Nacho Joe



The Quest

I haven’t been out to Nacho in a while. I was going to go insane without cheesy goodness. So I stepped out of the Nacho Joe layer to inquire at Boston Pizza. Stealthily moving into the location at #24 1200 – 37th Street SW I sat down and ordered their Nachos. Now. I didn’t stop here. Since I haven’t reviewed Nachos in a while I decided to treat all you buncha readers. I even reviewed the Nachos with chicken on them cause my sidekick Anto likes Chicken. So! Here we go.

Nachos.

These chips were pretty tasty. They have some sort of salt on em, so there’s more than just chip. Very important for those odd ones that don’t get much cheese on them. Crunch factor wasn’t bad. I’d say a 7 on the cruncher scale. However some got a bit soft. These Nachos sometimes caught a case of the soggy sadness. But overall I enjoyed the chips! They held their toppings as best as the thinner style of chip could.

Toppings

The cool thing about Boston Pizza Nachos is that the toppings are numerous because they make pizza. So these Nachos are loaded. There’s tomatos, green peppers, olives, jalapenos, and mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Pretty decent I think. We’re missing the onions on these Nachos but sometimes onions overpower the taste of everything else so you as the Nacho fan can take this as a good or bad thing. I prefer less onions on my cheesy chips but I digress. As you can see by the picture…

Lotta Toppings!

These Nachos do visually seem to have enough toppings. As we got through them they were pleasantly layered! Look! I’m so proud of you Boston Pizza. You know how to layer! (Wipes tears from my eyes)

Ogres are like Nachos. THEY HAVE LAYERS!

So I was pleased. The toppings were pleasantly pleasing. The cheese also tastes good on these Nachos and seems fresh. Not only that but all the toppings are cooked on the Nachos but don’t seem to overpower each other. The jalapenos are a bit spicy, but add to the taste! Yum.

$Price$

All right. Here’s where we make or break the deal. At a cheap $10.50 per plate these Nachos are pretty good for pricing! Like fantastic actually! BUT I can finish a plate by myself as a meal… so beware Nacho lovers. For if you love as much as I do… make sure you get other food if you are sharing!

Presentation

Places just forget about artwork nowadays you know? It’s really sad. These Nachos look very homemade, no wax paper, and nothing too special happening with them… get some wax paper, do something creative. Am I asking too much? I don’t think so…

Just seems like they through stuff on there... no love to placement.

SPECIAL MEAT EDITION

As you can see by the above and below pictures… I had these Nachos twice on different occasions! I decided to do this because nachojoe.com is now improved! I’m here for the people, by the people, and the for the bellies of the people. I don’t want to steer you wrong. So I ate Nachos twice. What a burden. I’m done now… I just want you to know that I care! SO! I had some meat… chicken… if we’re getting technical. It was spicy chicken. It was alright, it kind of taste processed and rubbery sometimes. I paid extra for it too. I’ll have to double check but I believe $2.50-3.50. Nothing over that I don’t think, which is pretty standard. It was kind of not my thing. If you want some extra protein and a bit more of a kick, go for it! On a plus side there was plenty of chunky pieces of chicken though!

Mmm... Chunky Cubed Chicken.

Summary

Well it’s been a while since I had Nachos that I enjoyed… I really like Boston Pizza’s Nachos personally. But if I’m being strict on my review scheme, based on a smaller portion, missing cheese sometimes and when ordering them with the chicken, getting less cheese kind of dampers the rating down for consistency purposes. So… I’m going to have to give Boston Pizza’s Nachos a 7/10. Almost amazing. Add more Nachos, stay consistant with your cheese! That’s my verdict.

Hope you all enjoyed reading! I hope to keep up to date with review postings!

Happy Nacho hunting!

Nacho Joe

PS. Check me out on Facebook and Twitter! Or that old thing called email!

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The Pledge

Nacho Joe will be reviewing again this holiday season. So be on the look out for good places to go fill your jolly stomachs this Christmas. Plans for an update on Moose Maguire’s, Kilkenny, and brand new reviews are on the way. I’ve heard I need to check out Hop in Brew and Original Joe’s so I will get on that Nacho lovers! If you have other suggestions write them as comments under this post!

Thanks for the continued support!

Nacho Joe

The Quest

Tis been a long while since I set out into the world to find great Nachos. I decided to ingest some Nachos recently at the Rusty Cage Located on the corner of Bow Trail and 37th Street SW. Did I put great delicious Nachos in my happy Nacho Joe belly? Read more to find out!

