Investigative Review:
Velveeta Cheesy Skillets: Nacho Supreme

Rating: 2

Cost:  ~$3.00

Location: Any Grocery Store

Customized: No

Website

This review is part of a new intermittent feature for this blog. Certain Nacho related goods are available outside of restaurants, and I felt it was my duty to review them as well… for the good of the public. Most of you have likely seen the awful Velveeta Cheesy Skillet ads, you know, the one with the date rapist “teaching” people how to make a meal that is only a hair more complicated than pop tarts. Anyhow, while rooting through the grocery aisle I found that the Cheesy Skillets line included a Nacho Supreme flavor. My curiosity was piqued in the same way as the thought of watching a 1950’s horror film. 

The instructions are simple enough, Brown a pound of ground beef and add all the ingredients in the package: A spice pack, A pack of Velveeta, pack of salsa, and a pack of pasta. In the end, it takes maybe 10 minutes to make. The mass ends up looking nothing like the gorgeous image on the package, but at least it doesn’t look disgusting. For some reason the people at Kraft seem to think that nachos are made with cooked, square-like pasta. Its obvious from the package that this has nothing to do with nachos. Its as close to nachos as a Pizza flavored microwave burrito is to slice of deep dish from a reputable shop.

So whats the verdict? Well it ain’t nachos. That’s the short version. Whats the long version? It didn’t taste bad at all. It tasted like hamburger helper with nacho/taco spice put into it, which isn’t a bad thing at all. After a few fork fulls, I decided to start dipping tortilla chips into it, which I found to be a much more satisfying and Nacho-like experience. It is far closer to a meat heavy queso than nachos. For those interested in trying, I would recommend ignoring the pasta during the cooking segment, and then just dump the result over a plate of chips. This would be a good way to get some decent white trash nachos!

Geckos Bar and Tapas

Rating: 3

Cost:  $8.50

Location: Nob Hill (Carlisle and Central)

Customized: No

Website

The Nob Hill section of Albuquerque is home to some of the best, and weirdest restaurants in New Mexico. This eclectic part of town is home to bizarre layouts in which one can see a fancy and expensive restaurant backed up against a rowdy college bar. Such is the case with Geckos, a fun and intriguing bar stuffed in a strip between a grocery co-op and a high class Italian restaurant. Geckos is often filled with people in their 20’s and 30’s who are looking for well made drinks, good company, and great food. The clientele is the respectful type, and the service is on the better side for Nob hill. Gecko’s most unique feature, the one that sets it far apart from the other bars in town, is its unique menu. From Crab Taquitos to Es Car Got, and back to familiar with Green Chile cheese fries, there is something for all tastes here. There is no surprise that their menu includes nachos, and even less of a surprise that their nachos are slightly different from the rest.

Geckos offers one Nacho in two different sizes: regular, and small. The Nacho consists of chicken, green Chile and cheddar piled on a layer of chips, which is layered on top of a black been puree.

These nachos were a good price, and as the picture shows, they were definitely a good size. I can say that my initial reaction was mixed. I was less than thrilled that the avocado was sliced and not mashed into guac. I was confused that I couldn’t see any beans, and I was also a little bummed that the cheese appeared to be a liquid sauce. Furthermore,  I was upset that chicken was the only option, since as you know I would choose beef over chicken 99% of the time. Despite this bias, these nachos still looked really appetizing (dare I say pretty?). One bite in and I knew my predispositions were wrong. These nachos were awesome. The cheese sauce wasn’t some cheap factory sauce, it was obviously a kitchen made cheddar that was unique and delicious. I soon discovered that the beans were hidden beneath the chips in a puree sauce that was absolutely mesmerizing. I now feel its a good idea to keep the beans separate like that for groups that may have people less inclined. That way they can be avoided or consumed at an individuals leisure. The most important thing about this nacho has to do with how it changed my opinions on certain ingredients. First, I now realize that chopped avocado has its place amongst nachos. Its a different experience than guac, but a delicious one. Also It must be stated that this is the second Chicken nacho I have ever had in which I actually liked the chicken. Much like the only other chicken nacho I liked (San Diego Firehouse, see previous review), this Nacho would NOT work well with beef. This nacho needs chicken to work its tasty magic. If you find yourself at Geckos, get yourself an order of nachos. If you are with a group, make sure its a large order, and get some of the green Chile cheese fries as well!

