I have strong opinions about various foods, including (but not limited to) nachos. The super nachos at Viva Tacqueria in Ithaca, NY are what I consider the quintessential nachos. The chips are crisp when the plate arrives, and stay crisp for a reasonable amount of time (toward the end there will be some soggy chips – this can’t be avoided). What I especially like about Viva’s nachos is the generous helping of jalapeños. They appear to be bottled, not fresh, which is actually a better choice, I think, as the peppers don’t dry out or burn during preparation. The toppings (cheese, refried beans, and jalapeños) are distributed and layered evenly over the chips, so that nearly every chip has some form of topping on it. The sour cream, salsa, and guacamole are not essential to the dish, but give you something to dip the chips into. I usually prefer the sauces on the side for that purpose, since they don’t really belong on top – they contribute to sogginess – but kept them on top to show what the Super Nachos usually look like.