nachos – Michael Eats

Quick Bites: Moxie’s, Tom’s Dairy Freeze, and Blackbird Baking Co.

Published on January 21, 2020 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Double Cheese Nachos at Moxie’s

Before having these nachos, I hadn’t been to Moxie’s in several years. My recollection is that the place was deeply mediocre, and hey, wouldn’t you know it, it’s still deeply mediocre. The nachos were fine-ish; they’re somewhere in the vicinity of fine, I guess? For something called “Double Cheese” nachos, there were a lot of dry chips, and there otherwise isn’t much going on here other than some chopped tomatoes and sliced jalapenos. It’s one-note in its flavour, and desperately needs something with a bit of acidity/zinginess to perk it up a bit (salsa could have filled this role, but the salsa here tasted like it came out of a jar — and a particularly shoddy one, at that).

It’s also crazy overpriced for what it is; with the pulled chicken (which was basically stewed chicken mush) and guacamole (which was exceptionally bland), the platter comes up to a whopping 29 bucks, which is a galling amount to pay for such a mediocre plate of nachos.

Hot Fudge Sundae at Tom’s Dairy Freeze

I’ve written about Tom’s Dairy Freeze a couple of times before, which is why I didn’t bother writing a whole post about this, but it’s worth noting that the hot fudge sauce here is above average. It’s not great, mind you (the ice cream itself is definitely the reason to come to Tom’s), but it has a decent chocolate flavour, and it’s not overly sweet. It’s definitely a cut above a place like Dairy Queen.

Cinnamon Bun at Blackbird Baking Co.

Like the almond croissant at Blackbird Baking Co., the cinnamon bun is a lot more subtle than you’re expecting it to be — but it’s also delicious. It’s basically like a croissant and a cinnamon bun had a baby. The croissants at Blackbird are quite good, so yeah, this is as good as you’d hope.

A Towering Pile of Nachos at Sneaky Dee’s

Published on November 4, 2019 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 431 College Street, Toronto
Website: https://sneaky-dees.com/

The nachos at Sneaky Dee’s are frequently called the best in the city, and yeah, I can see why.

I ordered the King’s Crown (“crisp corn tortilla chips covered with salsa roja, piled high with frijoles, ground beef, tomatoes, onions, mixed peppers, jalapenos, melted cheese, topped with guacamole & sour cream”). At 26 bucks, it seems like it might be overpriced until it comes to the table and you realize it’s enough to feed three or four hungry people.

It’s super tasty. All of the components work really well together, and it’s so loaded with stuff that you’re never going to get a dry chip.

If anything there’s too much stuff — the tortilla chips can’t really hold up to the insane deluge of cheese and toppings. It’s fine at first, but after a few minutes all of the chips in the middle are complete mush.

It’s also a bit one-note rich, though the bottle of vinegary hot sauce they bring with the plate helps out a lot in this regard.

I feel like it’s probably a bit too haphazard to be the best nachos in the city, but it’s certainly delicious.

Nachos at Cineplex

Published on December 28, 2018 by Michael NusairLeave a comment

Location: 110 Courtneypark Drive East, Mississauga
Website: https://www.cineplex.com/Theatres/FoodAndDrink

Yes, I’m reviewing movie theatre nachos. Big whoop, wanna fight about it?

I actually used to really like the nachos at Cineplex! They’re junk, but tasty junk. Or at least, they were.

I haven’t had them in ages, but I feel like they used to be way better. Maybe I’m crazy.

The nacho cheese sauce used to be salty goo that had almost no resemblance to anything even close to real cheese — and yet there was something oddly satisfying about it.

I’ll admit that it’s quite possible I’m just getting snobbier, but the nachos lacked the junky joys of their previous self.

It probably doesn’t help that the cheese comes in pre-filled containers that are too small to dip chips into.

Seriously, who designed this?? Why not make the cups slightly shorter and wider? It’s a definite “you had one job” situation.

Even outside of the hilariously ill-conceived containers, the cheese itself seemed less salty, and like it was actually trying to resemble real cheese. But it did this extremely poorly, so you wind up with something with a neither-here-nor-there flavour that’s bland and unsatisfying.

The chips themselves are exactly as I remember them, at least. They’re not great (and they always taste vaguely stale), but they’re crunchy and satisfying.

The jalapenos are the clear highlight. I love pickled jalapenos, but when you buy them at the supermarket, they’re inevitably mushy, with a disappointingly mild level of spice. These ones have a great crunch and a decent amount of heat. They take something that would otherwise be mostly inedible and make it tolerable.