The perfect queso is creamy, but light and fresh. To see if I could find myself my perfect queso, I embarked on a journey to try out local restaurants — all within a five mile radius of East.
First stop: Mi Ranchito
A friend and I eagerly sprung into my car and headed to Mi Ranchito located at 7148 W 80th St, Overland Park — about a seven minute drive from East. The homey atmosphere and brightly colored walls first caught my attention when I stepped through the door. I was surprised to see the sheer number of people inside on a Thursday night. The restaurant was half-full, workers meandering about and interacting with customers.
Since I had ordered ahead of time, the chips and queso were ready when we arrived. The only inconvenience was the fact that Mi Ranchito doesn’t take Apple Pay, but thankfully we had a debit card handy. After my checking account was drained of $5.44, it was time to take a bite.
Taste Test
To begin, we tore off the plastic lid of Mi Ranchito’s espinaca dip’s styrofoam container, grabbed a thin light-colored chip from the brown paper bag and took a bite. The herb-like taste of spinach hit first. Then came the thick, creamy taste of the cheese, the flavor overpowering the crunchy, but bland chip. The queso had a nice taste, but I think it could have done with a more cheesy flavor.
Second stop: Taco Republic
After throwing the chips and queso into the backseat, we drove to Taco Republic, located in Corinth Square, only a three minute drive down Mission from East. Unlike Mi Ranchito, I had been to Taco Republic previously, so I was familiar with the interior. I stepped inside and was comforted by the open space flooded with light from outside. We grabbed the chips and queso at the bar, laid down $9.76 and tore open the bag.
Taste Test
The appealing sight of the fresh tomatoes sprinkled on top made me eager to try the queso. The creamy consistency and authentic five-cheese flavor combined with the thick and unbreakable chip made for a nice combo.
Third stop: Salty Iguana
We hopped into the car, turned the corner and arrived at Salty Iguana, also located in Corinth Square. As always, the iguana-themed art caught my eyes as soon as I entered the restaurant.
Our chips and queso sat on the bar, located to our right. We handed the bartender $6.60 and untied the bag.
Taste Test
After taking a bite of Salty Iguana’s queso with their oversized chips, the discrete spice hit me. This queso was definitely the spiciest and saltiest out of the three — A nice plus was that the queso came in a biodegradable container, not styrofoam or plastic like the other two. The spicy and salty taste was an enjoyable change from the previous two.
Rating
Overall, I would have to rate Taco Republic’s chips and queso as number one. The crunchy and firm chips eaten with the thin, but coating queso created the closest to perfect combo out of the three.
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