It all started with an email chain from one of Chris’s friends. We’ll call him Uncle Mike.
Uncle Mike said, “Hey, want to go on a nacho bar crawl?”
I wrote back, “Am I dreaming?”
He said “No, this is real.” And just like that the NachoAverageBarCrawl 2015 was born. For the next few weeks Uncle Mike put in countless hours of hard work and research trying to find the best spots in Lincoln Park to accommodate our nacho crawl. His selection process was extremely competitive. I think he had more than 500 applicants in the beginning but in the end he cut it down to just five top spots.
The week leading up to the crawl I knew I needed to get in the right mindset and condition so I prepared myself by making a plate of homemade nachos every single day. The night before the crawl I was so excited I could barely sleep. So I made a plate of nachos at 1:00 a.m. to calm my nerves.
The day finally arrived and we started our crawl at 1:00 p.m. at The Crossing. We toasted to the event with beers and Fireball shots and then watched as this beauty was placed in front of us.
Usually when nachos are set in front of me I begin attacking them like a ravenous wolf so it was slightly difficult for me to pace myself in the beginning.
It’s clear The Crossing set the bar pretty damn high right from the start. Their nachos were oven baked, extremely generous on the chicken, and covered in a mix of “nacho appropriate” vegetables. There wasn’t a bare chip on the plate which is always a hard task to achieve during nacho preparation. I usually prefer shredded cheese as opposed to the cheese you see above, but they were still delicious and I really couldn’t complain. In fact I thought I’d be nacho hungover today but after looking at this photo I could eat them again right now.
Stop 2: Racine Plumbing.
It’s been said before that nachos are like snowflakes, no two are alike and if you look closely enough at their true beauty you’ll see a family of Who’s setting up a Christmas tree right before you eat them.
When these were set on our table at Racine we all kind of gasped. Uncle Mike had to look away because he teared up. He said it was dust, but we all knew.
The authentic shredded chicken, the real cheese, the heaving piles of refried beans (you can’t see them, but they were there) it was all so good. These are the kind of nachos that require a fork and another notch on the old belt.
We left Racine knowing these would be hard to top.
Stop 3: Matisse Tavern.
Matisse calls their nachos “gourmet nachos.” They’re like the fancy skinny cousin of the nachos you see above who lives in New York and wears all black and pronounces “human” like “uman.” Less is more for Matisse. Some people are really into this I imagine. Like people not from Nebraska probably.
On a regular old day I would love these nachos. But in all honestly they were in a little over their head trying to compete with The Crossing and Racine. Bless their heart for trying.
By the time we got here it was probably 6:30 p.m. We’d been eating and drinking for more than five hours. Our spirits were high and our tummies were full. When our waiter set these down we all just went “oh shit.” Just look at this mountain of nachos. Have you ever seen something so amazing?
Ground beef and beans and cheese oh my! It was truly like a magical plate of nachos that never ended. Was there a gnome living in the middle of it all raising a family of unicorns? Would we have to solve a riddle in order to get to the next layer? What did all of this mean? We just kept eating hoping we would find out.
Two hours later the nachos were gone and we were playing beer pong and ski ball, declaring “This is the best day ever!” Or perhaps that was just me. We had a fifth stop planned, but I made a judgement call and knew none of us had a clear enough mind to give a new plate of nachos the proper respect they deserved. So we called it a night after D S Tequila.
Am I food hungover today? Yes, yes I am. I woke up this morning smacking my dry lips together like I’d gone to bed eating sawdust. But it was so very worth it.
I suppose some of you might want me to choose the best out of all four. But I can’t do it. That would be like choosing between my children that I don’t have. Every nacho was special in its own way and presented me with a moment of happiness and heartburn I’ll never forget.
So the Nacho Average Bar Crawl 2015 was a huge success. Next up: Tommy Want Wingy Bar Crawl coming March 2015. If you’d like to join, let me know.
It’s a good thing this is my 27th year not getting invited to the Oscars, I’d hate to have to put on a tight dress tonight. But next year man, I’ll be ready.
