Sunset Cantina in Boston - MAINLAND EDITION

I first met Crystal when she was in her residency in Hawaii.  We hit it off instantly and became island besties.  We would go to Art After Dark together and had one of the best 4th of July's in the history of 4th of July's at the flotilla. This was also one of my worst sunburns ever.  Lucky for me red was festive for the holiday so my red skin matched my red, white, and blue dress.  Those were the days when we were living it up in Single Town.  Then she met Howard and she became the happiest lady I know.  I was so sad when she told me she was moving to Boston for her fellowship.  Having free time during residency is non-existent so it meant the world to me that both her and Howard snuck away long enough to join us for a nacho dinner while we were on the train trip.

The place we went had pretty good reviews online and was even said to have some of the best nachos in America.  Once we got there, we could tell it was frequented by college kids.  It had tall ceilings, somewhat industrial, and it was super loud with all the conversations around us.  We ordered the regular nachos thinking it would be good for 4 people.  They also had options for a 1/2 order or an XXL order.  HOLY CRAP the nachos are huge.  I can't even imagine what the XXL size looks like.  We did our best but barely made a dent.  And then because it was on the menu so we had to, we ordered the dessert nachos.  I felt sorry for them that we could barely give them any love. 

 

 

 

Brandy (4.5) – PRESENTATION: They're huge!!! Looks so good and lots of gooey cheese. RAD: Buffalo chicken was a surprise, but it was really good with the other toppings. LAME: A lot of plain chips, toppings seem to be on one side and chips on the other.  TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3.5, a lot of toppings but not really layered well.  Really liked the buffalo chicken.

 

Crystal (4) – PRESENTATION: Holy tequila that's a huge plate of nachos!  That's not even the biggest size!   RAD: Multicolor chips, a treat for the eyes and the tongue. LAME: Shredded lettuce is never sexy. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4

Howard (3.5) – PRESENTATION: Overwhelming portion size, good spread of toppings, but not sure if it will be proportionately enough toppings for all the mountain of chips. RAD: The thickness of the chips is perfect. Layering is solid.  The buffalo chicken complements the jalapenos well.  The pile of shredded lettuce gives us a false sense of the food being healthy. LAME: Have had 3-4 bites without getting any meat, more black beans than I wanted, although I am biased toward refried beans. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4.  Atmosphere is good, staff is friendly but slow.  The restaurant is clean, modern, and spacious.

 

 

Shananigans (4) – PRESENTATION: Holy hell, how big is the XL?  We should have ordered 1/2 order only.  This should be fun with just the 4 of us to eat all this. RAD: So much real stringy cheese.  Buffalo chicken has great flavor and spice.  Crystal and Howard took time out of their busy lives to see ME! LAME: Lettuce is sacrilege on nachos, chips get soggy quickly, I didn't order a nacho salad…go away lettuce. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, lots of toppings, but where's all the meat????  Better layering could have been done.  Loud restaurant, lots of room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brandy (2.5) – PRESENTATION: Looks amazing.  Came in a tostada shell with apples and chocolate sauce, bananas and ice cream. RAD: Vanilla bean ice cream. LAME: Raisins, so many raisins.  TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3, a lot of chips, very few toppings besides a shit ton of raisins.  Sounded better than it tasted.  Gave it a 2.5 because of the ice cream. 

Crystal (4) – PRESENTATION: It's in a tostada! Instant +1 point for multipurpose functionality. RAD: Nachos + Dessert, two things I love on one plate!  I love the caramel apple flavor.  Ice cream is a nice touch.  LAME: Raisins. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 5, sans tostada. 

Howard (3) – PRESENTATION: Presentation is a 9/10.  Surprised by it being in a tostada bowl.  Love the color provided by strawberries. RAD: Love the apple chunks! LAME: Don't really appreciate the raisins,it goes overboard with the sweetness factor. TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 3.

Shananigans (3.75) – PRESENTATION: It's in a tostada, super cute.  Fresh strawberries. RAD: Flaky chips covered in yum whip cream vanilla ice cream. LAME: OMG I am way too stuffed from the monstrosity of nachos we just ate to enjoy this.  WTF is up with all the raisins? TOPPING TO CHIP RATIO: 4, super messy, hard to get a bite of everything on one chip.  Appreciate the creativity but I would not order again.  Unique way of delivering ice cream to my mouth.