Apparently willing to die on a hill of liquefied cheese and jalapeños, burrito chain Chipotle is changing its queso recipe a few months after its mediocre launch, and appears to be plotting to use the reformulated dip to introduce nachos to its menu.
As noted by Business Insider reporter Kate Taylor, who paid a visit to Chipotle's Manhattan test kitchen, the overhauled queso is less grainy, and has more heat to it. (A Chipotle spokesperson confirmed that the recipe had been "tweaked.")
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That would appear to fix two of the embattled dip's key issues as noted by Eater New York critic Robert Sietsema in July: the original queso recipe had "virtually no heat or discernible chile flavor," and an odd grittiness.
After the dip was was rolled out at all Chipotle locations, it seemed that many Americans agreed with that assessment, with some declaring it "pretty bland" and "a crime against cheese."
Business Insider had a second nugget to note from its visit to Chipotle's test kitchen: Nachos are newly available at the test kitchen for $4.80 a serving. Are they headed to locations across the country? With its queso problems worked out, nachos would be an easy addition to the menu. After all, they consist of things already on-hand at Chipotle's stores: tortilla chips, salsa, beans, onions, and peppers, all topped off with that now-not-sandy queso. But if queso couldn't save the beleaguered chain, will nachos do the trick?