Great Nachos, But Not the Absolute BEST that NYC Has to Offer

We at 89^th and Broke are huge nacho fans, and to date we’ve found the Wharf’s to be the best. But we’re always open to new possibilities, and it’s our open-mindedness that led Alicia and I to Professor Thoms one night to try their much-hyped nachos.

We enjoyed the happy hour specials ($3 domestic drafts until 7 pm) and each had a few beers, which were nice complements to our nachos. As many of you already know, the portion size of the nachos at Professor Thoms is enormous. It’s the size of a pizza box and actually served on a pizza pedestal.

We asked for the olives, jalapenos and pico de gallo (I hate cilantro) on the side, per our taste differences, so the presentation may have been even better had we not segregated these key components of our nachos. But alas, when you add all your favorite pieces together, it amounts to a cheesy, beany, spicy piece of deliciousness.

Oh how I love nachos. These really were great, but the Wharf still takes the cake for me. I like chili in my nachos, and Professor Thoms did not deliver on that end. And their chip-to-topping ratio wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for. They had gobs of toppings on the middle chips, but there were outliers and layers underneath that didn’t receive any topping-love. A real nacho experience is messy, and I’m fine with that, but we really did have to get in there and move things around to ensure that we had enough chips with toppings to make our ordeal worthwhile.

I thought the guac was wonderful and plentiful and overall it was a great nacho experience, but it’s not #1 in my book. I’d love to hear Alicia’s thoughts on the matter…

Alicia Wells, New Jersey Correspondent

Thanks, Caryn, for that lovely intro.  I have to agree with most of your points- I thought the flavors and consistency were top notch, and appreciated the variety of toppings (rather than, say, just cheese and salsa- infuriating).  The portion size was more than enough for dinner-for-two, and if I recall correctly, we didn’t even clear the plate.  I know that you and Doug are passionate about a perfect chip-to-topping ratio, but I must say that when the portion size is big enough to fill me up, I do enjoy a few blank chips at the bottom of the pile.  I think they cleanse the palette and provide that final, satisfying crunch without making me feel like I’m going to explode.  With that said, I would have appreciated it if the toppings had been more evenly dispersed.  I felt like the cheese was so melted on that it was hard to get any of the other toppings on the chip (you know when they stick together and you have to use two hands to break them apart).  Had the toppings been sprinkled throughout, rather than placed on top, I think we could have avoided this issue.  Of course, this is partially due to the fact that we got some of the toppings on the side, but I would have liked to see the toppings that were on the nachos more interspersed.  Maybe I’m just being too picky, but I feel like the Wharf accomplishes this with ease, and they are the gold standard.