At Nacho Hunters we are heavy supporters of cheese sauce on nachos. No, not yellow whiz. More artisanal options. Chipotle flavored. Jalepeno spiked. These add a remarkably nuanced flavor to nachos, and help overcome bland toppings. They also, as we’ve often discussed, provide optimal coverage.
When done perfectly, a cheese sauce is accompanied by a sprinkling of hard cheese prior to the nachos tanning up under the salamander. Pink Taco, in Los Vegas’ Hard Rock Hotel, knows the science behind this well. I sampled them amidst the stresses of Magic this week, and found momentary joy and relaxation.
Before the reality of their actual success hit.
Chipotle leads the cheese sauce. Unfortunately, the flavor stumbled to the finish line. No punch. No final burst. The cheese was also sadly pooled at the bottom of the nacho dish, forcing a need to dip the chips. God struth! That is not the nacho way!
Nachos are about topping. And, while Pink Taco fails to balance the goods on the chip, it manages to provide some strong material. The grilled chicken is well spiced, and moist. An additional plus comes in dicing it very finely. Helps with coverage, and helps to ensure chips are not overweight.
A broken chip in transit to the mouth ruins a good nacho experience.
Initially, the secondary topping, red bell peppers, raised a (well) red flag. For flavor, they brought a nice sweetness. Not a great nacho texture however. In Tex-Mex, the pepper should be firmly relegated to bad fajitas. One must, however concede that aesthetically they popped and made the dish an on table winner.
When the dust settles, and taste buds are allowed to submit transmissions to the brain (so hard in Vegas), Pink Taco’s nachos rate a 6 on 10.
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