Love at Ahora

Ahora is tacky. I would not have noticed from the small sign outside if it hadn't been pointed out to me. I warily climbed down the stairs to a brightly coloured and rectangular room cut up by the food counter and kitchen, and a small area of raised seating in the back. The restaurant was not overly full, but the sounds from the kitchen spilled out into the dining area making it noisy and heated. We were seated at a table with menus, but then had to go up to the counter to order food (They did not tell us this, I just had knowledgeable friends that saved me hunger driven anxiety trying to flag down a waiter).

We ordered nachos with chicken to start, and I ordered the Tostada salad (my favourite Mexican treat).  Most of the menu items were under $10 which is great for those of us who are unemployed, and the portions are big enough to fill a fairly heavy appetite. The nachos arrived promptly, and had the guacamole and salsa layered right in with the cheese, chips and vegetables, making many of the middle bottom chips soggy. This sounds a little unappetizing but the soggy chips were actually my favourite because they had soaked up all the flavours. The chicken was nice and smokey, and not extra charge for including guacamole like the nachos I had had earlier that week! These immediately dashed any questions I had about the quality of food, and I excitedly awaited my meal.

The Tostada was kind of like a mix between my beloved market tostada and a taco salad. It came in a large ruffled hard corn tortilla shell and was filled with beans, chicken, salad, guacamole and salsa. The beans were at the bottom and began to leak through the shell, so it was like a race to the finish. It had many of the same ingredients as the nachos, and had both similar and distinct tastes. Even though I had just eaten half a plate of nachos, I still polished off the Tostada. By the time we finished our meals, the restaurant had filled up and we shuffled back out into the scorching heat, stuffed and satisfied, to make way for the next customers.

Dairy Free: No (cheese and sour cream)
Gluten Free: Yes! Just choose the corn, not flour, tortilla and shell options

Nocular Nachos

Just one week ago, if I had been asked about the best Nachos in Halifax, I would probably rattle off pubs like the Economy Shoe Shop or Rogue's Roost, but I have now lived to spin a different tale.

Most tortilla chips that exist outside authentic Mexican restaurant are a mix of corn flour and wheat flour and thus not gluten free. That is why I was pleasantly surprised to notice the little gluten free symbol next to the nachos after several plates had been ordered for the table. I had eaten lunch at the lower deck once before, and had not been overly impressed, so my expectations were pretty neutral. I had already eaten a big lunch so I was content to just order something light and pick at it for most of the evening, I had no need of an amazing meal, I was really only there to support my friend. However, as usually happens whenever I am in the near vicinity of food I began to get peckish, and by the time the nachos arrived I was ready to devour whatever was in front of me.

I picked up a chip with not much on it, (I was trying to avoid the cheese), scooped up some salsa, and took a bite. My first emotion was surprise- "holy moly"! These chippies were good. Much better than just your average tortilla chip. I grabbed the menu to learn more and saw these were cooked in basil oil, the secret to success?

The nachos were covered with the normal dressings, cheese, peppers, jalapenos, etc. They also had the brilliant idea to caramelize the onions before dumping them on top, giving a bit of a sweet kick to the plate. I began eating shyly, I was sharing the plate with 4 other friends, but soon the chips started to disappear much too soon and I began feeling a little frantic. In a moment of fateful luck, some of the other appy's started to come out at that time, and I was left to polish off the plate of nachos, complete with picking at the little pieces of pepper and tomato stuck on the wax paper on the bottom.

While my surprise at getting amazing food when I was expecting mediocre may have added to my delight, these nachos are definitely in the top 3 of the city, so before you go running to the Shoe Shop for your favourite bar side snack, give the Lower Deck a try.

Gluten Free: yes

Dairy Free: no (unless you are crafty enough to avoid the cheese)

Lower Deck: 1869 Lower Water Street
www.lowerdeck.ca