of those talkative types, you get the whole life story and can't tell if she's sincere or just talking about having a 10 month old at home expecting more pity tips.  Anyways the nachos arrive and they look scrumptious.  They are the perfect size for sharing amongst two or three people, depending on your level of glutton-ness.  The tri-colored chips are served on a long white plate which adds a little sophistication to their presentation.  The chips are covered with chili, cheese, salsa, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, olives, lettuce and sour cream.  Everything tasted really fresh, nothing was too greasy or too heavy and after devouring them I was left with a satisfied feeling rather than a bloated one.  The only change I would make would be to spread out the toppings more evenly as some chips were left bare.  Otherwise the yellow, blue, and red chips were crispy and crunchy just the way I like them and were the perfect base for the "loaded" toppings.  They were great! I would have them for breakfast tomorrow.  I'll have to call and see if they're open.  The nachos get a 8.6/10.  Our night out in Newport following the feast receives a 14/10.  Love me a shwasted Saturday!

Tucker's Bistro (Newport, RI)

On special recommendation of my friend Sarah's dad John, I made a reservation for Thursday night at Tucker's Bistro. "Katie, I didn't know you had a nacho blog! These were some excellent f*ing nachos. You have to try this place- Tucker's Bistro." I was in.  As we know I love trying new restaurants and have been leaning towards more "foodie" places lately.  Tucker's fits the bill perfectly.  It's a cute little French bistro right on Broadway in Newport.  The lightening is red and romantic, the art is eclectic, the service is superb and even the bread bowl was beautiful- nice beading work. Now, Tucker's Bistro has a way with foods and interesting combinations of tastes and ingredients. So, I knew these nachos would be one of a kind.  And they definitely were.  The were listed on the menu as Thai Shrimp Nachos and I thought- this is going to be great, very different, so I prepared my taste buds. They were amazing! The portion was perfect for three people I would say and there were five in our group, but we're excellent sharers and seemed to make it work. They came out in a wide set bowl instead of the usual plate which I thought was a nice touch for their presentation score.  Instead of tortilla chips, the nachos were based with crispy wontons topped with sauteed shrimp, red peppers, scallions and leeks all swimming in a coconut Thai red curry broth.  The taste was fantastic! Honestly, it's a little bit difficult for me to describe in words.  The coconut broth was sweet. but not overwhelmingly so.  The wontons had such great texture, taste and stability that they were the perfect base for the six or so jumbo shrimp.  The sweet bell peppers gave the nachos another unique taste as they were soft on the outside, but the right amount of crunch on the inside. Creating that perfect chip or shall I say wonton required shrimp, red pepper, leeks, scallions and then a spoonful of the curry broth in that order.  The flavors exploded in my mouth and each ingredient perfectly complemented the others.  These sure were some delicious nachos and they are definitely the most creative ones I have seen so far in terms of presentation and experimentation with different flavors. I'm giving them a 9.2/10.

The Ocean Mist (Matunuck, RI)

So this past Friday was actually International Nacho Day, unfortunately it's not listed on the calendar so some of you may have missed it.  I didn't.  But, I did go to the Willows which I've already written about to celebrate so I decided to write about my most anticipated nacho adventure at the Ocean Mist.  The Ocean Mist is by far my favorite bar in RI because it is right on the water- the views are incredible and the waves crashing on the shore is one of my favorite sounds.  Every Tuesday is reggae night and let's just say I frequent there so often to the point that sometimes I leave my tab open only to restart it the next week.  I do it on purpose I swear.  Anyways, I've been dying to try the nachos at the Mist for awhile now. But, every time I've gone in for the infamous brunch on Sundays there's been over an hour wait and when you're hungover that just doesn't cut it.  But, this past Sunday we were celebrating my good friend Sarah's birthday and I decided that I was going to be patient and enjoy a few mimosas while we waited for our food. The Mist is truly a locals spot, the vibe is so laid back that anyone who steps foot inside feels comfortable. The only thing that was not comfortable was seeing the bathrooms in the daylight. Anyways we all got started with some bloody Marys and mimosas as we perused the menu. Chili nachos was a unanimous vote at the table as an appetizer and I was overjoyed. As overjoyed as one can be on Sunday morning after binge drinking. So, we ordered the nachos and our entrees.The nachos arrived only about 40 minutes later which was a great surprise for my stomach as I had been preparing for an hour wait. Although, we ordered the loaded nachos we were surprised to see that all of the toppings came on the side. However, it was a bit coincidental that when the nacho was first created in Piedras Negras, Mexico in 1943 its only toppings were cheese and jalapenos which is exactly what these nachos were topped with.Black beans, salsa, chili and sour cream were served on the side. For atheistic appeal I decided to dump all of the toppings onto the nachos for the picture. The nachos were very good, although I wouldn't say great. The serving of chili was small and the serving size of the nachos themselves was also on the smaller side. I prefer when nachos have all of the toppings piled high on top of them smothered in cheese. I do not love making it an art project and preparing them myself. But,because it's the Mist, I'm raising the grade a wee bit, I'm giving them a 7.3/10. There she is!

