Bukowski's: Nachtotum
If Charles Bukowski was "the laureate of the American lowlife," then his eponymous bar in Iman Square could be described as "the drinking establishment of the Bostonian fauxlife." Lack of a website, a menu full of obscure beers, a beer club that culminates in a mug etched with the name of your favorite dead author, and tight pants, tattoos and flannel as far as the eye can see all contribute to a certain unmistakable hipster aesthetic. Were the nachos also too cool for school?
Appearance: (8) How colorful! The artfully drizzled sour cream was also lovely. Still, naked chips loomed underneath…
Quality of Ingredients: (8) The pulled pork was delicious and sauce-heavy, but it clashed somewhat with the salsa and other ingredients (we've had this problem before with BBQ on nachos). Black beans were a nice addition, and we remain undecided as to whether the chips were homemade. We did appreciate the lime-tinged sour cream, a step up from the usual.
Distribution of Toppings: (6) These were top-heavy with a lot going on, but an exploratory examination showed profound naked chips under the initial layer of toppings. We did find an unexpected second layer of cheese in the middle, but by the time we reached it it had already congealed. These nachos ascribed to the "trickle-down" theory of distribution, and in the end the naked chips weren't so naked as the top ingredients eventually made it down to the lower chips as we ate.
Price: (3) $12 for basic nachos, $14 if you want pulled pork, chicken or vegan chili, and a whopping $3 if you want to add guacamole adds up to…a $17 nacho? Egads! For that price, we're expecting a behemoth that would put Sunset and Game On to shame, or at least some fancy ingredients
Overall: 25/40. A good effort, but not up there with the big guns. However, we highly recommend the $7.50 hotdog and PBR combo…
Tags: BBQ pork, beer, Cambridge, hipsters, Inman Square
Rock Bottom Brewery: We've Hit That
If you're a chain restaurant/brewery (and there are a lot of you), then you've got to do something to stand out from the crowd. For the Rock Bottom Brewery, originality comes in the form of forgoing dishware altogether. From what we witnessed, the pretzels and beer flights come out in wire carriers with handles, and our nachos arrived not on a plat but on a raised metal stand with a tray on top. They may have been trying to stun us with their presentation, but a word of advice: we aren't super short ladies, but we found this towering display too high to get proper perspective on chip selection, and exceptionally messy to eat from. There is also the lurking danger of dropping a topping off of the plate or on your chip into your beer.
Appearance: (7) Once again, flat nachos! What they lacked in a 3rd dimension they definitely made up for with the other two, as these elicited gasps of surprise as they graced the table. Twin scoops of guacamole elegantly framed a languid pool of salsa.
Quality of Ingredients: (5) "Greasy" is one of the first words that comes to mind. Ground beef was the topping on these nachos, and it definitely suffused the plate in fatty residue, compounded by the already somewhat greasy chips. While the beef was moderately unflavored, taco seasoning made it's appearance on the black beans. We did enjoy the just-right jalapenos, and the guacamole was excellent. Still, a little too heavy to really devour.
Distribution of Toppings: (7) Despite the low profile, the cheese didn't make it everywhere it was supposed to; slightly hardened cheese and greasy chips only made it stick less. Salsa and guacamole were well-placed, allowing for sampling but not getting in the way.
Price: (6) With the add-ons of meat and guacamole, these were up there in price. Large for sure, but not entirely worth it.
Overall: 25/40. A mediocre nacho on an unusual serving vessel is still just a mediocre nacho.
Tags: beer, breweries, chain restaurants, Downtown Boston, theater district
The Asheville Brewing Company
Today's nacho review takes us far, far away from the cold, Bud Light-drenched land of Boston to the warm, welcoming bosom of Western North Carolina. There, the beers are locally brewed (and cheap!), the hippies run wild, and it's still out-door dining weather. We found all three of these things in our recent trip to Asheville at the Asheville Brewing Company, a converted bus station turned brewpub/movie theater. The covered outdoor patio resembled a less dodgy and much better ventilated version of Our House West, with a rack of board games (including a giant custom-made Jenga set) and a corn hole game. Were the nachos too a step up? Here, we were confronted with two options: one nacho plate with corn tortilla chips (Nacho Mama), and one with flour (Nacho Daddy). We went with the flour chip offering with chicken, in hopes it would be the most original.
Appearance: (7) Did we order pizza? These nachos blew Uno's out of the water in the "Flattest Nacho" competition; and the finely-chopped toppings did nothing to dispel their pizza-like image.
Quality of Ingredients: (6) The chips were bizarre, like nothing we'd ever tasted on nachos but at the same time familiar. It took a few bites but we narrowed it down– they tasted exactly like the wrappers on crab rangoon. Interesting, but a bit too heavy after a few bites. The chicken was in tiny pieces and rather dry; black beans and some veggies were a nice touch. The salsa was pretty tasty, too bad it was on the side in a tiny container!
Distribution of Toppings: (7) It's hard to mess up distribution when your nachos are at max two chips deep. However, these still could have used a little more viscous ingredients.
Price: (7) At $7.50, great for Boston, just OK for the boondocks.
Overall: 28/40. While tasty, these nachos suffered a bit of an identity crisis. Pizza? Chinese food? Or 'chos? Until they make up their mind, unless you are really jonesing for some nachos you are better off looking elsewhere on the menu.
Tags: Asheville, beer, board games, breweries, North Carolina, vacation