Gobble Gobble!

I hope everyone (that celebrates it) has a great Thanksgiving, spending the day with family and friends.  Making sure to fill up on metric tons of food, because that's how we do it here in 'Murica. 

My mom found a comic strip that she thought would be right up my alley yesterday.  I'd have to agree.

To view the comic (and give Mark Tatulli, the creator of Lio his clicks) please click here

Knotts Berry Mac

Have you ever seen that Halloween episode of the Simpsons, where they're spoofing Stephen King's The Shining and Homer snaps because he didn't have TV and beer?  A refresher in case you don't remember it.

Woob woob woob woob!

Well, while I don't need TV and beer to function (though it may not hurt things), I have not, however taken any kind of extended vacation yet this year and that has helped bring me to the point where I could "go crazy".  A day here or half day there, to keep my hours down below capping just wasn't cutting it these past few months, so I finally took a week off.  Part of this much needed week off had me jumping in the car and driving down to L.A. where I hit up both Knott's Berry Farm and Disneyland.  I couldn't go and not look for mac n' cheese while I was down there, and fortunately I did find that both amusement parks had some ready and waiting for me to review.

Knott's Berry Farm, I learned was truly a firsts kind of place, that thanks to the success of the Knott's, the family steered how amusement parks would operate even today based on things they did first as they were just trying to keep people entertained while waiting to order a meal.

In 1927, seven years after the Knott's family settled on 20 acres in Buena Park on Highway 39, Knott's Berry Place got it's first building, which served as a five table tea room and berry stand to sell the farm's wares.  In 1932, Walter Knott created the Boysenberry (a hybrid of red raspberry, blackberry and loganberries) and named it after a friend.  By 1934, with the Great Depression firmly entrenched across the country, Walt's wife Cordelia reluctantly served to tea room customers her fried chicken, on their wedding china to make ends meat.  By 1937, they had greatly expanded the tea room, given it a full kitchen, dining room and parking lot for their customers.  That Thanksgiving in 1937, 1,774 dinners were served.  Soon, old west buildings were being bought and moved to the property to entertain customers waiting for tables in the restaurant, allowing Walter to create a whole new western town, 'Ghost Town' to occupy the minds (and wallets) of the those restaurant customers.  1947 saw the Knott's Berry Place get renamed, Knott's Berry Farm.

What started as an attraction to keep people busy who came for fried chicken dinners had converted to a full fenced in, admission amusement park in 1968. It's now owned by Cedar Fair, who own amusement parks all across the country, including California's Great America in the SF Bay Area.

Though the park has had some ups and downs over the years, it's still very much alive and kicking. The park has some great roller coasters including the massive wooden GhostRider, the non-inverted loop (you take the loop from the outside!) Xcelerator, the suspended coaster Silver Bullet and the Pony Express, where you ride like you're on a pony!

While the park is a great place to spend a day if you're in L.A., what I think is their best kept secret is still Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant. The restaurant is outside of the park to the left of the entrance and you can not only get food to go if you so choose, but park for free (with validation from the restaurant) and have some incredibly tasty chicken.

I had decided to make part of my visit to L.A. include Knott's because I hadn't been there in so long and because I knew that I'd need a good dinner after the long drive down.  When I peeked at the posted menu before going inside I knew I was in for a treat if the mac n' cheese that I saw on the menu was half as good as their chicken.


The Review

Brand:
Mr.s Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant macaroni and cheese

A little difficult to discern, but this was really the only angle I could (safely, while standing in the middle of the road) get a shot of the restaurant's name.

The best restaurants don't need flashy names to attract your attention. Direct and to the point.

Itty Bitty Mac

One never knows where they'll find their next mac & cheese.  The obvious places are those that serve  or sell food.  Restaurants and grocery stores have been the root location of 99% of my blog posts so far, with an honorable mention of inedible mac bandages found at a candy shop in San Francisco.  Easy marks.  What if you up really want to challenge yourself.  Where would you look?