Taco Mex: Taco Y Mariscos

Rating: 2

Cost:  $5.50

Location: Multiple (Albuquerque and Denver)

Customized: No

Urbanspoon Entry

For those of us that live in New Mexico, it is often quite hard to actually find Mexican Restaurants. We have an infinite number of New Mexican restaurants, but the differences between both cuisine’s is extreme. Where New Mexican food is obsessed with green/red chile sauces, Mexican food has a strong obsession with meat. Some of the best meat you will ever eat will be in a Mexican restaurant. If made well, it will be spiced to perfection, and the varieties of meat are often staggering. Located in the North Valley on 4th street is a small hole in the wall restaurant called Taco Mex Y Mariscos. Don’t let its looks fool you, its a good example of northern Mexican cuisine. This restaurant has a decent sized menu with a fantastic selection of meats: Asada, lengua, birria, pastor, buche, cabeza, etc. Best of all, the taco’s are only 99 cents each (these are Mexican style tacos, fyi). You can imagine my excitement when I saw nachos on the Menu. Keep in mind, however, that despite Nachos being a Mexican invention, authentic Mexican eateries put them on the menu for recognition purposes only, but they are rarely great.

Taco Mex offers two forms of nachos. They have a basic nacho called Nachos Regular, and a deluxe Nacho called Super Nachos which comes with your choice of meat from there extensive selection. Being a die hard fan of Asada, I felt it was necessary that I choose it for my first outing. These nachos are a bed of chips covered in liquid cheese and Meat.  One corner has a pile of pickled jalapenos, and the other corner has a helping of re-fried beans. The whole dish has a drizzle of Crema on top.

Like all the other items on the menu, the Nachos were rather cheap. This made it much easier for me when I got a look at dish. The meat looked fantastic, but the rest of the dish was disappointing. Hidden under the meat pile I could see a few chips, but no real cheese was in site, and the segregation of the beans and jalapenos showed that no true layering had occurred. Furthermore, the chips used are the cheap tortilla rounds that are slightly stale. Further investigation showed that the chips down below were a mix of whole chips and small powdery crumbs and flakes, as though the remnants of the bag were dumped in its entirety. I never understood why mexican restaurants use liquid cheese, because the original nacho was made with shredded cheddar. Needless to say it was disappointing to find liquid cheese, but also how little was actually present. Thankfully the jalapenos were pickled and tasty, as was the re-fried beans. After all that ranting, it is important that I mention what this dish did well, which was the meat. The Asada was fantastic, some of the better Nacho meat’s I have had in recent memory. I found myself eating the meat with a fork, instead of using the chips and cheese as transportation. All I kept thinking was this meat had the potential to make an amazing quality Nacho. Admittedly, the meat was almost worth the price alone. However, I must recommend that people pass on this nacho, its not worth your time. However, Taco Mex has other dishes that are amazing, and worth every penny. I recommend getting a set of 5 taco’s, each with different meat so that you can sample the variety.

Baileys on the Beach

Rating: 2

Cost: $6.25-9.25

Location: Albuquerque (Monte Vista and Gerard)

Customized: Yes, added Carne Adovada

Website

Just across from UNM, on Monte Vista lies a new restaurant called Baileys on the beach. This swanky eatery tries to recreate a beach like environment and offer a variety of sea food and pacific style cuisine. Although I was hesitant from the outer design of the place, I have to admit the inside looks rather fantastic. Their theme succeeds rather well and I feel as though it is the closest an Albuquerque restaurant has come to feeling like San Diego. The best part about visiting Baileys is the kind and knowledgeable staff. They want repeat customers, and they are working hard. The Menu is long and varied, and includes such items as Mahi Mahi Kabob, baked clams, and fish tacos. The food here is different, but In a really good way. It was only a matter of time before I ventured to try their Nacho stylings.

Baileys offers one form of Nacho: The Tsunami Nachos. These nachos are a body of chips covered in “Tsunami Queso”. This is covered with lettuce and tomatoes and comes with sides of guac, sour cream, and salsa. For a $3 additional charge you can add your choice of chicken, steak, carne adovada, or mahi mahi.

