Pasta doesn't get to be on my list as often as it did when I was 10 and could burn off the calories during one spirited game of "kick the ball over the roof of the house to my brother 100 times." I try to save it for nights before long runs, vacation meals, or restaurants I may never get back to. Lucky for me, I went to one that is close enough I can get back to it some day, but far enough away that it won't be for another six months or so. (Thank goodness, said my weight loss goal.) Macdaddy in Monroe, CT. (It would be good for my waistline if I could move all ice cream places that far from me as well.)
I present to you... yet another boring strip mall. Eh, who cares where a great place is, as long as you can get some terrific grub once inside. Enter into the bland box.
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| I think they should paint the outside orange. They probably aren't allowed to. |
Welcome to mac & cheese heaven! (Well, actually in heaven it would be calorie free! Sadly, that's not where we are.) This was definitely a low key, casual place. Cement floors, plastic orange chairs and a targeted menu of over 20 variations of our fav comfort food and a couple daily special flavors. You can get a salad, but really, why would you bother? The most challenging thing about the entire experience was choosing which ones to try. Should I go more old school and do the version with sliced hot dogs? Or upscale with lobster? Oh, this was going to be tougher than I thought. Glad my cousin was willing to split two with me, two snack portions mind you, so at least I could try a couple flavors on my first visit. (Oh yes, there will be future returns.)
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| Yep, I'll take the entire right side of the board, please. |
We ordered and sat ourselves at a table. While I'm making you wait for my lunch to arrive, I know, I am cruel, here is some wall art to enjoy.
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| Considering my mom's was from a box, I'd definitely have to agree with the wall. |
There are three sizes you can choose from. Snack, Mac and Macdaddy. As mentioned earlier, we went with the smallest skillet. Snack size. I saw some hungry younger guys unable to finish off the Mac size. And I'm sure the Macdaddy could feed a family of four. Once my cast iron skillet was delivered to my table all hot and gooey, I knew I made the right choice.
We decided, after much deliberation, on the Mac Popeye (spinach, garlic & goat cheese) for our first choice. It was OUT OF THIS WORLD! Right, so you're wondering how so. It's just lactose and semolina, you say to yourself loud enough for me to hear you. Well, could it have been the perfect ratio of cheese to spinach to noodles? Perhaps it was the perfect tanginess of the goat cheese mixed with other cheeses. Maybe the crusty, buttery topping was what put it over the top. Or, quite possibly, it was ALL of that together in one delightfully, crusty-edged, bubbling, personal-sized cauldron!
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| Comfort food beyond compare. |
Oh my gosh, that was nearly too wonderful for words! But I did my best. The other one we got was the Mac Mushroom (crimini & shitake mushrooms, porcini emulsion, manchego & truffle oil). Delightfully rich and earthy. Dense, intense flavor. Different from the first, yet another great choice.
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| Skillets so hot they come with a silicone handle cover so you don't hurt yourself. |
Admittedly, I couldn't even finish half of the two with my cousin's help. There was a quarter of each one left. (Food 1, Karen 0.) The good news about that? Leftovers!!
Inspired by my trip to Mac Daddy, I'm excited to take my own basic mac & cheese recipe and start switching out some cheeses and adding veggies, meats and other flavors. I may even whip up a full batch and break it out into four separate dishes to try several new combinations in one day. Pretty sure I could wrestle up some local taste testers to give me a hand with those.
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