How about an antique store.

Now I bet you're thinking, antique shops don't sell food.  They can't. It's against the law, or it'd be a crime against humanity to buy some mac that was last sold in the Eisenhower administration.  Well I've not found any food (or any old packages of mac for that matter)... yet, but I did find something pretty damn cool. Miniature dollhouse sized mac n' cheese.

I had found myself back in the Niles district of Fremont, once again wandering the shops on a Sunday afternoon.  While I did walk by Bronco Billy's and their tempting mac bites, this post is about on one of the antique shops a few blocks down.

My Friends And I is located at 37521 Niles Blvd.  Like almost all the shops (as far as I can tell) on Niles Blvd., they have a bit of a focus, and numerous vendors that work to that shop's theme.  This shop (like any good one) has a little bit of everything, vintage and new but something I've noticed as I've been through the area a few times is that they make sure to decorate up their shop and work with their vendors to do so for calendar events.

The shop was pretty busy when I was there, but remember, they close at 5PM daily, so no late night antiquing for you!

Not only is that a good sign of rotating inventory, but a store that has vendors who don't want to just have a stagnant look that in my opinion, turns off the potential customers.  Why go in, if the stuff you can see in the front, is the same stuff you saw three months ago?  They want to sell their stuff and by rotating and bringing in new stuff regularly, it's actually an adventure to go in and browse. 

Besides, the ladies that work there are really nice, so even if you don't buy anything, you'll have a great conversation.

The Review

Brand:
Dollhouse Miniatures Macaroni and Cheese

While that's not the 'brand', this was the only sign in the booth (which was filled with miniatures for dollhouses), so huzzah for impromptu namings!

Mother Approved, But Kid Tested?

I've reviewed a number meals marketed for/to kids.  So far, meals made by mom, promoted by Elmo and ones that have include brownies haven't really been something that any kid should be eating (based on taste alone and not even factoring in 'nutritional value').  In yet another regular walk through the frozen section of the local grocery store I saw that a new line of meals had appeared, aimed at kids.  There were only three options, all of which were pasta dishes but one was a mac. Another instant purchase as I tossed it into the basket handles my arms were wrapped around.

I didn't look at the packaging beyond the picture on the front, as I really didn't want to know about hidden veggies or anything else that may make me skew my opinion before I put this up against any other kids macs I've already reviewed.  So I just tossed it in the freezer and did my best to ignore it until it was time to heat it up.

They had a customer, I just needed to find a good time to eat and review the darn thing, which thanks to it being freezer ready was just a week or two later.


The Review

Brand:
Kidfresh Wagon Wheels Mac + Cheese

Packed with goodness AND hidden stuff. Oh boy!

Glamorous Glamorous Gluten

Gluten.  There, I said it.  It's out.  I like gluten and if you're reading this blog, you really like gluten too.  By now I expect that most of you have figured out that I really enjoy cheese and stuff made from many kinds of (wheat or wheat related) flour. Be it noodles, bread whatever.  I could easily live on the starch & dairy combo (not healthily, but we're just talking hypothetically here) and be good for months before I get bored.  While this may work for me, more and more people are now having issues digesting the protein gluten that specialty versions of our favorite dishes are starting to spring up. Often times gluten free pasta means that it's made with rice flour instead of a flour based on wheat.  But as I've experienced already here and here, it doesn't necessarily mean that it's a tastier (all be it less painful gastronomically for those who don't handle gluten) option.

While people have had gluten allergies for as long as humans have been eating wheat, I don't think I've heard much about it until just a few years ago, when these specialty prepared foods, free of gluten have begun to spring up.  For those who've got problems handling gluten, it comes about in a few manners, most notably coeliac disease or wheat allergy.  If you look at the symptoms of someone who's gluten sensitive/intolerant you'll see that their afflictions of bloating, abdominal discomfort/pain, diarrhea, joint pain or muscle and muscle disturbances (no clue on what this last one actually is) are pretty open ended symptoms that one wouldn't necessarily chalk up to a gluten issue.  I won't get into any real details on it, but if you're curious Wikipedia has whole sections on gluten sensitivity, Coealic disease and all kinds of other stuff related to wheat and gluten.

