Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Taqueria La Taquiza (San Jose, CA): Nachos Con Carne w/Chicken

Impatience, I thank you for the discovery of this nice little taqueria!  The other day, I was Skype-ing with my nacho "wing-woman" about where we should go to get nachos this time.  In my hungry haste, I got tired of waiting for her to point us in a specific direction (what can I say - I'm a big dumb man when thinking with my stomach), so I went on Yelp and looked up 'Taquieria - Campbell, CA'.  This place had 4½ out of 5 stars, so we decided it would be a good bet.  We were right.  Given its Yelp rating and its location (Willow Glen area), I was really expecting it to be packed when we arrived there at noon.  No such issue - there was only one other diner when we arrived.  This is usually a warning sign to me, but hey, we were already there and I was hungry.  We were definitely satisfied with the meal and I'd most likely return to this place, especially since they have a wider-than-average selection of dishes on their menu.

Overall a very good plate of nachos.  The portion was just right, with a generous pile of seasoned, shredded chicken atop a pile of nice crispy chips.  All the required items were there (chips, refries, cheese, shredded chicken, guacamole, sour cream, pico de gallo, and a healthy side of jalapeƱos), but this is one rare instance where I would have liked more cheese*.  This place was lacking a salsa bar (gasp!), and I must say that these nachos could have used a sprinkle of some good red or green sauce to punch things up.

Rating: 3½ out of 5
Rating Notes:  Chicken had great texture, but was deceptively bland considering the amount of seasoning that appeared to be on it.  I also found one "Chicken McKnuckle™", which is never a pleasant experience.
Map to Location: http://mapq.st/vhM0fv

*I have a feeling that I'm going to start seeing skimpier helpings of cheese on my nachos.  Has anyone else noticed how expensive cheese has gotten?  The regular price of a 1 lb block of Lucerne brand cheddar at Safeway is 9 bucks!  For that price, I want Tillamook, damn it!