When the nachos arrive you will be greeted with an attractive arangement of colors and textures, but you will also notice that the nacho suffers from some serious drawbacks as well. For $9.25 this Nacho is small compared to other Nachos in the $10 price range. Many of the chips have little if any cheese on them at all. The lettuce and tomato portions are so small that they probobally shouldn’t have bothered puting them on the nacho. Most upsettingly, however, is that the carne adovada that I payed $3 extra for is in exremly short supply. I shared this nacho with my friends and found I only had a few bites of meat myself. What made this more sad is that the Meat was without a doubt, the best part of this nacho. The Carne Adovada was amazing! In fact, its some of the best I have had in years. It worked fantastically with the Nacho, atleast the small parts of the nacho that had it. The guacamole and sour cream and salsa were also tasty, and worked well with the nacho. As most of you know, I prefer shredded cheese on my Nacho, but I am always willing to give a fair shake to the liquid variety. The Tsunami Queso on the nachos is made from a double roasted green chile. Sadly, I didn’t really taste the chile in it to much. Rather, I only tasted a strong Velveta-esque flavor. Its unfortunate that these nachos weren’t much better, because Baileys has some amazing things on their menu. Their meat is amazing, and their burgers are fantastic. I highly recomend people try this place out, just not the Nachos. There other food is where its at. 

Serafin’s Chile Hut

Rating: 3

Cost: $5.25-5.75

Location: Albuquerque (Central and Solano)

Customized: Yes, added ground beef

Website

Located in the eastern area of Nob hill is a new little restaurant known as Serafins Chile Hut. This eatery is easy to find thanks to an attractive Zia sign angled over the edge of Central Ave. When you walk inside you will find a quaint little establishment with attractive wall paintings, nice tables, and an excellent ambiance. The menu is small, but well crafted, and includes the majority of New Mexican classics, all at fantastic prices. The staff is one of the nicest I have ever ran into, its obvious they love this restaurant. I myself have had several of their menu items, and I must say they are delicious, particularly the enchiladas and sopapillas. This is one of the most comfortable restaurants I have ever been in, and I plan on becoming a regular.

Serafins offers one form of nacho, which is a standard body of chips covered in liquid cheese and covered in pickled jalapenos. They were kind enough, upon my request to cover these nachos with a generous helping of their ground beef.

For the incredible price of $5.25 i was expecting a tiny snack sized Nacho, intended as a brief appetizer for their other dishes. However, when it came I was shocked at how massive this dish was. Although not the biggest, it is definitely amongst the larger Nachos I have had. I wasn’t sure if it was liquid or shredded cheese when I ordered, and I have to admit I was disappointed to find that it was the liquid variety. As you all know, I prefer shredded cheese a thousand times over. Apart from the ground beef I requested, this nacho looked like a Ballpark style nacho, which wasn’t surprising considering all the Time magazine’s featuring baseball covers adorning the back wall of the Hut. I also noticed that the jalapenos, which were thankfully pickled, were also diced, and spread more evenly amongst the nacho. I had never had diced jalapenos on a nacho before, only cut. I Have to admit I really enjoyed them. They allowed me to enjoy them without them overpowering each bite due to their minute size. The liquid cheese is better than most that I have had in my day, and it penetrated all the way to even the deepest of the chips. The chips themselves were of excellent quality, also better than most other places offer. The real strength lied in the meat. Serafins has some of the best ground beef I have had at a restaurant, and they complimented the nacho perfectly. It was fine and crumbly and spread across the entire nacho. In the end, the Nacho was balanced, layered well, and every chip had every topping on it. For those that don’t like complex nachos, this is the Nacho for you. As I said earlier, its a ballpark style nacho… but to be fair, I wish ballpark Nachos were as good as the one from Serafins. I really enjoyed this, and It stands as a great example of how to make a tasty straight forward Nacho. These are worth eating, but I must first recommend some of their other platters, like the combo plates or the enchiladas, because they will knock your socks off.

Two Fools Pt.2 

Rating: 4

Cost: ~ $8.75

Location: Albuquerque (NE Heights)

Customized: No

Website

This isn’t a double post, so don’t worry. I had already reviewed the Classic Nachos from Two Fools half a year back, but I had been intending on returning to sample their “Irish Nachos.” I recently had the pleasure of returning to this quaint little pub and discovering if their Other nachos could compete with their classic offering. For an Irish pub, they do a great job of maintaining Irish/British centric food on their menu, while also offering fusion cuisine and offbeat alternatives. 

Two fools offers two kinds of nachos. The first, which I reviewed in an earlier post are their Macho Nachos, which are a classic style dish. The Second is their Irish Nachos, which takes a far more unique approach. These nachos are comprised of a body of Potato chips, covered in Cottage Pie Beef and cheddar, with tomatoes, lettuce, and sour cream on top. 

