To chili or not to chili

After a post-work nap on a Friday evening, I woke up ready to go out and hungry. I am anxiously awaiting a move to Manayunk, and I thought Friday night would be a perfect opportunity to check out my soon to be new stomping grounds. The closest bar to my new place is the Ugly Moose. I heard good things about the food, atmosphere, and beer selection so I used this arsenal of positive information to validate my choice. Needless to say, it might have been the high expectations, or the chili on the nachos, but we were disappointed.

I had a more positive review than my co-author. So, there is some debate in this post over various aspects of the bar's atmosphere, menu options, and the always controversial issue of placing chili a top a heaping pile of nacho goodness.

The Friday night crowd (it was about 10:30pm when we arrived) detracted from the ambiance of the Ugly Moose. Clearly some individuals remained cemented to a spot in front of the bar since happy hour time. As our luck would have it, we grab bar stools next to this specific group of people (only stools available - shocker). The after work crowd tried to take our drinks multiple times, due to complete unawareness from the after-workers, my co-author was able to simply grab our drinks back(no Snooki reminiscent punch out scenes...sorry). Punches were thrown amongst the after-workers, co-author got a few elbow jabs, and we had to wait an eternity for a table. Since I did not physically interact with the after workers, I was still enjoying myself, sipping away at my Steamer ale, contemplating my dinner selection. Co-author was ready to leave. Luckily, as we were debating on leaving, we were called for our table. Also, besides the annoying left over happy hour crowd, the place was charming. The bar looks a large, modern log cabin. There was a fire pit, exposed beams, and of course an ugly moose head hanging from the main wall of the dinning area. Taxidermy does not frighten me or take away my appetite so I was ready for food.

Both of us were anxious to provide some content to the blog, and we had a particular hunger for nachos. It was at the description of the nachos that spawned great debate. The nachos were topped with chili. Co-author was immediately disgusted. His opinion is based on the fact that chili makes the chips soggy. Also, as he pointed out, does chili really have a place or a need a top a pile of nachos? I was willing to find out. On a positive side, the chips were not soggy. The layer of white cheddar/american melted cheese created that lovely lipid barrier that prevents moisture from hitting the chip. On a down side, the combination of heavily tomato sauced ground beef, totally lacking in spices and flavor, does nothing but provide a more filling pile of nachos. In our opinion, a good nacho has creamy, spicy, savory flavors mixed with cool, crispy, and salty components for a perfect blend of textures and flavors. Great nachos accomplish this and provide a little something-something in terms of flavor. Co-author deems Ugly Moose nachos terrible; I provide a "just not great" verdict on the dish.

Despite the ups and downs in our dining experience, I am willing to give the Ugly Moose another try. First of all, I would like to return to follow my father's advice. He is a great connoisseur of all foods served in a pub, and his motto "when in a bar, order bar food" provides a key to unlocking those pub menu attempts at offering variety and modernism in addition to pub classics. The vast beer selection, summer outdoor seating, and willingness to rate the Ugly Moose based on a good old burger and fries will motivate another visit. However, due to the "not so goodness" of the nachos, there will not be another blog post dedicated to said pub.

TEN DAYS TO CINCO DE MAYO