There is a beast in Lake Champlain. Known as “Champ”, “Champie”, or “Champy”, the creature has been seen hundreds of times since first viewed by explorer Samuel de Champlain in 1609, and the “Tatoskok” was whispered in legends of the Iroquois and Abenaki long before that. Some think it’s a Plesiosaur, some a Basilosaurus, others a Tanystropheus, and still others complete BS. In my youth I was an avid monster hunter and ate lake monster sightings up, but now I am an adult, an avid nacho hunter, and they’re what I eat up.
This
is not to say that when I went to Madera’s Restaurante & Mexicano
Cantina in Burlington, VT, I didn’t immediately go for the outdoor
seating which overlooked Lake Champlain, because I did. Not only would I
not want to miss an opportunity to see the leviathan should it breech,
but it’s also a fantastic view, which other Mexican places in
Burlington unfortunately cannot boast. No breaching monsters were
witnessed, however on the menu a “Nachos Supremo” was, and I ordered it
up, with shredded pork. I could have gone vegetarian, shredded
chicken/beef, or carne/pollo asada, but this day pork called me with an
oinky urgency.
The results, DELICIOUS! Just look at those jalapenos, they don’t mess around with slices, you got to bold up and bite a quarter pepper. That may not be what you’re looking for, but then again you may not be what someone bold and exciting is looking for, and that’s why you’re single and alone.
This is what it looks like when a professional takes a picture of nachos on a real camera instead of a phone.
What about everything other than the jalapenos? The results, ALSO DELICIOUS! Oddly enough nachos with refried beans seem to be pretty rare in the wild, but they were tasty on this. No oily mess on the bottom of the plate from the cheese either. How can there be complaints? You could say the price is a little steep, $8-$10 for a small vs. $10-$12 for a large, but still cheap for Burlington. Plus when you get a large order, it is a LARGE order on the scale that even the mighty Champ itself would need to order a doggie bag, but frankly the idea of serving a dinosaur monster at a restaurant is too preposterous to imagine.
“Supremo”, like “Grande” and “Cargados de Calorias“, is a word thrown around quite a bit when describing nachos, and also sounds like a made up Spanish word. It is real, and these nachos were indeed fairly supreme. Not Diana Ross supreme, but certainly Mary Wilson supreme. I doubt the fearsome Tatoskok will come out of the water for them, but you will definitely enjoy them as you stare out over Lake Champlain, searching in vain for mysterious humps to break the surface...
I was trying to take a picture of some unusual ripples in the water, but I tripped and took this instead.
UPDATE! They are moving down the street as of 10/1/12! Here’s the new address! No clue if there will still be a Champ viewing platform or not, ask me next year.