Pre-season review: Little Ricky's, Winnetka, IL

Before diving in head-first to the bracket to review the competitors, I felt it would be best to do a "pre-season" review of a non-competitor that isn't in the bracket. This review also gave me a chance to test the metrics and see how the process of reviewing would shake out in reality. If there's one thing that is universally true, it's that things shake out differently in reality versus in your head. 

The nacho dish will be rated on a 1-5 scale of overall quality (2-3 is plainly average) in 13 different areas. The scores will then be added up at the end to produce an overall score for the dish. Without further adieu, let's dive in. 

Presentation: 3 Nothing special here-- nachos served on a large tray with an undertray as well. This came in handy later on in the meal when items began to get dispersed off the original tray Serving 

Dish: 3 The dual-serving item was a nice touch; the bottom tray was made of wood which made the whole thing look better than the other appetizers, meaning the restaurant definitely sees their nachos as being a more premium dish. 

Spread: 3 

Condiments and chips were evenly dispersed throughout the tray; there was little to no room outside the spread for extras (although extras were served)

Temperature: 1 

This put a damper on the entire experience-- The nachos were not cold but they were warm enough that the temperature was the first thing we noticed. It was like a cup of coffee that needs to be warmed up but still could get a lot worse if not warmed up.

Volume: 3 

Just enough nachos and toppings for 3 people.

Average Bite Size: 3 

A chip with ingredients on top fit comfortably into your mouth. Nothing crazy to report here. 

Ingredients-

Chips: 2 

A little flaky; not the best structure but still held ingredients well from plate to mouth; cold temperature didn't do the chips any favors.

Cheese: 2 

Standard shredded cheeses; melted all the way through onto the top; cold temperature thing here too.

Meat: 3

4 different choices for type of meat brings this score up a notch from the rest of the ingredient scores (bbq pulled pork, grilled chicken, ground beef or skirt steak); we opted for the bbq pulled pork which was tasty, but once again, cold.

Veggies: 2 

Not much to report here-- cold and there was a lack of jalepenos versus a plethora of small olives, which should be opposite in any good nachos dish.

Extras: 3 

Guac, salsa, and sour cream all on the side in small dippable dishes; each side checked out as a solid 3 and would be higher with more volume of each. 

Chip-to-Condiment Ratio: 1 Ratio sided the way of the ingredients at just under 2-1, but what affected this score was the ingredients leftover... small olives and jalepeno seeds. If there are ingredients are leftover when chips are all gone, then those ingredients should be eatable with forks and be desirable items. These olives? Not so much.

Bang-for-buck: 2 

The bang was lacking temperature-wise, but volume was filling and it was under $15 for the dish. Not particularly cheap but there are definitely pricier options. This is a middle-market nacho dish that fits between your bargain quality nachos and your blue chip nachos.

Overall nacho score: 31 

Definitely not a terrible dish by any stretch of the imagination, but the dish left much to be desired. The temperature was a buzz killer if large proportions, but the volume, spread, and types of ingredients included give the dish hope for the future.