When these nachos first arrive, you are stricken by how different they look. They have a much darker color, due mostly to the cottage beef. Their size is great, it is comparable to their classic nachos. They are also layered well, another similarity with their other nachos. The tomato and lettuce on top are very appetizing, and the sour cream portion is good. The cheese was melted perfectly on the chips, so no complaints there. Not knowing what to expect, my first bite was admittedly weird. Although the cottage beef was delicious, I admit they offer a flavor I have never previously associated with being Nacho-ie. However, something weird happened, something that has never happened before. 4 or 5 chips in, I started to really like them. Usually I grow tired of a dish the more I eat, but this one grew on me at an astonishing rate. By the end of the nacho I was satisfied, and extremely pleased by this new found combination. The Cottage beef offered a hearty thick sauce to the dish, which countered the saltiness of the chips and cheese. Unlike most nachos, as the chips got soggy, they became more enjoyable, because of their similarity to soaking up stew with bread wedges. I recommend these nachos with a slight warning. I can see how some would hate it, but just give it a try and live a little. If you don’t like them after one chip, give it a few more, it might grab you too!

** Update. I recently (9/17/11) increased the score on these to 4. I have found that in the last few months I have craved these nachos on a weekly basis. I would argue that I crave these more than most other nacho’s that can be found. I felt upon further consideration that these definitely deserved a 4 rating, not the original 3 I gave it.

Buffalo Wild Wings

Rating: 2

Cost: ~ $7.99

Location: Albuquerque (Multiple)

Customized: Yes, added chicken

Website

Buffalo wild wings is a massive national chain of restaurants that cater to the Wing loving crowds. With a plethora of wing sauces, there are a lot of options when you come here, including Nachos. The sports bar atmosphere isn’t the most original idea, but they do it with a purpose. The nation wide digital pub quizzes are a nice touch, and I’ll admit their sauces are worth eating. As long as you can get one of the teenage waiter/waitresses to actually serve you, there are quite a lot of options on the menu. It has a very Chilies/Applebees vibe with a wing twist.

Buffalo Wild wings offers one form of Nachos called “Ultimate Nachos.” They are offered with chicken as an added cost of $1.  They are comprised of a bed of chips, Texas chili, pico de gallo, shredded lettuce, jalapenos, queso, and salsa.  Don’t forget the added chicken.

For all the fixings that came with it, $8 seemed like a pretty good deal. When they came the nachos were a respectable size, and quite attractive. The Pico gave it a nice color variation. First bite, however, told a different story indeed. Although the chips were standard fare, the rest of the ingredients were sub par. The chicken was flavorless and cold and the jalapenos were mild (at a place famous for hot sauce). The pico, which is always welcome on a nacho was equally bland, and almost unnoticeable. The liquid cheese queso had an overpowering flavor that lingered on the tongue, and made other flavors undiscernable. The worst addition, however, was the Texas style chili. This chili was below average, and was impossible to escape, is it was the most prevalent topping. This was a pretty lame nacho, the kind i’m sure you would get in areas where Mexican food means “Taco Bell”. Despite its low price, I would recommend avoiding it. Just get the wings, its what they are famous for, and they do alright with them.

Old Chicago Pizza

Rating: 5

Cost: ~ $7

Location: Everywhere (Chain)

Customized: No

Website

As a rule, I’m not fond of chain restaurants. They usually sacrifice unique and diverse food offerings for plain, more generally accessible items. For the price, I prefer local and small chain restaurants because they know their customer bases tastes far better. If there was ever an exception to this strongly held belief it is in Old Chicago. Pizza, pasta, burgers, and countless draft beers, Old Chicago offers competitive pricing and an extremely appealing menu. On a recent trip to visit good friends in Boulder, I didn’t hesitate to push for a visit to Old Chicago. While thumbing through the menu I was pleasantly shocked to discover that they offered not 1, but 2 kinds of nachos. Even more pleasing, was that one was called “Italian Nachos”. 

Unlike the previously reviewed Gumba Nachos from Marios Pizzeria, which used tortilla chips and beans, These Italian themed nachos take the concept of nachos, but integrate them with purely italian themed ingrediants. The Old Chicago Nachos are comprized soley of Italian pasta chips (fried pasta, instead of tortillas)toped with Mozzarella, pepperonis, Italian sausages and pepperoncinis. This is served with a side of their house pizza sauce.

