October 19, 2009

George and Lito's, Halifax

The time has come, my cheesy little padowans, for Nachos Abroad to present its very first Nacho review!!! Yay!

I suspect that this first entry will remain very close to me, sentimentally. Therefore, I decided devote this, my first ever quasi-legitimate food review, to checking out the spread at a little restaurant that is close to me, geopraphically.

George and Lito's is a charming little corner restaurant in the heart of Central Halifax. I have been there for drinks once before this, they make a thrifty SuaLua (pineapple juice and pink champagne) that is quite delicious... so I was delighted to hear that they had Nachos on their menu and decided to go for it.




As far as presentation goes, it was satisfactory; pretty standard colors and cutesy little cups of sour cream and salsa, an all around appetizing looking dish. 1 out of 1 points awarded.

When it comes to bulk, these Nachos were a bit on the skimpy side. You can see that the majority of toppings are in one big clump, right on top, which lead to a notable lack of remaining toppings when we weren't even half way through the chips. A stingy "topping to chip" ratio is a cardinal sin in my world, so I wasn't exceptionally impressed. Additionally, I paid around 9 bucks for this little experiment, and soon found myself eating some plain tortilla chips with the little salsa I had left. Again, not pleased. Zero out of 1 point awarded

Those chips that were appropriately covered in toppings were fairly tasty. I wasn't blown out of the water by their flavor, but I did certainly enjoy my meal. I was surprised that there were no jalepenos, and there was a notably stong onion taste, which I believe to be a result of the generous amount of white onion sprinkled over top of the dish. Because there was nothing really special about them beyond the heavy handed serving of onions, but I did like the Nachos overall; I give them a respectable 1.5 out of 3 points for taste.

One thing that I will applaud George and Lito's for is their use of fresh veggies. I was pleased to see that everything seemed to have been prepared to order, I'd wager a bet that the chunks of produce I received were part of a whole vegetable until the moment I ordered them. Their chips were fresh, but I'm pretty sure they came out of a bulk bag of white corn tortilla, so that was sort of a let down. I wasn't impressed with their cheese choice, either. Instead of being fun and stringy or melty, I had to deal with a less than flexible fromage, which only leads to broken chips and sadness. No es bueno. So, based on their redeeming use of fresh veggies (which is invaluable, in my opinion) I give the boys 2 out of 3 points fore quality.

Overall Mark/Miscellaneous points:
I was impressed with the option to opt for the "Mediterranean" option, which adds feta cheese and green olives, or to add chicken for a nominal fee of 2 dollars (I've been to places that charge $4) However, I had to wait 50 minutes to receive Nachos that, honestly, just barely made par in most categories. I'll give them a generous 1.5 out of 3 miscellaneous points... with emphasis on the "generous" part.

So, if my running total is correct, this brings George and Lito's to a mediocre 6 of 11 points.

I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone looking for Nachos, but keep in mind that SuaLua I mentioned earlier, at $3.50, you can't really beat the deal.

Chips and Dips.
Ashley

October 15, 2009

How It's Done

Ok folks,

Before we delve into ranting and raving about my favorite cheesy delight, I feel as though we should set some rules, standards, expectations... a grading scale, if you will. I figure there are 5 things that are really important when it comes to evaluating the Nacho experience.

1) First, naturally, is presentation. Really, If my plate/basket comes out to me and it looks as though the senorita out back barfed up her lunched and served it; well... it takes away from the experience. However, if I am presented with a tray who's contents are reminiscent of the crown jewels, that deserves some recognition. Its pass or fail, one point or zero.

2) Bulk. This aspect considers both "price-to-portion" as well as "toppings-to-chip" ratios. Lets face it, a small portion of skimpy Nachos it pretty much the pits, no matter what it tastes like. So, you'll get the lowdown on this for sure. One point will be dedicated to bulk.

3) Taste. This is a no brainer. We're talking about spice, tang, zip, season, kick, distinctiveness, allll the subtle nuances that make Nachos such a culinary delight. Three potential marks for taste. Because I said so.

4) Quality. This is possibly a bit redundant, but I feel as though the freshness of ingredients, the crisp in the chips, and the squeeze in the cheese all make up a valid category of their own. I say... one point for each of these aspects of quality, which means three potential marks here.

5) Overall Mark. This is the part that is where I throw in all the Nacho odds and ends, things that are individual to each experience, and potentially award extra points if I see fit to do so. Dishes can earn up to 3 points in this category.

This brings the potential grand total to 11. That's right, its a subtle Spinal Tap reference. Deal with it.

Chips and Dips,
Ashley

October 13, 2009

Humble Beginnings

Well, folks, here we are.

You may feel so inclined to ask "Oh Ashley, unrefuted goddess of Nachos, who is so delightfully cheesy and all Nach-ing; where exactly is Here?"

Well, I'll tell you. "Here" is currently Halifax, NS. However, I am an avid connoisseur of Nachos across the continent. Therefore, ergo, and consequently, it is with great joy that I present to you a little project* entitled (insert trumpetous fanfare) NACHOS ABROAD!

In the future, I hope to share with you many riveting reviews, refreshing recipes, and raunchy rendezvous in relation to everyone's favorite Mexilicious concoction; so check back soon for the first full length installation of Nachos Abroad.

Chips and Dips,
Ashley

*READ: brilliant scheme to aquire nachos free of charge.