Mmm-matador

The happy hour nachos at the Matador may well have been one of the major inspirations behind Ballard Nacho Review. These tasty tidbits cost $7.50 during less-happy hours, but are an unbelievable $4.00 from 4-6pm and again after 10pm. You even have the option of adding steak or chicken, either of which would push the regular price up over $10.
Enough about the price, let's get down to discussing the substance.

Location: The Matador, 2221 NW Market Street, Seattle, WA 98107

Date: 12/8/2007

Ingredients:
chips
cheddar and jack cheese
black beans
pico de gallo
sour cream
guacamole

Evaluation:
It's telling that the place is packed for happy hour even with all the drinks at full price. These nachos are a hit, from the fresh thin crunch of the chips to the even distribution of elastic cheese to the wonderfully fine chop of the tomatoes, onions and other pico de gallo elements. The black beans assert their presence nicely. The guacamole has better promise than execution, with little more than a token spoonful to scrape off the top. The spiced sour cream is a nice addition and seems to go further than the guac.
As mentioned, there are no drink specials for happy hour, but this self described tequila bar has a fun variety of margarita options, several local and Mexican beers on tap and an almost freakishly fruity sangria. Other food specials we've sampled include $5 beer battered shrimp tacos and $4 chicken quesadillas. Both are satisfying and well worth the price.
Readers not close to Ballard will be happy to know that The Matador Restaurant/Tequila Bar has established several other locations in the few years they've been established. They can now be found in West Seattle, Redmond, Tacoma and even Portland, Oregon.

Plenty of Cheese on the Shipping Canal

Ballard Nacho Review is back after a four-week hiatus for National Novel Writing Month. Stay tuned for more frequent updates during the current comfort food season. Today's review is a somewhat overdue look at the cheesy creations of one of our closest neighborhood bars.

Location: Lockspot Cafe, 3005 NW 54th St Seattle, WA 98107

Date: November 13th, 2007 (yes, I know)


Ingredients:

chips

cheddar and jack cheeses

onion

tomato

jalapeno

guacamole

salsa on the side for dipping


Evaluation:

Two aspects of these nachos stood out: the copius amounts of cheese and the roughly chopped onions scattered across the top. I was apprehensive about the onion, having sampled other menu items at the Lockspot that came with thick, tear-inducing cross sections of it. However, while I can't vouch for the everyday, on this particular occasion the onion was mild, offering a pleasant offset to the thick layers of gooey cheese. Speaking of layers, the cheese was well distributed. This batch erred on the side of needing a fork to scoop up leftover gobs from the bottom of the pile.

The tomatoes were tasty while the jalapenos were your standard jarred variety. Scoops of sour cream and guacamole perched on top of the pile. While the guac was nothing special, we did appreciate the fact that it came standard with the dish and was not subject to an extra charge like many places.

The salsa was a somewhat disappointing accompaniment. It was a generic seeming, runny tomato mess. Fortunately, there were enough other flavors going on in the nachos that I forgot to actually dip my chips in salsa for most of the time I was eating.

Another positive is the decent selection of local beers that the Lockspot offers from Hale's Ales, Maritime Pacific, Boundary Bay, and other Seattle area favorites. If you're not in a beer mood, the Lockspot also offers a full bar, pouring reasonably strong liquor drinks.

Can't get enough of the Lockspot? Disagree with my analysis? Read other reviews of this and other neighborhood businesses or even add your own thoughts at http://www.98107.net/.

CheeseChips in Paradise

Location: Waimea Brewing Company, 9600 Kaumuali'i Hwy, Kaua'i
Date: October 21, 2007

Ingredients:
house made corn chips
cheddar and jack cheeses
black beans
tomatoes
jalapenos
black olives
sour cream
green onions
salsa (on the side)
kalua pork (on the side)

Evaluation:
Service at Island-pace draws few objections from those seated outdoors on a warm Kauai night, expect perhaps when surrounded by a strange smell reminiscent of poorly-turned compost. Still, the overall ambiance at Waimea Brewing Company managed to make up for it, with live Hawaiian music and a trio of feral but elegant cats making the rounds for leftovers. Nachos are quite often a standout on brewery menus, and black beans are among our favorite toppings, so we had high hopes that this batch (if we were ever able to place our order and if it then eventually arrived) would be good.
There were certainly strong points. The salsa was smooth and slightly smokey with just the level of spice to complement the other flavors of the dish. The green onion across the top was slivered into u-shaped strips of vibrant color. Similar to elsewhere we've seen in the Islands, the sour cream was thin and almost sauce-like and appeared to be lightly seasoned. This was preferable in the warm weather to a thick gob of the stuff piled over the cheese.
Beyond these points, the nachos lacked any sort of wow-factor. The house-made corn chips were decent quality but did not stand out as homemade or special and the tomatoes were fresh but seemed to be almost an afterthought. The scattered black beans did not make enough of an impact and were drowned out by the prominent tinny olives. Cheese distribution was average, but clumpy. I myself abstained from the pork, but witnessed my companion mixing ketchup and stray jalapenos into it to add flavor.
Overall, the dish was satisfying but unexciting. It may have been better if washed down with a couple more of their smooth and tasty brews. We sampled the Lilikoi Ale (tinged with passionfruit) and the Pakala Porter. The beer and the setting would draw me back, the nachos lack that pull.

On Nachos

When crafted correctly, a plate of nachos is a thing of wonder. Nachos gone wrong are still a satisfying mess of greasy goodness. Ballard-based bloggers with Nacho Review are out to evaluate them all. While largely focused on bars and eating establishments in our own neighborhood, we're also exploring the far reaches of nacho territory for noteworthy options. We've explored chips and cheese offerings in Alaska, Hawaii, along the West Coast of the U.S., and even braved a plate in Paris, France (where we were unable to confirm if the "guacamole" was indeed green mayonnaise).

Factors we consider in our evaluations include

• chip quality
• disbursement of cheese
  
• chip to cheese ratio
• temperature
• balance of "extras" such as veggies and beans
• fresh or canned ingredients
  
• value

Stay tuned for frequent updates on our findings.