When this intriguing nacho arrived, I took note that the plate size was great, and the pile height was good. The visual impact was the most obvious, since it has completely different ingredients, however it was still extremely appetizing. The first bite let me know that these nachos were amazing. The pasta chips are fantastic, and the toppings complement each other as they would on a deep dish pizza. The pizza sauce dipping allowed for a great variety in the flavor. My favorite moment was without a doubt the pepperoncinis. The meat was high quality, and the cheese was melted to perfection. Verifying these opinions was my good friend, who shares my Italian heritagey wonderment, and both our girlfriends, who don’t have a cultural predisposition. If your looking for ballpark nachos, these will not be for you. However, if you are into unique cuisine fusion and love all kinds of nachos, I can’t recommend this tasty appetizer enough!

Make sure to checkout My Fellow W.O.P’s own review blog, the WingNut

Papa Nachos

Rating: 4

Cost: ~ $10.99 Full, $8.79 Half

Location: Albuquerque (NE Heights)

Customized: No

Website

Located on Louisiana just south of Paseo, Papa Nachos is a small little Mexican restaurant far from the other competition. Having discovered it thanks to rave reviews in Urbanspoon, I decided to check it out. How could I in good conscience, as a Nacho connoisseur, not try out a place with my very passion in the name.  This place is small and easy to miss when driving by, but the inside is set up nicely with plenty of attractive paintings.  The menu is long, and the prices are good, with a selection of Mariscos to boot. 

Papa nachos offers two kinds of nachos: The adorable Nachitos for small cravings, and the Papa nacho.  The Papa Nacho can be ordered as both a half(8.79), or a full (10.99). These nachos are comprised of a body of chips, covered in refried beans, beef, shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheese blend, lettuce, tomato, and sides of guacamole and sour cream.

What was most interesting about this nacho is the heavy amount of shredded lettuce on top. You don’t see this often because people tend to hate it. I, on the other hand, love lettuce, and saw this as quite acceptable. The nacho itself is a good size by itself, but I was a little weary due to the $11 price tag.   However, I found where all this money went after taking my first bite.  The first flavors to hit my tongue were the beans and meat. They were cooked and prepared to perfection. The multi-cheese blend was also well done. I was surprise at how well mozzarella worked on a traditional nacho. This Nacho was easy to eat, and I found myself gorging myself far more than my stomach would have liked. I will admit that these nachos had some flaws. I felt that the beans were a bit overdone. They weren’t overpowering, but I think they could cut back on them a little. In contrast I feel that the cheese was Underdone, and should have been placed more liberally. I really enjoyed the excess of lettuce, but I know many people will hate it. I can’t stress enough how important it is for restaurants to put the sides in to-go ready disposable containers. Thankfully, Papa Nachos was one of the smart eateries to actually do this. Its minor flaws keep it from being a 5, but trust me when I say these Nachos are a high 4. I recommend these to anyone near the area, and to those willing to drive.

El Patio

Rating: 1

Cost: ~ $5

Location: Albuquerque (Harvard and Silver)

Customized: No

Website

El Patio is a bizarre looking hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant right next to the University of New Mexico. Next to its more contemporary looking neighbors, its easy to overlook El Patio and its bright blue fence. The menu is interesting, and the atmosphere screams college dive. They are known for their fish tacos, which I will say I enjoy (as far as Albuquerque fish taco’s are concerned). There prices are relatively cheap, but I must warn all of you, they don’t take credit card. This is quite stupid to do in a University area, and I personally find it unacceptable. We found no signs warning us of this, and even though they do offer an ATM in the back, it has heavy service charges. This alone will keep most people from coming here. No one wants to pull out a $20 to pay for a $5 meal.

El Patio offers one form of nachos on the menu. It is a basic nacho, consisting of a bed of chips, covered in refried beans, grated cheddar, lettuce, tomatoes, and a side of salsa and sour cream. There is no meat offered.

When the nachos arrived I was disappointed at how flat they were. There just weren’t that many chips on the plate. The lettuce and tomatoes are attractive, but the Sour cream is clotted looking. I also noticed that the chips were burnt black. After my first bite it became apparent that the chips were way to heavy on the presence of beans. They overpowered the other flavors of the nacho. It is hard to tell whether the cheese was any good because there wasn’t much of it, and its flavors were more mild. The chips tasted burnt and stale, and the sour cream was pretty sub par. The only saving grace of this nacho was the salsa, which I found tasty and rewarding. I only wish I had ordered chips and salsa instead. This nacho was disappointing in its size, presentation, and quality. Avoid the nachos here, and because of the cash only policy, I would recommend avoiding the place entirely.