A Rant of Sorts

Dear Management,

Let me start off by saying that I have visited your dining establishment on multiple occasions and I have always been quite content with the service, drinks and food. It has proven to be a great place to spend a low-key evening just catching up with friends. That is why it pains me somewhat to write this letter, but I feel it's necessary as I haven't been able to shake a feeling of unrest since I was there this past Sunday evening.

After my friends and I learned that the Sliders were sadly not featured on the night's Specials, we all settled for other options. My roommate and I weren't feeling particularly adventurous that evening, so we opted for nachos. Because, as we pointed out to a skeptical friend, "How can you screw up nachos?? Chips and melted cheesy goodness and whatever condiments are around. Done and done."

Well, you know what they say about assuming...

20 minutes later, the waiter brought us our order... Chips? Check! Guac and sour cream? Check and check! Chili-ish something-or-other? Slightly sketchy, but a Check! for the beef component, nonetheless. Heck, there was even fresh Pico as opposed to canned Pace (ewww.)... All in all, impressive. There was just one small, little, terribly insignificant thing missing...

The cheese.

Now I'm not one for causing a fuss at restaurants. You could hand me a banana cream pie when I ordered chocolate cake and I'd probably be as happy as a clam. But seriously?? Nachos... without... CHEESE?! At first I thought it was a mistake - a cruel joke, perhaps. So when the waiter informed me that, no, in fact the nachos have never been served with cheese, I kind of just stared in jaw-dropped bewilderment. He did, however, offer to bring us a side of cheese, which I politely declined. I'm curious though - would it have been a mini bowl of cold, shredded cheddar? A few slices of American, perhaps? Maybe some feta to sprinkle on top?

All kidding aside, it did occur to me that maybe my shock was due in part to the fact that I was spoiled with Tex-Mex for four solid years... Maybe, just maybe, the whole world doesn't consider cheese a necessary ingredient when making nachos. So, after an extensive bit of Googling, I present you with the following research:

• Nachos NY is a blog described by the creator as, "a nacho quest, for the best." It includes anything and everything concerning nachos in NYC - even a Google Map that plots out past reviews! Genius, I say! You will please note that while there are many differences from plate to deliciously greasy plate, one thing is common... you guessed it: cheese. (Also, be sure to check out recent Guest Blogger Julia's take on Texas Nachos! Warning: Will cause stomach to grumble.)


• Oh Wikipedia! The be all, end all of frivolous research... How I love thee. I think you will find the "Nachos" entry to be very informative, particularly the second sentence (emphasis mine): "In their simplest form, nachos are usually tortilla chips or totopos covered in melted cheese." I mean, who are we to question the omniscient Wiki??

I do hope you've found this letter to be both enlightening and persuasive in my attempt to build a case for why you should seriously consider adding this most delicious bit of dairy to your restaurant's Nachos. Call me a traditionalist, but I just think that making such a drastic change to a tasty treat that has stood the test of time (since 1943! Thanks Ignacio "Nacho" Anaya!) is just. plain. wrong.

Regards, xoxo, etc. and so on,

Bethany