Nachos.

These Nachos were very hard and crunchy. They were also kind of bland and burnt. This was very unfortunate because the first Nacho I tried didn’t taste like anything. When Nachos don’t taste like anything Nacho Joe gets sad. First demerit.

Toppings

So these Nachos had tons of toppings as you can see by the following picture. They had tons of cheese, tomatoes, olives, onions and jalapenos. However the biggest problem with these was that the biggest flavor on the Nachos were the jalapenos. This made everything taste like Jalapenos. Accompanied by some burnt chips. these spicy tangy Nachos just didn’t do the trick for me. In my personal opinion I believe that the best Nachos make you taste everything on them, not just the Jalapenos. Hmm…

Price

These Nachos were priced at a very cheap $9.00. This was impressive because these Nachos were big for their size and for that price it’s great. Good marks for pricing!

Presentation

These Nachos did look very good though and there was more than enough dip for them! They were covered in cheese and looked very delicious. Full points for presentation for sure!

Summary

Although these Nachos did look good they suffered from bland and burnt tasting chips and the whole plate tasting like the oil from the Jalapeno jar. The price was great. I couldn’t believe only $9.00 for all these Nachos. However I’m sad to say that in this case I got what I paid for. It is really too bad these Nachos weren’t delicious because the way they looked really made me want to love them. But sadly I must give these Nachos a 4/10.

Please help me find great Nachos!

www.facebook.com/nachojoereviews

@nachojoereviews

nacho.joe@hotmail.com

Until The Next Reviews!

Nacho Joe

The Quest’a

BABYTOOTH BAMBINO’S HAS SINCE CHANGED OWNERS. I HAVE NOT REVIEWED THE NEW NACHOS. BUT I WILL UPDATE THIS REVIEW AS SOON AS I DO. IF YOU HAVE HAD THEM LEAVE ME A COMMENT!

NACHOJOE

NachoJoe rates Babytooth Bambino’s 10/10

Buon giorno Nacho Lovers! Here is a special Nacho review just’a made just for you. Airdrie, Alberta has a pub called Babytooth Bambino’s at #6, 2145 Summerfield Blvd SE. After a long hiatus Nacho Joe is back writing reviews and eating lots of Tortilla Chips covered (and they SHOULD be covered) in scrumptious varieties of cheeses. My sidekicks Salsa Sarah and Ivy Monroe were craving some cheesy goodness and a little bit of a road trip so we left Calgary and traveled long distances to Airdrie in search of the perfect plate of homegrown Airdrie Nachos. After our long drive full of wonder and growling tummies we came across a tiny little strip mall containing a pub with a creative name. We were greeted by a lot of mafia movie pictures and references and great decor that an Italian like me can really appreciate. We ate Nachos with the Godfather looking down on us. Now the question was, could these Nachos really make my sideklicks and I an offer we couldn’t refuse? Get ready to read in this special Italian Review!

Nachosi.

Mamamia! These’a Nachos start off on a high note. The Nacho’s are made in house and have a garlic flavor to them, not to strong or anything, just right. They are multi-colored and they are big enough, and strong enough to hold withstand the toppings. These were some delicious chips.

Toppingzione.

Yummy. These Nachos are loaded with toppings! There are onions, green peppers, red peppers, bruschetta tomatoes, olives and layers of cheese. You can get the option of beef which I had the last time I took a trip down to do a follow up taste and I must say that the beef is quite delicious! They turn into very manly Nachos! The nicest part about these Nachos is that finally there is a pub that really gets the idea of layering and trying not to leave any Nachos behind. Of course there are always gonna be a few casualties but even the chips have some seasoning so really it’s hard to get a bad chip. Nacho Joe was impressed. Ivy Monroe and Salsa Sarah were too busy enjoying the deliciousness to really speak up. The Nachos also come with Sour Cream and Salsa. The Salsa isn’t the cheap stuff, although it didn’t taste house made either, but it accompanied the nachos well. The sour cream was the good thick stuff, and not the watery kind that some places give you. So overall the toppings were awesome. Bruschetta tomatoes on Nachos is a very cool idea and keeps the Italian theme of the pub alive!

This is the half order! It shows all the toppings in their glory! Oops, I just drooled on my keyboard! Oh you too? I thought so.

