
Napoleon’s Bakery (Zippy’s) NEW! Chili Napple, $1.40 each
While that could be a fitting name for an upcoming Adam Sandler movie, a mixed drink that can only be found in a dark-lit hostess bar on Ke’eaumoku street, the next door neighbor’s yappy little Poodle, a race horse, or a really bad (or good) memory you have about your ex, what we’re talkin’ about here is Napoleon Bakery’s new pastry-gone-savory Chili Napple.
Yes, the good folks at Zippy’s Napoleon’s Bakery think like I think: take a great, perfect-the-way-it-is idea (the Apple Napple; or in my case the Goteborg Musubi, as well as a number of other things) and put it back on the drawing board to further experiment with it in an effort to make something even greater. So we hope (knocks on splintered wood and crosses bloody fingers).
The Apple Napple is probably one of the greatest pastries to exist on planet Oahu… or so at least I think so. Here it is, that delightful gem in all of its crispy-golden-flaky, buttered and glazed, layered filo dough glory…

Napoleon’s Bakery (Zippy’s) Apple Napple, $1.47 each
Oh yeah. You know you want one. Just pasting that photo in this entry made me want one. As a matter of fact, I just finished one and I want one more! Behold the layer-upon-layer of flaky filo encapsulating what I think is just the right amount of apple filling…

The filo is so light and delicate, that even with just that amount of tangy-sweet, cinammon’y, gelatinous apple filling, it carries all the way throughout in a fantastic balance of flavor and texture sensation. That, along with the light sugar glaze drizzle-dried on top is an absolute winner. While I don’t smoke, I could use a cigarette after having an Apple Napple.
Could the same be said about Napoleon’s Chili Napple? Let’s see.
Notice the Chili Napple takes on a more rectangular, purse-like shape in comparison to the Apple Napple’s more traditional folded triangular “pie” shape. Also notice that instead of a sugar glaze topping, it has a swath of melted cheddar cheese.
See, now that we’re talkin’ a cheese topping, I can already see this going in all KINDS of directions in the filling department. Perhaps Mexican? With a filling that includes spicy-seasoned ground beef, refried beans, sour cream, tomatoes, olives and chopped Jalapenos. Or howabout a Pizza Napple? Or Napple’s Rangoon (crab and cream cheese)?
Of course we can’t just stop at cheese. The possibilities using this filo dough wonder are practically endless!
As you may recall, this isn’t the first time Zippy’s has gotten creative with Chili; their last creation being the well-received Chili Moco.
Getting back to the subject at hand, let’s take another peek inside this here Chili Napple…

Click image to view zoomed-out angle
Notice how thin the layer of Chili is at this particular center-cut area of the Napple. While I’ll partially attribute that to Zippy’s tight (no pun intended) portion control practices, this also serves the Chili Napple for better than for worse. In my experience biting into it, I can see too much chili filling causing the filo to become soggy and fall apart, leaving your with a plate below (or your lap, shirt or blouse) a messful of soggy-wet filo crumbs and Zippy’s chili gushed throughout your fingers. Not goods. As it is, the Chili-to-Filo ratio is just right.
So how does the Zippy’s Chili work with the delicate, crispy, buttery layered filo dough and cheddar cheese on top? Not bad. It takes a few bites to become accustomed to it. The butteriness of the Filo dough is the only issue: it’s a bit too rich to really, truly compliment the also-heavy meat-based chili filling. The zestiness of the chili also plays a little bit of a mind game, depending how your mind relates to your palate. It did a bit with me.
Here you see the chili (and a bean) oozing out after taking a bite…

Click for another delicious, appetizing view of chili oozing out of a Napple
I believe Napoleon also added cheese on top of his chili filling inside, which gives the overall Napple a somewhat pronounced cheeesyness to it, just like me.
When the boss came in this morning and said he brought Chili Napples, I stared at the box almost in disbelief and dismay at what danger lay inside…

Click image to see inside “the box”
But wait, we’re not done with it yet! Not leaving well enough alone, bent on improving what really didn’t need anymore fiddling with, he set out to top the effort of our friend Napoleon by topping the Chili Napple with, yes, you guessed it… more Zippy’s Chili! So he also picked up a side-order of Zippy’s Chili, sans the beans…

He then proceeded to top a Chili Napple with MORE chili! Plate and fork style…

Hmmm… name for this godforsaken monster on a plate, anyone? I’d simply call it the “Really Chili Napple”.
I tell ya’, he’s off his rocker. He spends WAY too much time playing HALO with his sons. Theoretically, this is kinda’ like topping an Apple Napple with a Cinnabon. Or having a steak along with your hamburger instead of fries. Or chasing a shot of Absolut with a Screwdriver, or vice versa. Well, you get the picture. But hey, you know what? I tried it and da’ buggah was way mo’ ono! She go! Think of the filo as “rice” (or whatever accompanying starch), albeit with a way different texture. The butteryness of the filo was still an a little of an issue, but the now-abundant chili pretty much masked it. He said it kinda’ reminded him of Zippy’s Chili Burrito, which is one of his favorite menu items there.
Anyway, you gotta’ try it and judge for yourself (not with the chili on top, but go for that too if you like. Knock yourself out). If you already did, leave a comment share your opinion on it. Among our gang, we all agreed the Chili Napple was “not bad” to “pretty good”, teetering somewhere in between there. In some ways the combination works, in some ways it doesn’t. It’s really a toss-up. At least it was good enough to eat more than just one (since we had enough for that). Mostly we’re glad we got to finally try it, although we wouldn’t buy it again. While the Chili Moco was a success, we have yet to see if the Chili Napple will also enjoy a “back by popular demand” advertising campaign several months down the road.
Now about my neighbor asking for a good name for her new toy Poodle…
The Tasty Island rating:

(2) Good. I’m glad I tried it. (Ono)





































