Bat 17 (Evanston, IL) My first guest post by my good friend Eric Sveum!

I wish I could have captured the beauty of Evanston, IL’s Bat 17 nachos. Somehow though after maybe 2-3 minutes of being served they disappeared and what you see is all that was left.

Bat 17 is city-renowned for their massive sandwiches, but you would be making a grave mistake to not order these nachos (and then take your sandwich home in a box – seriously you will be full). Made with tortilla chips that are freshly baked in-restaurant each day they remained thin, crisp, warm and showed no sign of soggying in those glorious 2-3 minutes of eating.

I’ve been a home cheese shredder, microwave nacho maker my entire life, but there’s something about a plate of restaurant nachos with queso cheese (as seen above). The cheese sauce was perfectly dipped so that each chip somehow was covered in queso, one jalapeno, a little black beans, “free-range” chicken breast, and ground beef almost to a point that each one felt like an open-faced sandwich that you would pick off a server’s plate at a catered party.

If I could point out one flaw it would be the separation of guacamole, salsa and sour cream in separate mini-bowls for dipping. How can I also have the appropriate amount of those toppings on my dream nacho open-face sandwich? Without going through the meticulous trouble of fork and knifing one each one?

My take in those unforgettable minutes was to eat as fast as possible dipping and pouring the guac, sour cream and salsa so that I could get as much as possible before anyone else could eat more than I. Isn’t that the beauty of ordering nachos at a bar/restaurant to start your meal?

 http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/2/55065/restaurant/Evanston/BAT-17-Chicago

"Shrimp Nachos" Los Agaves (Santa Barbara, CA)

FINALLY something different!! At last I am able to add something new to my nacho topping belt-shrimp.   The family and I arrived in Cali on Tuesday to bring little Liz out to school and thus far the vacation has been nothing but a bundle of laughs. Just call us the Griswolds.  Well, first off the radio wasn't working in our rental car.  Now, you may say well then you should just talk to each other and to quit being so hooked on technology.  But, you try flying on a plane for eight hours and then sitting in a car for four and tell me you don't wish there was a little background noise.  There was a comment made about every single establishment we passed.  Hey look a Target, check out those pelicans, wow look at all these palm trees, look an Applebees, hey isn't that Beverly Hills?  Now, I get it we're in a new place and everything is exciting, but just because the back windows are tinted from the outside doesn't mean we can't see out of them.  Our next adventure was waiting in line at the Jay Leno show for 3 hours to realize that we were just ten minutes too late to actually get into the show and then make the four hour trek (there and back) the next day.  Well good news is we got in on Wednesday and actually were able to meet Jay at a red light on his way home after the show in his antique Bentley convertible.  So as my mother always says "it was meant to be."  On Thursday,  my Mom left her purse at a place we ate breakfast- meant to be huh?  You tell that to TSA when you're trying to get back to RI.   There was some stress later that day at UCSB's campus as Liz travelled from building to building attempting to tie up some loose ends so that she could actually begin school next week, she unfortunately discovered that all of the buildings on campus were closed.  Leave it to us Rosbottoms to wait until the absolute last minute for everything.  And finding a bed comforter, jesus, I have never seen someone take so long to decide on what should adorn their 5 inch dormitory mattress.  We visited 23 stores.  I wish I was kidding. But, finally the question was asked- "Kate what do you feel like doing?" I said, "I feel like eating." I had been doing some research on the local fare around here-imagine that me looking up restaurant menus and I found that Los Agaves was supposed to have the best Mexican food around.  So it was settled that's where we would go for dinner. It was a great little place where you ordered at the counter and then waited for the food to be brought to your table.  The menu had a variety of options including authentic Mexican favorites and a few new Mexican dishes that I'd never seen before. But, the dish that really caught my eye of course was nachos.  There were only two options: chicken or steak, but as we approached the counter the women behind the register mentioned that there was a shrimp option.  I looked at Liz with sparkles in my eyes and she knew- "We'll have the shrimp ones," she said.  The nachos arrived to our table only minutes later and they looked fantastic.  The chips tasted as if they had just been made- they were warm and crispy topped with refried beans, melted cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, amazingly fresh guacamole, beautifully marinated shrimp, and doused with sour cream. I'll admit as anxious as I have been to try different nacho varieties, I've always been wary of nachos covered in seafood, but the shrimp was delicious.  It had a light lemon marinade that combined very well with a chip piled high with toppings.  The guacamole was one of the best I'd ever had, not too salty and not too thick.  The cheese and refried beans could be found on every layer of the nachos and the sour cream did not overwhelm the dish as it sometimes does.  These nachos were absolutely fantastic!! They are very high on the list.  I'm giving them a 9.4/10.