While shopping at my local Sprouts I have stumbled onto very few mac meal options besides their chill case fresh one and like any mac I find in stores, it somehow finds its way into the cart and then home to my freezer whether or not I've got space for it.  I've told myself that with specialty ones like this, that I'm just preparing for the unlikely day in the future where I would need to eat gluten-free dishes (thanks to all the gluten in these pasta noodles) and need to know my scant mac options as well as helping any friends who are intolerant to gluten, so it's best that I review them as quickly as possible.

The Review

Brand:
Glutino Gluten Free Mac & Cheese

Packaging circa 2012-2013, orange and noodles, we know what this is selling.

Packaging as of spring 2013, now it looks like a Lean Cuisine box.

Mac n' Ice Cream

During the offseason the Giants were doing another World Series trophy tour allowing fans to get pictures with both  trophies (and selling the photo op pictures making buckets of monies from the fans in the process) and like 2011, I had to get a picture.  Remembering the crazy line that had formed at the Lesher Center for the 2010 trophy I once again took the day off to make sure that I had time to get in line early enough and not lose my opportunity to pose slightly incredibly awkwardly with the trophy again.

After I had gotten my picture I decided to try out a sandwich shop that had been recommended to me and headed towards it.  Passing restaurant after restaurant I couldn't help but check to see if any had mac and cheese and would thus be added to my list of places to visit.  Without even trying I found three new places to stop and I ditched the sandwich shop for a restaurant I'd passed up far to many times that I didn't even know served meals won out.  I was further won over by the fact that even if the mac ended up poorly, I had fresh 'home made' ice cream to drown those sorrows away for dessert.

I've managed to walk past The Olde San Francisco Creamery Co. quite a number of times and have even told myself to make it down there when it's a hot day.  I'd never successfully completed that mission.  Heck, other than it being a very brightly painted building and knowing that there was a 'to-go' window for that drive by ice cream craving I didn't know a thing about it.  Did you know they've been featured on the Food Network's Man Vs. Food show because they've got a crazy huge gut busting ice cream bowl?  Me either!  If this was an ice cream blog I'd be reviewing up the chocolate peanut butter ice cream I had, but think I've got a good thing going with these mac reviews so I best stick to what I know. 

The Review


Brand:
The Olde San Francisco Creamery Co. Mac & Cheese

One doesn't normally expect to find mac n' cheese at an ice cream shop, but i'm not going to criticize (wait that's exactly what I'm doing), unless they make it a flavor of ice cream.

Hot N' Ready

My never ending adventures for mac n' cheese has taken me all over, had me scouring store and restaurant alike for any sign of a new bowl of golden goodness.  My biggest concern (if I could really call it that) is how long will I be able to find any kind of mac that I may run across.  Brands die off, stores stop carrying something that doesn't sell or I may see something that is only a regional or chain specific item.  

This uncertainty has me buying like a mad man, building up a stock of mac that has spread it's way across the home and work, in pantries and freezers all because of a meal that I had let pass back before I started the blog.  A meal that I would expect to see because everything else in that was in that grocery store hot case has been prepared fresh daily since... except that.

Swinging by a semi-local Safeway grocery store to get deli sandwiches before some adventures on a Saturday, amazingly, to my left was that white golden whale.  While I didn't grab it at 9 AM when I was getting sandwiches, I had a good feeling that it would still be there in the afternoon... and I swung back by hoping to scratch another mac off my list.


The Review

Brand:
Safeway Signature (hot case) Macaroni and Cheese

While here in California it's Safeway, in other parts of the country you'll find yourself at Dominicks, Vons, Tom Thumbs among other regional chains.

