Kings Crown Nachos, $22

Sneaky Dee’s, 431 College St.

The ask

There is only one place in the world that Jess Watt will go when she craves nachos: Sneaky Dee’s.

The famous bar in Toronto’s west end is known for its nachos and Watt has had a two-decade long love affair with the restaurant’s Kings Crown platter.

“It’s like heaven on a plate,” she says of the overloaded tray of chips covered with ground beef, melted cheese, freshly chopped vegetables, frijoles, salsa roja and, fittingly, two huge crowning dollops of guacamole and sour cream.

“You can’t get a bad bite because they layer it so perfectly. There’s a reason why they are known as the best nachos in the city.”

Watt, who lives so close to Sneaky Dee’s that she can see the restaurant from her bedroom window, dashes to the bar at least once a month to get her nacho fix. She likes to share the platter with just one other person.

“They are great at any hour and you really don’t have to be drinking to enjoy them,” she says, laughing, “which some people may find surprising.”

Even though she knows it won’t have the same nutrition profile as a greens-filled salad, Watt still wants to know how many calories are in the Kings Crown.

“I know it’s going to be bad news. I’ve been told that I’m going to ruin it for everybody. But I want to know. I’m curious.”

The guess

“I think it will have about 4,000 calories, but my friends think it will have about 8,000 because it’s a platter,” Watt says.

“I imagine it’s going to be way up there. But I really don’t know. My friends don’t want me to tell them when I find out.”

The exclusive results

For the entire platter, including guacamole and sour cream:

Calories: 3,277

Fat: 209 grams

Sodium: 3,733 milligrams

Carbohydrates: 192 grams

Protein: 159 grams

The breakdown

An unscientific poll of friends and colleagues suggests this platter is usually shared between two or three people. However, since there are those who will devour every last chip alone, this brief analysis — please consider it a friendly FYI — is for the entire platter. Divide the numbers by the number of friends you invite to share the Kings Crown.

The platter’s 3,277 calories is about 1,200 calories more than what the average woman should consume in a day. For the same number of calories, you could also eat four steak dinners (a 7 oz. sirloin steak served with roasted baby potatoes and seasonal vegetables has 760 calories) at Moxie’s Grill & Bar.

The platter’s 209 grams of fat is nearly three times what the average woman should have in a day. It’s also the same amount of fat as what is found in 75 strips of pan-fried bacon.

The 3,733 milligrams of sodium — the equivalent of about 1.5 teaspoons of salt — is 1,400 milligrams more than the maximum recommended daily limit.

Who can say how many beers you will have consumed before, during or after enjoying this nacho platter. Just know that a typical 341 mL bottle of beer (5-per-cent alcohol) has about 150 calories. I’ll let you do the math.

The expert response

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Registered dietitian Shannon Crocker doesn’t want to suggest how to make the Kings Crown a healthier nacho platter.

“Nobody eats restaurant nachos because they think it is healthy,” she says with a laugh. “I love nachos as much as the next person. You indulge because it tastes so awesome.”

Of course nutritional numbers will be over-the-top for a mountain of nachos covered in ground beef and melted cheese and crowned with guacamole and sour cream.

“It is what it is,” says Crocker, who has a single, straight-to-the-point piece of nacho nutritional advice.

“A nacho platter is meant to be shared. And it’s obviously a now-and-then food, not a staple. Grab a few nacho-loving friends to eat it with and enjoy every bite.”

The restaurant reaction

George Diamantouros, operations manager at Sneaky Dee’s, confirms the Kings Crown has long been the restaurant’s most popular nacho platter.

“It’s been the exact same recipe for 30 years,” he says, noting that all the components, from the crunchy chips to the salsa to the bright green guacamole, are made in-house. “It’s just the right combination of ingredients. They taste the same every time. We’re nothing if not consistent.”

Sneaky Dee’s, which on a busy Friday or Saturday night sells about 50 Kings Crown platters, promotes it as a sharing dish.

“It’s very rare that people eat an entire one on their own, but it happens,” says Diamantouros, who always shares a nacho platter when he indulges and has no plans to change his habits now that he knows the calories lurking in the Kings Crown.

“The numbers definitely jump out at you. But it is loaded with almost all the toppings that we have, so I wasn’t terribly surprised.”

The reader reaction

At first, Watt is overjoyed at learning the calorie count.

“3,277 calories — that’s nothing!” she says. “That’s awesome. I don’t feel bad anymore. Plus I share it with another person.”

But, after learning the platter contains 209 grams of fat — the equivalent to the amount of fat found in 75 strips of bacon — Watt lets out a long, loud laugh.

“Whoaaaaa,” she says, after she stops giggling. “Oh, man. Well. I would definitely eat the nachos over all that bacon.

Despite the sobering news, Watt insists the Kings Crown will remain a favourite and her loyalty to Sneaky Dee’s won’t waver.

“The moral of the story is you need to eat these nachos with a few drinks so you don’t realize what you are doing or realize how bad it is.”

The Dish is a weekly series that helps health-conscious diners navigate Toronto’s food scene by revealing the nutrition information of Star readers’ favourite foods.