Mohegan Cafe and Brewery (Block Island, RI)

Sail away on the Block Island ferry, eat some nachos at Mohegan Cafe, sail away Block Island awaits you, best snack on the island I say. Just got back from my annual trip out to Block Island.  I've been visiting this small piece of New England paradise for over 15 years and I usually make it a point to take the ferry over at least once every summer. This summer, however I went over with a mission.  I had never noticed before if any restaurants served nachos and this year I discovered that four of them did and of course I wanted to try all of them.  I researched the different restaurants, read their reviews and narrowed it down to the restaurant with the most raved about nachos which were said to be at the Mohegan Cafe and Brewery in Old Harbor.  Luckily my parents and my aunt and uncle are very supportive of my nacho obsession and agreed to go with me to try these notorious nachos.  When we arrived at the Mohegan Cafe we decided that we'd all try one of the locally brewed beers.  I opted for the beer infused with chili pepper- big mistake.  I thought that it would complement the nachos well, but it did not.  The beer was overwhelmingly sickly spicy.  It left a horrible taste my mouth and acidic feel to my stomach.  I should have gone with a shirley temple- never disappoints.  Only about 10 minutes after we ordered, the heaping plate of nachos arrived.  As you see above they had an abundance of toppings including cheddar cheese, diced tomatoes, black olives, jalapenos, black beans, lettuce, salsa, sour cream and turkey chili with corn.  They were OUTstanding!  I have to admit I was very impressed. The portion was huge and nearly all chips were loaded with toppings.  The turkey chili was delicious and added a unique flavor and texture to the chips.  It was not too heavy, like some beef and bean chilis tend to be.  The salsa was great too, very fresh and sweet.  Hard to see in the picture, but the chips were tri-colored which added a little something extra and made the nachos really stand out. I was so glad that I had the chance to try these babies and may even have to take a second trip out before the summer's over for round two.  Definitely up there on the list! I'm giving them a 9.3/10.

The Willows (Narragansett, RI)

Every time I step into the Willows I am reminded of Saturday nights after Y swim meets playing Golf Pro or bowling while waiting for our food to arrive.  I've never been a patient person, especially when it comes to food, so entertaining distractions are a must and the "bathroom trick" works well too.  What is the bathroom trick you may ask? Well next time you're waiting for your food to arrive at a restaurant, excuse yourself to the bathroom and surely enough on your arrival back to your table, your food will be waiting for you.  It has a 93.4% success rate.  But, don't be that asshole that leaves the table seconds after ordering and questions my trick.  Back to the Willows and long, exhausting Y swim meets.  If you have read my previous post about Polly's nachos then you would know that there was never a shortage of my favorite snack in between races.  However, the nachos that I really craved after an exhausting 25 yd freestyle were the chili nachos at the Willows.  A Saturday night after a swim meet would go a little something like this- finish up swimming at 6pm, eight hours after you arrived for warm-up, take a 45 minute steaming hot shower-your muscles are killing you, butterfly's tough for an eight year old and wait impatiently in the Y lobby as your parents and their friends decide where we'll be eating.  This process usually takes about 20 minutes, even though 9 times of out 10 we ended up at the Willows.  We'd arrive at the Willows and demand that they find a way to accommodate all 43 of us immediately.  The next grueling task was deciding how many orders of nachos would be enough for the kids table.  Maura and Mollie were usually in charge of this- they'd recommend 6 or 7 orders and I was always grateful that I had found friends who had an appetite like mine.  We had decided that one order for every two kids was fair.  Our parents usually looked to us and shook their heads in disapproval.  Then, we'd counter with-"Well did you swim three races today? I didn't think so" and they soon realized they were never going to win this argument and quickly caved.  Then, we'd rush over to the game room, and distract ourselves, usually cheating the bowling game, until our food arrived.  Now, I haven't been to the Willows in a long time, but every time I step into the restaurant I am reminded of these Saturday nights.  I was feeling nostalgic after an exhausting day of drinking on the beach and decided we should stop in for some nachos.  Between the four of us we ordered the chili nachos and some mozzarella sticks-always a staple.  I was starving as rum and pineapples had served as lunch that day and couldn't wait a second longer for the nachos to arrive.  So I attempted the "bathroom trick" and sure enough, it worked!  When I arrived back to the table and saw those nachos my mind immediately reverted back to Saturday nights where all the kids would ferociously devour the nachos three minutes after they were set on the table.  I sat down looked at the plate and immediately was disappointed by the size.  I was always so impressed with how large the order was when I was younger and I thought to myself- did they just look bigger when I was eight? or has the Willows gotten cheap.  I knew it was the latter because I've never been intimidated by food.  I took my first bite, however, and was no longer worried about their size.  They tasted exactly as I had remembered.  The chili was sweet, the cheese was cheesy and the chips had an amazing crunch.  Now, the Willows do not serve a particularly fancy plate of nachos.  They arrive with Tostitos rounds, chili with beans, cheddar-jack cheese, lettuce, tomato, jalapenos, salsa and sour cream, but they sure are delicious.  They are evenly layered and loaded with toppings.  The soggy chips on the bottom are the delicious piled high with kidney beans and sour cream.  But, the best thing about them is the memories that they remind me of.  So, if you're ever visiting little Rhody I wholeheartedly recommend the nachos at the Willows.  They get a 9.1/10 because I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for them.