From shells, penne, macaroni, cavatappi, gemelli, ditalini, and spirals… to cheddar, blue cheese, goat cheese, and gruyere… mac n’ cheese is always a crowd pleaser.
My Top 4 in no particular order:
Mac: Macaroni and Goat Cheese
Location: Naha
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: I’m a little biased because I worked in the kitchen there, but this mac and cheese made with goat cheese and elbow macaroni is really something special. It’s not the creamy gooey kind, but more of a casserole-style dish with tons of flavor.
Mac: Kraft Spirals
Location: Your local grocer
City: Everywhere
Testimonial: How can I not?! I know it’s processed- and most of us grew up on it- but for some reason the spirals just taste better than the normal noodles. I swear they have shrunk the size of the box from when I was a kid…
Mac: Traditional Mac
Location: Craft
City: NYC, NY
Testimonial: I can’t guarantee this is on the menu at Craft, but I recently tasted Tom Colicchio’s take on mac and cheese at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival’s BubbleQ. He did not do anything crazy to it, but needless to say, he took a classic comfort food and made it taste exceptional. Elbows.
Mac: Macaroni and Cheese
Location: Table Fifty-Two
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: If you’re a fan of super cheesy, super gooey mac and cheese… this one’s for you. Chef Art Smith uses penne pasta and it comes to the table bubbling and browned.
THE TOP 5’s:
1.) Mac: The Mac
Location: Fifty-50
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “A great gooey, cheesy baked mac n’ cheese topped with buttered bread crumbs. Ask for it with extra love and choose from bacon, caramelized onions, chili, tomatoes, sliced jalapeno, smoked chicken or pulled pork – all good but the bacon is a perfect mix.”
2.) Mac: Macaroni and Cheese
Location: Table Fifty-Two
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “So good and rich it deserves a second mention. Thankfully, I brought home the small amount I had left over and it made for a perfect late night snack.
3.) Mac: Sweet Cheesy Heaven
Location: Sacha’s Recipe (my house)
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “The perfect mix of shells, velveeta cheese, butter, cream corn and sweet corn baked to perfection.”
4.) Mac: Truffled Macaroni & Cheese
Location: Smith & Wollensky
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “A house specialty- plain macaroni with four different kinds of cheeses, bread crumbs and served with a white truffle oil.”
5.) Mac: Baked Mac
Location: Ashley C.’s
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “The best there is, period. I believe she uses 4 or 5 different cheeses, grated by hand, baked perfectly to finish it off. Always done to perfection, crisp top, gooey inside…I crave it when I think about it. BEST.”
6.) Mac: Mac and Cheese
Location: The Original Wishbone
City: Chicago, IL (West Loop)
Testimonial: “done with the down home Wishbone touch.”
7.) Mac: Mac and Cheese
Location: Redfish
City: New Orleans, LA
Testimonial: “kicked up a notch Nawlins style, served as a side. With a fried oyster sandwich, its tough to beat.”
8.) Mac: Kraft Shells
Location: Grocery Store
City: Anywhere
Testimonial: “because shells are cute and fun.”
9.) Mac: Penne and Cheese
Location: Table Fifty-Two
City: Chicago, IL
10.) Mac: Mac and Cheese
Location: Mity Nice
City: Chicago, IL
11.) Mac: Bubbly Baked Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese
Location: Vermont Country Deli
City: Brattleboro, VT
Testimonial: “on the way up to Mount Snow near I91 – Amazing!”
12.) Mac: Mac
Location: Annie’s
City: Most grocery stores
Testimonial: “Kraft mac n’ cheese is so processed that it’s really almost its own food designation, but I ultimately agree that it must be mentioned in this category. But I beg to differ on the spirals. When I’m craving “the blue box,” I’m looking for the feel (dare I say “mouthfeel?!”) of the tube shape. The spirals and shells and assorted alphabet and animal shapes don’t cut it for me. Annie’s has the closest thing to the original…”
13.) Mac: Baked Mac and Cheese
Location: Chat N Chew
City: NYC, NY (Union Square)
Testimonial: “Classic, no frills, no fancy cheese baked mac and cheese with the bread crumb top. Rich and delicious!”
14.) Mac: Baked Mac
Location: The Smith
City: NYC, NY
Testimonial: “Crunchy top layer. Perfect mac n cheese.”
15.) Mac: Baked Mac n’ Cheese
Location: Jones
City: Philadelphia, PA
Testimonial: “Hands down, THE BEST. Perfect noodle to cheese ratio, piping hot, baked with the most delicious sprinkling of seasoned bread crumbs on top. I dare you to save room for your entree if you get this as an appetizer.”
