What is the goal of this project?
The ultimate goal is to spend a year trying to find "Nashville's Best Nachos".
Yet, why stop there? Someone once told me that the only way to make it is to reach for the stars. Hmmmm.... I figure, if I plan on spending a year eating and writing about nachos, I need to set my goal a bit higher. So here goes...
I plan on spreading my writing past this blog into a column in a local magazine or paper writing specifically about nachos. I also plan on starting a NachoTV video podcast documenting my weekly nacho adventures that will also be available on Youtube, Vimeo, Google Video, etc...
Finally, at the end of the "Year of the Nacho", which will be October 20th, 2009, I hope to have gained enough knowledge about nachos to be able to call myself an "Aficionacho". I want to be the Kay West of nachos. I hope to have gained enough support from the public, press, and restaurants that I can launch the first ever "Nashville Nacho Festival" filled with music, games and only the best nacho vendors Nashville has to offer.
[UPDATE: Unbeknownst to me at the time of launching this idea, it seems that the "International Day of the Nacho" is celebrated at the International Nacho Festival on October 21st every year in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico.]
Why Nachos?
On October 20th at roughly 4pm I read an article about the demise of Carmen Rocha, the lady responsible for bringing nachos to Los Angeles. I thought, "What a great woman!" What a wonderful legacy to be known fo regionally popularizing such a socially vibrant food! To introduce scores of people to the happiness and bliss that nachos can bring surely wins you a spot in line at the gates of that big fiesta in the sky!
It made me think back to how much joy nachos had brought me as a child. My mother would often bake a tray full of individual nachos. A teaspoon full of refried beans placed on each chip covered by a slice of melted cheddar cheese. She would always have salsa at the ready, and sometimes, jalepenos and sour cream if available. They were the perfect snack!
At that moment, my hunger outweighing my sadness and nostalgia, I decided that my evening meal was going to honor the loss of the nacho community. But not just any old chip and queso pileup, I wanted the best chips and toppings my city of Nashville, TN had to offer. I simply had to find someone with the appropriate "nacho knowledge" to guide me.
Typing "Best Nachos In Nashville" into Google, will only get you two relevant results. The first result is for "Nachos" mexican restaurant in Franklin, TN. (Williamson County Nachos!) The second, and only Nashville item, is a Nashville Scene review of Jim's Nachos near Lipscomb University. (Really close to my house!) However, in the review, they decribe a pale, monolithic plate of about eight wilting chips, topped with chunks of skin-colored meat, all sitting in a coagulating pool of white queso. YUCK! Those were not the tasty meal I had in mind.
I called my friend, Sean the RIMBoy, and he told me The Nashville Scene had recently published it's "Best Of Nashville" issue (with detailed categories like best salad, best butter, and best fish taco). Yet, there sadly was no category for "best nacho".
After calling a few more people with no definitive answer, I decided that, if there is no nacho expert in Nashville, I would dedicate the time in trying to become one. My head swam with questions. How many places in Nashville serve nachos? How often could I eat nachos without becoming nacho'd out? How long would it take me to eat all of Nashville's nachos?
Instead of answering all of these questions, I decided to see where the night would take me. Thus, the "Great Nacho Hunt" was launched.
Where are the nachos?
I will primarily only be writing about nachos in the Nashville area within Davidson County. I will do a few reports from other areas like Murfreesboro and Franklin, but the goal is to find Nashville's best nachos.
Nachos themseleves are a ubiquitous menu item. While the number of mexican restaurants that serve nachos in this town is staggering to think about, Nashville's nachos are going to be found in bars, airports, stadiums, movie theaters, nightclubs, and restaurants. Wherever they are, I will be there.
How long will this take me?While it would probably take me several years to complete a full tour of Nashville's nachos, I decided that I would devote a year of my life to the tasty dish.
When will you be going out in a group to eat nachos?
One night a week I will lead a "nacho hunt" to eat nachos in at least three different places. With 52 weeks in a year, that's more than 156 different nacho places! I have set a minimum of at least two people that must attend for a hunt to take place. (It's kind of like going to the movies by yourself, you can do it alone but it's better with one or more people.) If you are in or near the metro Nashville area and would like to attend one of the weekly nacho hunts, contact me at nachonashville (@t) gmail.com
How will I document this?
This blog (NachoNashville.blogspot.com) will detail each nacho hunt and share knowledge of Nashville's nachos. I'll take notes at each location and pictures of the nachos we encounter. Hopefully over time I can get the people who come with me to write about their experiences as well.
I have also started another blog (NachoNashville.Tumblr.com) to talk nacho history, rumors, pop-culture appearances and post nacho videos.
I plan on expanding the base to include a Myspace page, YouTube account and a Twitter feed.
Who started this whole silly affair?
I am a DJ/Promoter/Producer/Cultural Icon named Pimpdaddysupreme. I am a lover of women, music and nachos. I am aware of how ridiculous I am. I enjoy throwing wild parties and surrounding myself with ridiculous people like you who are reading a blog about nachos. Would you like to eat some nachos with me?