$Pricenotte$

These’a Nachos costa $16.50 for a full size and $11.50 for a half! Based on the portion size you get, it’s a very good price. I only have a picture of the full size with the beef, but I also have a picture of the half without! So if you a vegetarian, or a Nacho purist like me just imagine the full size without the meat! But take a look under the presentation section below this one! (Presentiazonomio)

Presentiazonomio

The Nachos come on lovely square plates! It’s fantastic! They are also on top of lovely checkered wax paper as any good nachos should be. Both are stacked high and look like mountains. I like my Nachos to look mean and intimidating! Don’t believe me? See for yourself! Gaze upon the high peaks of Deliciousness!

I call it Mount Cheesy!!!

Summarizionoventissimomia (Too much?)

As I’m sure you can tell by my happy writing I was very pleased with these Nachos. In fact I go back very frequently to make sure that my verdict isn’t biased because of the great Italian decorations. I go back to make sure that I’m not biased because I love bruschetta and olives. I also go back because these have become the Nachojoe.com benchmark. I can’t really say anything bad about these Nachos. In fact I really tried to find something bad. The only thing I found was that after eating these nachos, you are full. They are filling because of all the toppings they put on top. For the portion size, I know these Nachos are worth the money. So overall, you guessed it! These nachos get a 10/10 for being deliciously fantastico! So if you get a craving for a bit of a road trip, and a healthy dose of Mafia memorabilia then head on down to Babytooth Bambino’s! You will not be dissapointed!

Well Nacho lovers I found another 10/10! Do you have a place that needs a visit from my taste buds? Please let me know!

Let me know that you are here to! Send me an email at nacho.joe@hotmail.com

Tweet me @nachojoereviews

Or drop me a line on Facebook at www.facebook.com/nachojoereviews

Until the next review!

Mamamia!

Nacho Joe

The Quest

NachoJoe rates Kilkenny 7/10

A couple of friends of mine always go to Kilkenny Irish Pub at 3630 Brentwood Road NW so I thought why not do a Nacho Review? People tell me the Irish Potato Nachos are great but I am a purist so I went with the traditional stuff. Chips and Cheese! How did they do? Find out right now!

Nachos.

This is where it all starts! These chips were on the thin side and tasted pretty generic. They weren’t bad but they also weren’t chips you’d die for either. Sometimes you would get one that was a little oily and tasted like cardboard or paper (quality paper though not your regular printing kind…) but overall they almost always tasted like tortilla’s.

Toppings

These Nachos had Tomatoes, Onions, Jalapeno’s and a Three Cheese Blend which tasted like Mozzarella, Cheddar, and maybe Monteray Jack and Sour Cream and Salsa. No olives. I’m biased because growing up Italian olives are like gold and when Nacho’s don’t have any olives Nacho Joe get’s sad. Whilst eating Nachos I noticed that these were Darwinist Nachos. The Cheese used the process of natural selection to determine which lucky Nachos were fortunate enough to receive a coat of cheese to keep them warm and which Nachos did not. There were a lot of unfortunate Nachos and a couple of survivors. Somehow a glop of Cheese landed on 2 very lucky Nachos and didn’t get around to the others. I felt bad for the cold, sad, and naked Nachos. However in all seriousness when these Nachos did have cheese on them they were delicious. Also despite the chips being thin, and the tomatoes being very juicy and fresh the Nachos didn’t fall under the pressure. They managed to not get soggy. I was quite pleased with this sturdy chip achievement. Kilkenny gets an automatic plus 1 point for this.

This is the Platter Version... A lot of Nachos here.

There are a couple of Nachos that have cheese on them but I would have liked to see a bit more... but the toppings look delicious! Very fresh!

$Price$

Now, now, now. This is where a lot of Nachos fall short. If you charge over $15 for Nachos then they need tons of cheese. If you charge over $20 they must be made of the purist of golds. These Nachos cost a tender $14.99 for the small version and for the platter they cost $21.99. I have had a lot of Nachos. Trust me. I feel like this price is a bit inflated. The smaller version feeds up to 4 people for an appetizer but if you have more than 4 hungry Nacho lovers get the platter. They do taste good and I noticed the platter version did seem to have a lot more cheese and the toppings were spread out better. I did try the platter on a different day so maybe a rookie was working the kitchen the day I had the small plate… remember my Nacho Joe followers, Nachos are always inconsistant, unless you go to Moxies where I watch the chefs measure the cheese and toppings. Those are the only Nachos you can depend on as far as I know…

Presentation

These Nachos look nice. In fact they are my favorite Nacho look yet. This picture is on my phone as my background as you read (Actually depending on when you read it might have changed as time does go by and I like to change my Nacho phone background…) I will let you be the judge though!

