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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
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