Peppe's Mexican Grill

Peppe's Mexican Grill
3501 Brownsville Road
Trevose, PA 19053


Nacho Supreme

From the Menu: Homemade tortilla chips with cheese wiz OR shredded Monterey Jack cheese & sour cream.

Nacho Cheese, jalapenos, pico de gallo: $3.95
Nacho Supreme - ground beef, beans, pico de gallo: $4.95

Before making the big move from a small apartment in Philadelphia to a big-boy house outside the city there were numerous important decisions to make and concerns to address. Location, Lender. Local nachos. Square footage. Acreage. Basement. Gas or oil. HVAC. Roof. Driveway. Proximity to Wawa. You know what they say:

Location, location, nachos.

Roughly one mile down the road from my potential new casa de nacho was a small local Mexican restaurant. This was a very good sign. I had a good feeling about the house, the neighbors, the roof, the lawn, and the local nachos. So, I bought this house nachos unseen.

Well, as a first time home buyer sometimes things aren't what they seem...

Firstly, our neighbors George and Ethel are delightful. However, the water in the basement and the feral cats leave a lot to be desired. But the one thing I wasn't expecting were the nachos to be "slightly better than average."

Don't they know who I am?

No?

Well, that's just fucking wonderful.

Peppe's Mexican Grill isn't quite a restaurant and it isn't quite a fast food joint either. The decor fluctuates from fancy outdoor architecture to diner tables and chairs to ordering at the counter but also having a waitress. This identity crisis also is evident in the nachos. They looked good. Really good. There was nacho stuff in almost every single layer. However, the ingredients were standard and the flavor was just "good!" You know the "good!" I'm talking about. It's the "good" when someone asks how you are and you say "good!" but you really aren't good because life is hard.

Not quite what I was expecting when I bought this house with nachos around the corner, but you can't win them all.

I blame my realtor.

Just kidding, she was wonderful and probably reads this blog. Hi Karen!!!

• Presentation: 8
• Assembly: 8
• Uniqueness: 3
• Value: 8
• Taste: 5
• Overall: 6.4

So many nachos, so little time...

It appears that I haven't been carrying out my due diligence. I mean, obviously I've been eating nachos. Plenty of them in fact! However, my reporting has been sub-par. So, lets try something a little different. Nacho Haikus!

That's a thing, right?

Pick your poison.

Famous Dave's
9763 Roosevelt Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19114
(215) 856-7611


Barbeque Nachos

Ingredients: House-smoked cheddar cheese, Wilbur Beans, Famous Chili, jalapenos, Rich & Sassy and choice of Texas Brisket, Georgia Chopped Pork and Barbeque Pulled Chicken

Price: Small - $7.99 / Large - $11.99

Ribs, brisket, corn bread
Staples of southern food, but...
I enjoy nachos

Never eat nachos

Before I take a picture.

Divorce is looming.

• Presentation: 8
• Assembly: 7
• Uniqueness: 6
• Value: 8
• Taste: 7
• Overall: 7.2

Game of Thrones Premiere Party
Location: My new house

GoT Premiere Nachos

Ingredients: ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, and Tostitos Cantina Thin & Crispy Chips

Price: Your favorite character's head.

The Aluminum Throne

The Seven Kingdoms

Can anything unite them?

Dragons love nachos.

• Presentation: 6
• Assembly: 4
• Uniqueness: 2
• Value: 10
• Taste: 7
• Overall: 5.8

Horsham Pub
1144 Horsham Road
Ambler, PA 19002
(267) 387-6702

Nacho Bar

Ingredients: Corn Tortilla Chips with Multed Cheese, Lettuce, Tomato, Black Olives and Jalapenos

Price: $79.00 (Serves up to 25 people).

Pot of cheese at the end of the nacho rainbow.

Legend has it that

a Nacho King will rise from

a vast pot of cheese.

Before.

Do you remember
Birthday party number one?
What about nachos?

After

• Presentation: 4 (I'm kinda into that pot of cheese though.)
• Assembly: 8 (do it yourself. I needed more time and had to think of the children.)
• Uniqueness: 2 (ingredients were typical. Do it yourself is atypical).
• Value: 10 (free to me is always a 10. I got $3.16 worth for sure.)
• Taste: 4 (the whole was not greater than the sum of the parts.)
• Overall: 5.6

Bucks County Food Truck Festival
Cherokee Day Camp
Bensalem, PA 19020


Pork Nachos via
Mary of the Queen Pork Food Truck

Ingredients: I'm going to take a stab at this and say "Tostito Chips, Nacho Cheese, BBQ Pork"

Price: $10.00

It's like they knew I was coming. 

Summertime is here.

Go outside with friends and eat

More nachos of course!

Pork, chili, chicken

I can't pick just one for now

Why do people stare?

• Presentation: 3
• Assembly: 5
• Uniqueness: 4
• Value: 3
• Taste: 7
• Overall: 4.4

Chipotle Mexican Grill Catering

Tabby's Baby Shower
Philadelphia, PA


Chipotle: Mexican Grill Catering

Ingredients:

INCLUDES:
White and Brown Cilantro-Lime Rice
Black Beans
Pinto Beans
Fresh Tomato Salsa (mild)
Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa (medium)
Tomatillo-Green Chili Salsa (medium hot)
Tomatillo-Red Chili Salsa (hot)
Sour Cream
Guacamole
Cheese
Lettuce
Chips
Crispy Taco Shells
Soft Flour Tortillas
Bowls, Utensils, Napkins
Serving Spoons & Tongs
Stands, Chafing Dishes & Fuel

CHOOSE TWO or THREE:
Chicken
Steak
Carnitas
Barbacoa
Sofritas

Price: Unknown


Baby showers and nachos apparently go hand-in-hand - I had no idea. As a nacho man I have not attended many baby showers. Historically considered a sacred event of the female variety I didn't know what to expect. However, this co-ed shower was quite incredible. The mother-to-be was beautiful, the family and friends were welcoming, and I was greeted by a smorgasbord of nacho ingredients,

Doesn't get better than this...

and this...