These are the Nachos being reviewed, they look nice but they aren't layered and all the Jalapeno's are in the middle. But they look great!

Summary

If you get the Nachos that have cheese and toppings on them then these are delicious! The Jalapeno’s are a bit spicy so SNJW! (Spicy Nacho Joe Warning) But after throwing around numbers amongst my Nacho Sidekicks we decided that these Nachos are a strong 7/10. We go very often and they are always a bit different, sometimes they are a 9, others they are a 5. So be careful! If you get them on a 9 day then you are lucky and really enjoy them! That’s all for now! Thanks Nacho Followers. Your loyalty is humbling!

http://www.calgarysbestpubs.com/Kilkenny/index.htm

Check back soon for another review! I have a feeling it’s gonna be good, I am just pondering on the review for a bit longer.

Also send me an email, drop me a line at nacho.joe@hotmail.com or find me on facebook! www.facebook/nachojoereviews or Twitter @nachojoereviews

Much Cheesy Love to you all,

Nacho Joe

Hi Nacho Fans!

I will have more reviews up soon including Kilkenny, and Baby Tooth Bambinos! But for now I need to write a couple essays and keep up with school work! Thanks for your patience, don’t worry I’m still eating Nachos, but now they are comfort food for my studies.

More reviews soon, if you have any ideas of where I go next comment on this post or send me an email at nacho.joe@hotmail.com

Nacho Joe

The Quest

NachoJoe rates Julio’s Barrio 8/10

Here we go again! I set out to have Nachos with some good friends of mine at Julio’s Barrio on 101 10 Street NW. We laughed, we cried and we had some Nachos. Did the Nacho’s keep the laughing going? Or did we start to cry because of them? Read the review to find out!

Nachos.

The chips were crispy and had a flavour. But I have to admit I was kind of sad becasue they were only one color. However they were tasty so they get points! I would have liked to see some tri color action going on. Or another color. It’s always nice when Nachos are colorful!

Toppings

The Nachos had various toppings. Tomatoes, Onions, Olives (And those of you who have followed the blog know that I love olives), Jalapenos, and Cheese. The cheese was good and tasty and the toppings tasted fresh. The dips that came with the Nachos were Salsa and Sour Cream. There are also 3 big scoops of house made Guacamole that sit atop the Nacho platter. Also you can choose from various salsa’s at Julios. They range from Mild to Nuclear. If you have the Nuclear salsa make sure you have a generous scoop of sour cream to get your taste buds happy again. This was nice that everything is included and gives them a very authentic messy feel like the one’s I have had in Mexico.

However one must always be careful with Messy Nachos. Because Messy doesn’t always mean delicious. In Julio’s case, they pass, but be weary Nacho lovers. Some places will use the messy tactic to replace the sufficient and acceptable amount of cheese.

$Price$

The Nachos are a generous portion and they say 2-4 amigos can enjoy them! They cost $14.00 and they come with Guacamole. Most places charge extra but they didn’t! Nacho Joe is happy. Hopwever there could have been more cheese on these Nachos. We did find a few very sad Nachos.

Presentation

I thought these nachos looked very impressive and combined the messy and clean look together to make something beautiful. Check it out!

I like the Guacamole scoops, looks like Ice Cream!

Summary

Well here it is. I have to say these were one of the hardest reviews I had to do. It was a good thing I had lots of helpers. Thanks Friends! In the end though Nacho Joe came with the conclusion of an 8/10. They were good, but they could have used more cheese and possibly flavor too. I have had tastier Nachos. However the biggest positive is that all dips are included! The messy factor is tricky to rate as well! I will have to go back a couple of times so I recommend you go out to Julio’s Barrio and try them yourselves. Send me an Email of what you think. It’s a tough one!

www.juliosbarrio.com

nacho.joe@hotmail.com

@nachojoereviews

www.facebook.com/nachojoereviews

Until next time Nacho fans!

Nacho Joe

CALLING OUT NACHO EATERY’S!

Nacho Joe needs Nachos! If any of you have any grand ideas of where I should go for my next review comment on this post! Also I’ve received a lot of questions about where to find me on Facebook and Twitter!

My Twitter is @nachojoereviews

My Facebook is www.facebook.com/nachojoereviews

Thanks Nacho Lovers!

