Nacho Diaries

CC Club Nachos
I've had these several times. They are the best bang for your buck. The half-size is more than enough for one person, and the full order will fill two people. I usually order them with the jalapenos on the side because they tend to be a few too many. So far, this seems to be the best chip-to-cheese ratio due to the fact that the pan the nachos are served on being quite large. More surface area equals both less soggy and less untopped chips. The guacamole tastes like what I'd imagine baby food to taste like, but the salsa is fine. The fact that you'll never need to use a fork to eat broken or soggy chips is most important part of CC club nachos.
Grade: B

The Independent Nachos
I had these a few months ago and really liked them, but my most recent visit left me quite a bit disappointed. Now, I blame myself for going during a busy time of the night, but 23 minutes is a little long for a nacho appetizer. Whereas the chips at the CC club are large and thick, the chips at the Independent are far too thin to support the many toppings on top of them. I don't know who thinks it's a good idea to completely cover the entire pile of chips in toppings. This is going to make for soggy chips that are hard to get at and the need for a fork. I liked the inclusion of grilled green, yellow, and red peppers on these nachos. I just had a burp that tasted like peppers. These nachos are ruined by the over-abundance of cheese and the huge pile guacamole, sour cream, and salsa in the middle of the pile which turns the thin, greasy chips into taco mush.
Grade: C-

The Uptown Bar Nachos
Eating these bad boys about 45 minutes after I had the Independent's nachos had a two-fold effect: Comparing and contrasting the two nachos is very easy, but influenced by the fact that I was already quite full by the time I started eating the Uptown Bar's attempt. The chips were much better... still fairly small and broken, but thick enough to not get soggy. The cheese tasted really good, but the could have used about half as much. I felt like the cheese, fused together with the other toppings, was a protective case around the chips. I could have dropped it on the ground and none of the chips would have broken. Ughhh. The black beans were awesome as a substitute for ground beef. Onions were yummy. There were lots of black olives too. I'm not a big fan of fresh tomatoes melted together with cheese. The salsa was watery, but the guacamole was good.
Bottom line: too much cheese, as usual.
Grade: C