I have to say I was impressed and Chipotle Mexican Grill (literally) delivered the goods. The food was hot, the ingredients were fresh, and the setup was expansive. I can't say that I was the first person to dive in when the buffet opened, but I was definitely the first person to dive in when the buffet opened. I can't say that I made multiple nacho bowls over the course of the next few hours, but I definitely made numerous nacho bowls over the next few hours. A little of this, a little of that, rinse and repeat.

Each ingredient that I hand selected to take the long journey from the chaffing dishes, to my bowl, to my mouth tasted wonderful. I can't say that anything necessarily stood out and was unique, but I can say that picking and choosing my ingredients and amassment was very pleasing.

In closing, I definitely can't say that I took numerous bags of crispy delicious tortilla chips home with me either. This definitely didn't happen.

• Presentation: 7
• Assembly: 10*
• Uniqueness: 3
• Value: 10*
• Taste: 6
• Overall: 7.2

* Due to the nature of this free nacho experience, I was able to build the nachos as I see fit.

Subway

Subway (inside das Walmart)
4600 East Roosevelt Boulevard
Philadelphia, PA 19115
(215) 288-3813


Subway Nachos

Ingredients: 390 calories (of not eating fresh)

Price: $2.00


So I meandered into Walmart because I felt my blood pressure was getting a little too low. But I felt something else too. Something very familiar. At first I thought I was excited for the inevitable spectacle that was about to unfold. Yet, nothing happened. No fashion crimes were being committed. No naked babies were running through the aisles. No one was acting confused by the door alarm because they forgot to pay for that HDTV. I wasn't even being rammed by one single shopping cart. Perhaps I needed to be patient and eat something. Maybe this was a "dinner and a show" type event. For some reason I was actually being drawn into the Subway, inside Walmart, inside a shopping center, but why? It was exactly like Inception and I was Leo-nacho DiCaprio. Weird, I know. It turned out this little guy was the reason:

We're not talking Chopped Salads here.

So, I ordered my 6" hoagie in typical song-and-dance Subway fashion. "Yes" to this. "No" to that. And that. And that. I was just getting ready to pay and I literally saw the sign. Turns out I am the one about to make a spectacle of myself and freak the fuck out in Walmart. Damn the "Order Here" sign! Damn the line! Damn the payment! Let anarchy reign motherfuckers!

So I politely asked to add-on the Subway Nachos to my order, my amount due was readily amended, and I promptly received the mystery box below:

What nacho gold awaits within?

Dare I say that I may have a future at the Walmart Portrait Center.

Those were Doritos all along! What a twist!

What more is there to say about Doritos covered in nacho cheese with jalapenos thrown on top? If you stop for just a moment and think about the ingredients you could probably taste them.

Do you taste it?

Thank you - this review is over.

Or perhaps the nacho chip is still spinning...

• Presentation: 3
• Assembly: 3
• Uniqueness: 4
• Value: 7
• Taste: 7
• Overall: 4.8

New Year's Nachos

Home
Somewhere in Pennsylvania


New Year's Nachos

Ingredients: boneless center cut pork chop, canned sauerkraut, Gala & Granny Smith apples, Garden of Eatin Restaurant Style White Corn Tortilla Chips, one bottle of Lion's Head beer, mozzarella cheese, and scallions

Price: Just a couple bucks per serving. I think. I can post the receipt if you like.


For as long as I can remember I have eaten pork & sauerkraut on New Year's Day. It is one of the sacred traditions my mother has never missed - ever - while I was growing up. It is a tradition I don't mind undertaking now that I am a man (of sorts). Well, that along with my tradition of watching Planes, Trains & Automobiles on Thanksgiving, wearing my favorite shirt the day after laundry day, and losing at scratch off lotto tickets.

This year I decided to agglutinate a tradition of ideas and flavors of my own. It started with a sleep-deprived brilliant idea and the next thing I know I was at Shop Rite purchasing ingredients and thinking about my poor mother's feelings.

Frankenstein's Ingredients

The Science

It's ALIVE!!!

Five hours later I was bringing in the New Year with my family. I may have received questionable glances at first, but soon almost enough everyone wanted a taste.

Who's crazy now?

Even though the color was a bit bland and monotone the flavor was just fantastic. The apples reduced the sourness of the kraut, the pork was tender, tasty and had a tiny hint of beer, and the chips were my alternate edible silverware (think of the environment). The mozzarella cheese stitched it all together like Frankenstein's monster and I was a madman content with his creation.

A simple and delicious way to welcome in 2015. I wonder if I can convince my wife of another new tradition I've been thinking about - nachos in bed on the weekend.

On a side note: eating mashed potatoes with tortilla chips is my new thing.

Happy New Year everyone!

• Presentation: 5
• Assembly: 7
• Uniqueness: 9
• Value: 10
• Taste: 8
• Overall: 7.5