Every day is some sort of holiday, and why shouldn’t it be? Our time on this planet is short. Celebrate it! Ok, maybe you don’t observe National Create a Vacuum Day every February 4^th, but you probably should. Did you know that June 19^th is World Sauntering Day? Who doesn’t love a great saunter? It’s easily the classiest way to get from A to B. Of course, we look forward to one day of the year more than all other completely sensible holidays: National Nachos Day. Every year on November 6^th, things get cheesy around here. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all fair game and nachos are on the menu.

November 6, 2015, was a particularly special National Nachos Day. That day, we decided to take our relationship with nachos public. We launched Nachos and Dreams. The first nacho feast was at lunchtime, and it was at an exciting new location.

Madison locals and visitors have been scarfing southwestern fare from various Pasqual’s locations since 1985. Before I became an official East-sider, Pasqual’s was one of the first restaurants I enjoyed at their old Atwood location. That first quesadilla left quite an impression. I can still recall falling deeply in love with it. This was at a time in my life when I hadn’t understood the levity of great nachos. We’ll call it Nicole BN (before nachos). It was a different time. (That location has long been inhabited by Lao Laan Xang, a wonderful Laotian restaurant that I’d love to tell you more about, but sadly, they don’t make nachos – YET!)

Pasqual’s has come back to the East side to a new location on East Washington Ave. On this hallowed day, we decided to sample their nachos. Our expectations were high – maybe a little too high.

Our entrance into the bar area was met with an ambitious greeting by the bartender, tending to an otherwise empty bar. Our excitement was mounting. We quickly sat down and ordered drinks and nachos. And then we waited. The nachos came first, with a presentation that was equal parts charming and creepy. A smiley face was piped on the top with sour cream. We speculated the display was a dedication to the national holiday. In fact, our waitress informed us that the holiday was news to her and the creative cooks responsible for the nacho artwork. In light of this, I found the smiley face odd and unprofessional. Perhaps the cook was reliving the glory days of piping whipped cream on pancakes for children at IHOP. My cynicism really prevented me from appreciating the effort.

After far, too long, our drinks finally arrived from the empty bar. At long last, we could properly toast the greatest day of the year, National Nachos Day. We clinked glasses, despite the fact that the waiting period proved to be an exploit in mediocre nachos.

The high point was, as always, the fresh Pasqual’s tortilla chips. These are available at many local grocery stores and are often available from my pantry because I love them. The menu offered a promising list of traditional toppings – tomatoes, black olives, green onions, cilantro, green chiles, jalapenos, cheddar-jack cheese, sour cream, salsa and choice of meat. We chose chicken.

The major problem with these nachos was topping distribution. Nachos require proper engineering in order to provide indulgence from start to finish. We got into the guts of the dish, and we could spot the quick and dirty assembly job immediately. This point makes the frivolous sour cream smiley face even more egregious. Worse, was the lack of the most important topping – cheese. Make any mistake in cooking and constructing nachos, but don’t skimp on the cheese. That’s a deal-breaker (and a heart-breaker). I thought the chicken had an odd texture with a sort of aggressively bland flavor. How is that even possible? My lunch companions shared some of my criticisms but had no problem with the chicken.

I’m a stickler for nostalgia, and that makes me really want to love Pasqual’s. Unfortunately, my National Nachos Day experience and a couple similar visits since then have left me seeking other sources for southwestern grub, especially, the coveted nachos.

It should be noted that despite being disappointing, no nachos were wasted in the making of this post. We ate almost the entire face.

Ya er No?

No. I really hate to say it. Given an abundance of options for great nachos in Madison, I can’t put Pasqual’s Cantina high on my list. Let’s hope my complaints are the result of new location kinks, which will eventually get worked out. Until then, I’ll have to pass.

Author: Nicki Dowland

Nicki Dowland is a teacher and retired nacho blogger. She documents shopping, cooking, and eating local over at her substack called Cooking The Harvest. Nicki would like to see more awareness for gender and racial equality and the movie Wayne’s World.