This is a dream come true. I LOVE nachos, but my boyfriend hates them (he's crazy!!!) so I'd have to find a group of friends that would go nacho crawling with me – BUT speaking of amazing bar food, there's a pub near me that has two pound pretzels. They're huge! I'm dying to try them!
Oh my god, i have already messages my sister and started researching Melbourne's Best Nachos in ordder to create this amazing adventure for myself!
Such an epic idea!!
Kelsey x
Kelstagram
Although I don't like nachos, I enjoyed reading your chronicle of the day. That'd be way too much food for me in a single day… although I know that it was split several ways.
Wings, on the other hand…
You just brought a tear to my eye. This idea is amazeballs and think you should do one for chili cheese fries! I'm so hungry now.
Texas Jak
http://www.novermyhead.com
This is the most amazing idea ever. The sheer amount of sour cream makes my heart sing.
What a neat idea!! Now just go do the Bikini Body Guide a million times to work it off haha
oh my god. this sounds amazing. I need all of those nachos right now.
Why have I never done this??? Nachos are amazing. Totally going to plan a nacho average bar crawl this year!
i want to cry, these pictures just got me really emotional. i want them so bad.
this is the greatest idea in the entire world! yum!
This is the most magical idea ever. I need to do this ASAP. Why is this not a THING? It is now. Thanks Uncle Mike.
That is awesome dammit. I literally want to jump through the screen, they all look so good!
This all looks so amazing! I agree with most, I want to jump through the screen and devour it all!
Tommy want wingy….I see what you did there and I LOVE it!!!!!
This is amazing! #3 and 4 look great. I need to try making my own food bar crawl.
Amazing. I've only ever had nachos at The Crossing – so delish. Can't wait to see your wing crawl stops!
I had these pork nachos on wonton chips in Hawaii that were SO good that I was literally mad I had never tasted something so delicious before. Sooo looks like you need to make a trip to Hawaii to see for yourself.
nfl jerseys
michael kors outlet
nfl jerseys
nfl jerseys wholesale
Michael Kors Online Outlet
ray ban sunglasses outlet
nfl jerseys cheap
michael kors outlet
coach outlet online
Michael Kors Outlet Online
nfl jerseys
nfl jerseys wholesale
Oakley Store
michael kors handbags
cheap oakley sunglasses
toms outlet store
michael kors outlet
cheap oakley sunglasses store
toms outlet
Michael Kors Outlet Online
michael kors outlet
toms on sale
Michael Kors Outlet Online
nfl jerseys
mlb jerseys authentic
true religion jeans
cheap oakleys
michael kors outlet online
Michael Kors Outlet
michael kors outlet online sale
instyler ionic styler
ralph lauren polo
true religion sale
louis vuitton handbags
oakley sunglasses wholesale
abercrombie and fitch
michael kors outlet store
louis vuitton outlet store
nike air max 90
michael kors outlet clearance
hermes outlet
michael kors outlet
nba jerseys
ray ban sunglasses
lululemon outlet online
basketball shoes
omega watches
true religion jeans outlet
hollister sale
hermes outlet
longchamp pas cher
beats by dre
coach outlet online
nfl jersey wholesale
hermes bags
fred perry polo
cazal sunglasses
michael kors factory outlet
ray ban sunglasses
gucci outlet online
prada handbags
polo ralph lauren
burberry outlet
cheap nba jerseys
michael kors outlet clearance
0720zhenhong
prada handbags
polo ralph lauren
canada goose sale
cheap oakley sunglasses
true religion jeans
louis vuitton outlet
ralph lauren
louis vuitton sunglasses for women
fitflops clearance
true religion jeans
rolex watches,rolex replica watches,replica rolex watches,replica watches
michael kors outlet online
christian louboutin outlet
ugg boots sale
nike air max 2015
prada sunglasses for women
louis vuitton neverfull
air jordan shoes for sale
oakley sunglasses
michael kors factory outlet
oakley sunglasses uk
prada sunglasses
ugg boots
louis vuitton outlet
michael kors factory outlet
ugg outlet
louis vuitton pas cher
hermes outlet store
the north face jackets
polo pas cher
ralph lauren uk
true religion jeans
iphone case uk
prada sneakers
ugg outlet
20160906caihuali