Nacho Week May 8th-15th 2023

 Nacho week was presented by Foodie Saint John and was sponsored by Loch Lomond Mitsuibishi. 

The following places participated in Nacho Week:

Pizzano's 

Costa Nachos                                    

Amici

Billy's 

AJ's 

Uptown Eatery

Vegolution

Grannan's 

Churchills 

Mexi's

Red Brick

The Plank

Big Bites

Lily's 

Donair Ave 

Lily's 

We have been having some good nachos at Lily's lately, and nacho week was no exception. We decided to have their Chicken Bacon Alfredo Nachos since we wanted to try something new and different at Lily's. Why have Lily's Famous Wonton Nachos if we could get it anytime of the year? 

Lily's Chicken Bacon Alfredo Nachos - May 2023

Lily's Chicken Bacon Alfredo Nachos - May 2023

Distribution of Toppings

The distribution of toppings was spot on, but it was hard to mess up since there was so much alfredo sauce on the chips. I really appreciated how the chips did not turn soggy even though there was a lot of alfredo sauce.

Quality

The bacon, alfredo and green onions were very tasty. I would have liked maybe some jalapenos on them to add some spice but maybe the spice wouldn't work with these nachos. I could see why these nachos were receiving great reviews by Foodie Saint John and the server was praising them as well. 

Value

The Chicken Bacon Alfredo Nachos came to $26.99 before taxes. I consider this pricey for what we got. Considering that this price includes the meat, the special occasion, and the great atmosphere I was not unhappy, but I have had better nachos for less. 

Quantity

They were perfect to share for a meal, especially for a much-needed late supper after sprinting at the track.

Conclusion

Lily's Chicken Bacon Alfredo Nachos were very good but not excellent. Regular readers will know that I am not a fan of saucy nachos, and these had plenty of sauce. I do not think it's hard to put a bunch of alfredo sauce on chips as a way to achieve a perfect topping distribution. However, they were unique, tasty and I appreciated that Lily's participated in nacho week. They were a lot better than the other nachos we had that week. Read on for that review.

Nacho Blog Rating: A-

Amici

I tried to balance my athlete's diet with the need to do nacho research that week. The second place we visited was Amici and unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. 

Amici Meat Madness Nachos - May 2023

Amici Meat Madness Nachos - May 2023

Amici Meat Madness Nachos (half-way through) - May 2023

Distribution of Toppings

The distribution of toppings was pretty poor. We had many empty chips left over at the end.

Quality

This was supposed to be "meat madness" pita nachos but they did not have a lot of meat on them like the pictures in their advertisements. The ground beef was very mushy and lacked seasoning. In addition, there was not a lot of cheese, always tragic. And on top of that, the nachos were not cooked all the way through.

Value

The nachos were $17.99 including the meat. The price is very low but so was the quality and distribution of toppings.

Quantity

They were enough to share for a meal but did not satisfy our nacho appetite.

Service

We gave the server constructive feedback regarding the nachos and she was not receptive or apologetic. In addition, when we were ordering, she had to pull up the nacho information on her phone on social media to show us what was offered for nacho week. This was somewhat off-putting - normally a server would at least memorize the specials and attempt to make them sound exciting to customers.

Conclusion

One of the main things you need to get right when making a good plate of nachos is cooking everything all the way through. That means they cannot be rushed through a super hot oven/broiler which will only toast the top. These definitely needed more time in the oven, better quality meat, and lots more cheese. 

Nacho Blog Rating: D+