#nachoaficionado

[ilovenachos]

Mobile Nachos: My Sweet Basil

My Sweet Basil

Rating: 5

Cost: ~ $8.00

Location: Mobile Food Truck

Customized: No

Website 

For anyone who regularly visits food trucks in the Albuquerque area, few trucks will carry as much prestige as My Sweet Basil. Affectionately referred to by many as a high end restaurant that just happens to have wheels, My Sweet Basil holds a special place in many brewery patron’s hearts. This isn’t just a testament to their quality of food. This complement extends to the friendly and diligent workers, the classy decor, and their awesome business savvy that leads them to host some of the best beer dinners in town. At first glance this food truck stands out from the others. Everything about its presentation demonstrates a level of care rarely seen in a food truck. From the artistic wooden menu frame to their potted plants on display, it is apparent that this business takes p ride in itself. Although they park at numerous establishments, my chosen locale is La Cumbre, at which they park on Tuesday and Friday nights. Their menu changes by the day, but will often always include various popular staples. The food ranges from burgers, cubanos, and fish tacos, to more unique offerings like strawberry feta salads, or Ahi Tuna plates. The most important menu item, as you can imagine, is their Nachos.

The Nacho offering from My Sweet Basil is comprised of a body of chips (dusted in various spices) covered in Braised Pork, Avocado, Pico Peppers, Jalapenos, Cilantro, Tomatoes, and Salsa Verde liquid queso, and a white cheese dust (I assume Queso Fresco).

As far as food trucks are concerned, $8 for a nacho is a decent price, with most places averaging $8-$11 easily. However, unlike most trucks, these nachos are big and heavy. You definitely feel like you get your money’s worth when they hand you the sizable box of future “workout shame”. The next thing that strikes you about these nachos is how colorful they are. There are pleasant color and texture contrasts throughout, and it’s obvious these nachos were assembled with care and not slopped together in a hurry. But how do they taste? Well, let me just start by saying they taste different than pretty much any other nacho I have ever had, despite the presence of so many traditional and classic ingredients. Then let me tell you that these are some of the most delicious nachos I have ever had. The best way for me to describe these nachos would be a 50s Americana interpretation of a loaded nacho done with a flavor profile that emphasizes fresh ingredients and subtlety. The most impressive thing about this nacho is that no one ingredient overpowers the other. The savory and pleasant roast is never overpowered by the guacamole or cheese. The sweet tomatoes and peppers add a unique contrast to the acidity of the jalapenos and lime in the guac. The chips are thick and robust, a requirement for any nacho with liquid cheese.

There are three particular elements of this nacho that make them unique in my mind. The first is the presence of braised pork as the protein addition. Growing up, my Mom regularly made fantastic Pork roasts for dinner. They have a particularly pleasant flavor that brings me a great deal of comfort. Using that on a Nacho would never have occurred to me. And to be fair, most nachos wouldn’t work well with it because of my previously mentioned flavor issues. That type of meat would often disappear behind the very strong flavors of other nachos. But not in these nachos. The second element I want to talk about is the particular Queso they have concocted. Its consistency allows for it to cover the chips well. The flavor is both noticeable and mild, working with ingredients instead of taking them over. My only major complaint might be that its thinness causes more of it to pool at the bottom of the Nacho than I would have preferred, but this is a minor complaint. They are Nachos after all, and the chips are a perfect scooping device. The third and final element that I really want to discuss is the cilantro. I’ve had nachos with cilantro before, but never one in which so much cilantro was added. I am one of those people that loves cilantro. Usually when I see it as an ingredient in nachos, I am often underwhelmed by how little they use, to the point where I can barely taste it, if at all. I can only assume this is to keep from offending the droves of people that don’t enjoy its fresh taste profile.

So let me just say that My Sweet Basil is not only one of the best Food truck nachos I have ever eaten, but one of the best Nachos I have eaten in town. Period. The Price, portion size, and unique flavors all make this the type of Nacho you should be looking to try.