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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 28, 2016)
c a M A roundup of the best mac and cheese entrees in town By Alex V. Cipolle 1 ettling in with a bowl of gooey macaroni and cheese is pretty much the culinary equivalent of a hug, and it’s not just for kids: It’s popping up on adult menus everywhere. The dish is simple, comforting, nostalgic and oh so American. And it’s versatile — anything can be a topping! In our highly scientific approach, we looked at noodle types (it’s not always macaroni) and quality, cheese and cheese sauce, the presence of breadcrumbs and add-in options, presentation and, generally, if it made our bellies swoon. Here are EW’s top picks for the most mouthwatering, gut-bursting, under-$20 mac-and-cheese entrees (side dishes didn’t qualify) around town. 1. First National Taphouse 2 51 W. Broadway First National Taphouse is the best mac dinner on a budget. The “triple threat mac ‘n’ cheese” is $9, but that goes down to $7 during happy hour (3 to 6 pm, Monday through Saturday, and all day Sunday). Noodles are cavatappi, a ridged, corkscrew pasta, baked to a nice al dente. The cheese sauce is a deliciously deadly mix of cheddar, parmesan and Swiss — EW’s only complaint is there’s not enough, especially because its thick crust of toasted bread crumbs can put this mac on the drier, saltier side. A big perk: Take almost anything from the menu and stack it on your mac — buffalo chicken, pulled pork, caprese salad (add-ins are extra). EW chose one with bacon and one with seasonal veggies — carrots, peppers, parsnip, cauliflower and onions. 2. Café 440 440 Coburg Road This was hands-down the creamiest of the macs tried and one of the larger portions. EW ordered both the “classic mac and cheese” ($10) and the “bacon and bleu mac and cheese” ($13), which are also made with cavatappi noodles, cooked on the softer side. The cheese sauce, which uses cheddar and parmesan, was the closest in taste to a béchamel, or white sauce, and it tastes like dairy heaven. The bacon bits were smaller, which mixed well into the sauce, and the bleu cheese crumbles were loaded (and we mean loaded) on top. Café 440 also offers a “BBQ pork mac and cheese” ($14). 3. Wild Duck Cafe 3 10 CHOW WINTER 2016 1419 Villard Street If you’re a fan of a more fast-food, classic American Velveeta shells-and-cheese kind of mac dish, Wild Duck is your place. We mean this in the best comfort-food kind of way. In our books, boxed mac and cheese is still the crème de la crème. EW ordered both the “plain macaroni and cheese” and “Chef Jen’s macaroni and cheese,” which changes weekly. That week, the Chef’s choice happened to be cheeseburger mac and cheese — yes, you read that EUGENEWEEKLY.COM/CHOW