16.) Mac: Baked Mac and Cheese
Location: Dumont/Dumont Burger
City: Brooklyn, NY
Testimonial: “The DuMacnCheese. Always the perfect combination of crispy top and voluminous, velvety insides. Delicious choice of cheeses, whatever they are. Plus pancetta. Go with a friend and split a burger and a mac and cheese. That and a couple beers is probably one of the most satisfying comfort meals in Brooklyn.”
17.) Mac: Mac and Cheese
Location: Tom Jenkins BBQ
City: Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Testimonial: “This family-owned BBQ joint is unreal. It’s a small old brick building with a chimney that also serves as the smoker for all the delicious BBQ that they serve. On any given day driving down US-1 you smell the ribs and brisket flavored smoke bursting out of the chimney and you’re almost forced to pull in. They really know how to get ya! But it’s worth it. Everything on their menu is absolutely delicious and I still believe it’s the best BBQ in South Florida (I’ve eaten there the past two Saturdays in a row). And to make it even better their sides are amazing ESPECIALLY their Mac and Cheese. It’s not the wet runny kind – it’s more like a casserole. They use elbow macaroni and there’s definitely some cheddar cheese up in there and then there’s a thick layer of cheese scattered on top before they bake it until the top layer has a nice crisp to it. Holy cow my mouth is watering and if I wore panties they’d be soaked right now.”
18.) Mac: Velveeta Shells and Cheese
Location: Any grocery store
City: Anywhere
Testimonial: “Oooey, neon, perfection.”
19.) Mac: Macaroni and Cheese
Location: Stanley’s
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “Best served with Chicken and Waffles at brunch. It’s baked and casserole-esque, and best of all, all you can eat.”
20.) Mac: Macaroni and Cheese
Location: Costello’s
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: ”A perfect spicy side.”
21.) Mac: Mac and Cheese
Location: Local 188
City: Portland, ME
22.) Mac: Mac and Cheese
Location: Poor Freddie’s Rib Shack
City: Jamaica, Queens, NY
Testimonial: “[…takeout-only institution slings gut-busting, ribs-sticking soul food. Its marvelous mac & cheese, gooey with cheddar, American, and Parmesan, is billed as a side dish, but regulars consider it a must].”
23.) Mac: Mac and Cheese
Location: Rockit
City: Chicago, IL
24.) Mac: Mac and Cheese
Location: Grand Lux
City: Chicago, IL
25.) Mac: Truffled Lobster Mac and Cheese in Brioche bowl
Location: Fleur de Lys
City: San Francisco, CA
Testimonial: “Believe it or not this is served alongside of their filet mignon with a big slab of foie gras on top. The mac and cheese is served in a little bowl made of brioche and it is maybe one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. Good size chunks of lobster and just a hint of truffle flavor. Hubert is the man.”
26.) Mac: Mac and Cheese topped with tater tots
Location: Q
City: San Francisco, CA
Testimonial: “Such a genius combo and so delicious.”
27.) Mac: Smoked bacon mac and cheese
Location: Tipsy Pig
City: San Francisco, CA
Testimonial: “What really makes this one is the awesome bacon they throw in.”
28.) Mac: Mac and smoked cheddar
Location: Rushmore
City: Chicago, IL
Testimonial: “This is where my obsession with mac and cheese began many years ago. It was one of the first times I had such high quality mac and cheese at a more upscale restaurant. Wound up eating my mac and cheese side dish rather than my entree and I knew it was all over.”
29.) Mac: Mac and cheese with goat cheese and fried shallots
Location: My house
City: San Francisco, CA
Testimonial: “Found this in Gourmet or something and it is awesome. The goat cheese and crispy fried shallots on top are a great combo.”
30.) Mac: Five Cheese Truffle Mac
Location: Prime 112
City: South Beach, FL
Testimonial: “Anything involving truffles is pretty good, so… The Truffle Lobster Mac n Cheese is pretty good as well but just the “plain” mac n cheese with a steak here is great.”
31.) Mac: Stouffer’s
Location: Grocery store- Freezer Aisle
City: Anywhere
Testimonial: “This stuff is pretty decent as far as frozen food goes and is great to heat up when you are tired.”
32.) Mac: Truffle Pancetta Mac & Cheese
Location: Emeril’s
City: South Beach, FL
Testimonial: “… truffles with almost anything is great and so is pancetta; so this one is pretty easy to figure out.”
1 Comment
June 15, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Waverly Inn in NYC has a mean truffle mac ‘n cheese from chef John Delucie.