Nacho Joe

The Quest

NachoJoe rates Avocado Restaurant and Lounge 7/10

Tonight my sidekick Brosa and I went to Avocado Restaurant and Lounge at 118, 318 Aspen Glen Landing SW. The menu said that “Ignacio’s Nachos” are the best in town. Did they impress Brosa and I? Read to find out!

Nachos.

Well it all comes down to this. If the chips aren’t good then it’s really hard to like the Nachos. Thankfully I did enjoy the chips. Once again I couldn’t tell if they were house made but they were flat and crispy, so maybe. They were of the red, green, and white variety.

Toppings

These Nachos had a lot of toppings! All the toppings were really delicious. They had red beans, black beans, tomatoes, red onions, and tomatoes. They were great for toppings. However, if you look at the picture you are tricked into thinking there is a lot of cheese on these Nachos.

Looks like a lot of cheese right?

But after you eat the first layer there is no cheese on the second layer. You are left with a lot of dry Nachos. Also unfortunatly these were some Cold Nachos too! The cheese wasn’t melted enough. The second layer had little bits of white cheese on them and they weren’t melted. Don’t believe me? Here is the evidence!

See? The white cheese isn't melted! And there isn't even much. I was sad... Sad Nachos...

Anyway I will stop ranting about how sad I was. When these Nachos had cheese though they were really delicious. So I guess that redeems them a little bit…

$Price$

The good part about these Nachos is if you get them on a Monday they are only $13.50 however if you go any other day then they are $17.75. To me, unless they have more cheese then the price is a little steep. If you get these Nachos, my advice is to go on Monday night.

Presentation These Nachos looked really good. The top was covered in cheese and it looked like a giant pizza. Also the dips came in big tortilla cups. I have to give good points on presentation. Nice work Avocado!

Summary

Well as you can probably tell by the review, these aren’t 10/10 Nachos. The toppings were all so fresh and delicious but there wasn’t enough cheese. Also for the regular price of $17.75 they just aren’t quite worth it. They tasted really good but all the dry and cold Nachos brought down the mark. If these Nachos were layered high with the same amount of toppings and extra cheese then they would have stood a chance. I’m going to have to give Avocado’s “Ignacio’s Nachos” a 7/10.

Nacho lovers! Go out and eat Nachos, think some places deserved a better or worse score! Try them yoursleves and email me what your verdict is! I may even feature your review as a Nacho Joe apprentice!

Email your reviews to nacho.joe@hotmail.com along with what you want your name to be! I will go to the place, and then post my review and maybe yours!

Until the next review!

Nacho Joe

http://www.avocadosgrill.com

The Quest

NachoJoe rates Melrose Cafe and Bar 9/10

Well fellow Nacho lovers here we go. Nacho Joe is back in action! A while ago I went to Melrose Cafe and Bar 730 17 Avenue Southwest to check out some Nachos. My regular sidekick Pastayoyo and I entered the venue. We sat at the bar and ordered the Nachos. That is where our story begins…

Nachos.

These were decent Nachos! They had a nice crisp to them and they were of the Black, Red and Yellow chip variety. The  Assistant Marketing Manager for Melrose Cafe and Bar got in touch with em and said the Nachos were homemade. This is a good thing. If restaraunts or bars are selling nachos they should be homemade. Melrose got it right!  Even the Nachos that were covered in toppings at the bottom stayed crunchy. Nice work Melrose, you are off to a good start!

Toppings

Yum. These Nachos had Jalapenos, tomatoes, green onions and cheese. However no olives… you know me by now. I like my olives! But it’s okay. They are forgiven because the cheese was amazing. It tasted really good and it took my mind away from the lack of olives. There were lots of toppings on these Nachos, you don’t believe me? You be the judge!

You got to love the gooey cheese... YUM!

$Price$ The Nachos cost $14.35 if you want guacamole then they cost $16.35. I recommend paying the extra two dollars because the guacamole is amazing.

Presentation

Look how delicious they look! But I didn't get the guacamole in the picture...

Summary

As delicious as these Nachos were, they don’t get a perfect score. Why you ask? Well it’s all about consistency on nachojoe.com. I went to Melrose again and the Nachos were kind of soggy and there just wasn’t enough cheese. But the Nachos featured here in the pictures were very close to being perfect. I’m giving Melrose Nachos 9/10. Maybe I will do a follow up review, maybe I won’t. I don’t know! But remember fellow Nacho lovers, not every restaurant respects the art of Nachos like we do. So if they aren’t up to par, try again. You might be surprised!

Until next time!

Nacho Joe

http://www.melrosecalgary.com/