Minutes from the January 3rd Nachopalooza: Sunset Grill

The collective New Year's resolution of the Nacho Club members was to expand our membership, venture into new nacho territory, and discover satisfying-yet-radical piles of nachos in 2010. Unlike most (all) New Years resolutions, Nacho Club met the stated goals on January third. New Members were added: in keeping with the founding bylines, Molly and Kathleen became the first official non-founding members on the third when they returned for a second nacho club meeting (Marks, a promising rookie on the nacho circuit, rounded out the line-up). New territory was explored, as well, when the group jumped on the 66 bus for a field trip to Allson. And lastly, but certainly not least, the members feasted on the most satisfactory nachos to date. In fact, the nacho experience at the Sunset Grill was so exemplary, the club awarded their higeat score yet.

Due to the rigorous debate that occurs each meeting, and impeccable tastes of the judges, it was assumed that as in figure skating and gymnastics a perfect score was not actually attainable, but instead represented the untouchable ideal meant to inspire but remain always out of reach. Not so with nacho club. 

The sunset grill offered "South of the Border Giant Fiesta Nachos," the most impressive title of any nacho the club had previously encountered. Fortunately, the mountain of chips (full sized with lettuce, no olives, and black beans, and all the usual trimming) lived up to the title. These were no appetizer nachos, but a true heaping that satisfied four members while they waited for Laura and Marks to show up unfashionably late. There was no dead zone to be seen; the black-beans were disbursed through nachos, resulting in exciting "flavor pockets." Salsa was served on the side. The chips did not disappoint, and stayed just as crunch throughout the meal despite the proliferation of toppings. Lettuce was served on top. while some were wary of this tactic, upon eating they found it added to the meal and created another level of variety. It was noted that the nachos did not stand out in any particular area, but that all ingredients met the standards the club holds. All in all, the club found the nachos to be exactly what they were looking for in competently-constructed, satisfying nachos. After the usual round-table discussion, the club awarded the nachos a 4, the highest score the club has seen, ousting the newly-crowned Shay's. But, it turned out, the Sunset Grill was not finished.  Under the dessert menu, the words Dessert Nachos caught the complete attention of the club.

Dessert Nachos. This was a gamble by the restaurant, and as the club awaited the dessert, members agreed such a radical move could only end in screaming success of the most abject failure. Tampering with nachos is not to be taken lightly. Luckily for the Sunset Grill, the Nacho Club, and the Greater Boston Area, the dessert nachos were no disappointment. Quite the opposite. In describing the inspired dessert, the club members were often left with only one word: wow. Crunchy, sugared flour-tortillas with a touch of cinnamon: wow. Whipped cream and caramel on top, raisins, chunks of apple, and caramelize banana slices distributed throughout: wow. Malted vanilla ice cream offered, like salsa, on the side: wow. A restaurant that takes a chance by moving a beloved appetizer to the desert menu, re-inventing the nacho without losing its essence: wow. Most nacho experiences end with the appetizer selection (notice the lack of nacho main courses on your next menu). The Sunset Grill appreciates the nacho in its own right, and their reward for this bold, successful experiment is to bump their score up by an additional half point, earning a 4.5 chip score.