Restaurants Serve Macaroni and Cheese
Order Comfort Food with a Twist at places like Charleston's Buccaneer Restaurant
May 1, 2009
Miami is renowned for its bevy of models and model-wannabes whose diet includes cigarettes and lettuce leafs. Oddly enough, decadent dishes on restaurant menus are easy to find if one is looking instead of waist watching. Bistro One LR at the Ritz Carlton Coconut Grove serves up this a contemporary take on this dish, which is only available at lunchtime. Spokesperson, Michelle Payer recommends a nap by the pool after consuming. The chef tosses Macaroni with Brie cheese, sweet Riesling tomatoes and spring onions, a meal in itself.
Restaurants Across the Country Serving Mac & Cheese
Chef Zachary Willard of The Buccaneer restaurant, located in downtown Charleston, S.C. tips his toque to seafood, an area staple. His Lobster Lobster Macaroni & Cheese (yes, two Lobster’s in the name) is made with Orecchiette pasta and lobster baked in a three-cheese sauce dashed with white truffle oil and topped with broiled lobster tails.
San Diego’s Executive Chef Matt Gordon offers several takes on Mac and Cheese at Urban Solace restaurant. His “whimsical” Duckaroni is one of the most unique versions of this dish. “I think the trend certainly began years ago when chefs at some of the finest restaurant broke away from the stuffy haute cuisine mode,” says Gordon. Duckaroni begins with a four-cheese béchamel sauce, sautéed duck confit, macaroni, blue cheese, scallions, arugula and roasted garlic. Topped with bacon breadcrumbs this rich concoction is baked to bubbling.
San Diego is a hotbed for creative versions of Mac and Cheese. Festivities Catering Company has 10 recipes, most offered in martini glasses, called Mac-tinis, at events. Among the most intriguing are Executive Chef Keith Lord’s Curried Mac ‘n Cheese; Croque Monsieur Mac and Cheese; Sautéed Spinach, artichokes, bacon, and four cheeses topped with a panko crust; Roasted poblanos, country ham, slow-roasted tomatoes, asiago, extra-sharp cheddar, and Grated Jack cheese with panko and chopped herbs and Hoppy Mac with St. Andre triple cream cheese with caramelized pecans and pears.
On the East Coast, Olana restaurant in New York City is paying heed to the tumbling economy and has adjusted the menu to reflect new pricing. Originally added as a special side dish, Executive Chef/Owner Albert Di Meglio’s Mac ‘n Cheese was permanently added to the menu. Made with a rosemary béchamel and two types of New York cheddar from 5 Spoke Creamery and Sunset View Creamery, the mixture is topped with a breadcrumb mix of parsley and black cardamom. “We all want to eat a certain food when we are down and when we are happy. When people go out to dine and see Mac & Cheese on a menu they just have to order it because they are curious about how it is made. Bottom line it satisfies,” says Meglio.
Hawaii to the Deep South
From the land of pineapples and hula comes Viktor Schmidt, Executive Chef of MAC 24-7, located in the Hilton Waikiki/Prince Kuhio hotel on Oahu, Hawaii. The chef designed his White Cheddar Mac & Cheese as a nod to his mom and what he believes is the epitome of comfort food. “Unfortunately, the boxed items that we can buy in the market today don’t do it justice. To truly make macaroni and cheese, you have to do it with love and give it the time that your mother did when she made it,” said Schmidt.
Executive Chef Christopher DiNello of Alligator Soul in Savannah, GA speaks of the South’s deep connection with comfort food. “Mac and cheese is true comfort all the way!! It’s a warm and tasty staple that makes for a broad canvas when wanting to explore and expand with flavors and textures.” The chef uses artisanal cheese from area cheese makers including Sweet Grass Dairy and Flat Creek Lodge. Currently, the restaurant is serving Mac & Cheese with Georgia Wild Shrimp and Cojita peppers – a zesty, hearty dish that rings true to Southeastern cuisine.
Drive out of Savannah and head toward Tybee Island and right on the highway is Wiley’s Championship BBQ. Owners Janet and Wily McCrary are found onsite daily greeting regulars and discussing the menu with newcomers. Wiley’s Mac & Cheese is simple but hugely satisfying made with rigatoni instead of elbows and a stick to your ribs Parmesan and white cheddar sauce. Add beef brisket and fried pickles for a well-rounded southern meal topped off with homemade Bread Pudding with Praline Bourbon Sauce.
Westward Ho
Moving west in the search one finds Muskegon, the largest city on Lake Michigan. Andy Buck, owner of the Muskegon Athletic Club, has no less than 12 Mac & Cheese recipes on the menu. The Mex Mac is the most unique with chorizo, onions, peppers, jalapeños and Pepper Jack cheese.
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