Bronco Bites

The Bay Area has an incredibly rich history with all of the technological innovations and countless events that have happened since European settlers began to record history here. Among the first non indigenous people that made up the population California and the Bay Area were the Spanish. Colonizing and spreading forcing their religion to the local tribal groups of the Bay Area in the mid/late 1700's, these Franciscan missionaries changed the course of the entire region.

Many of the cities and towns of the Bay Area don't have much left from their earliest settlements.  The land is precious and expansion often pushes out the old to make way for the new, especially in a region that has been occupied for hundreds of years. While the recorded history of the Fremont ties itself to Mission San José, one portion of what is now Fremont, Niles has it's history built around a massive flour mill that serviced the farmlands on the other side of the foothills that the town butted up against.

Originally called Vallejo Mills, a small settlement sprung up at the end of a canyon, who's other end lead out through Sunol and into the south end of Pleasanton and into the San Ramon Valley, where massive farms grew wheat and other crops and the town acted as a depot for these supplies thanks to an extension that fed off the Transcontinental Railroad.  Within a decade that traffic somewhat dried up thanks to a shorter line that came over the top of the bay through Benicia, but the railroad was still a vital lifeline for years to come.  The town didn't die, but it did change it's name thanks to the Central Pacific railroad, who renamed it Niles after Addison Niles in 1869.  Originally a lawyer for the Pacific Railroad, Addison Niles became an Associate Justice in the California Supreme Court and served from 1872-1880, passing away a decade later in 1890.

Niles eventual claim to (current) fame is that it housed one of the first movie studios on the west coast, EssanayStudios who shot hundred of films in Niles Canyon and the surrounding areas from 1912 through 1915. Some of these films included Charlie Chaplin's The Tramp which thrust his most famous character 'Tramp' into the spotlight and Broncho Billy the first western cowboy star.  The studio moved south to Los Angeles in 1915 but they opened the door for west coast movie making, not only in the Bay Area but for the everything that came to be in LA soon thereafter. 

Niles still has it's main street with many of it's original buildings that are now mostly antique shops, though a number restaurants and other stores are also on the main drag.  In town on a lazy Sunday afternoon, I wandered the antique shops not knowing what I'd find (a crazy personalized Hot Wheel with a kids face on it and a 20 year old X-Men coloring book were bought for friends) and as I walked back down the street towards my car, I passed by Bronco Billys Pizza and the sign I saw in front of the restaurant just called for me to have a late lunch/early dinner of appetizers.  I've had mac n' cheese bites before, but always from the comfort of my own home with varying levels of success. I hadn't had mac n' cheese bites at a restaurant in years,


The Review

Brand:
Bronco Billys Kids Meals Mac & Cheese bites



A few tables are outside and are great spots to eat if the weather is good or it's busy inside.



Hopping To It

I've really prided myself on the fact that every mac that I've reviewed I never had to buy more than the one container/serving/order of (hopefully) cheesy pasta.  All those frozen meals are individual purchases.  Same with all these just add water cups and bowls I've reviewed, only one container to purchase.  Restaurants won't only sell me two orders of mac n' cheese unless I'm crazy enough to order them so unless I'm making a big a big casserole dish of the stuff at home, I don't have to worry about lots of extras either.  In the end this means that I'm not saddling myself with multiples of a cruddy variety of mac. 

That is of the utmost importance with this blog.  While some would want to begin to hoard their favorite versions, I'm here to review them all (darn you 'gotta catch em all, Poke-Cheese' mentality), not stop at the best or give up on the worst.  In my regular wanderings looking for the next meal to add to the review pile, I have really only come upon a scant few macs that I consistently keep saying "Nope" to and that's exclusively because of quantity that I need to buy in order to review them.  Target has a whole grain pasta just add water cup that only comes in a four pack and Annie's Homegrown microwaveable options only are sold in 5 single servings boxes.  I don't know why I decided to pull the trigger, other than it was most likely the sale that Target going on at the time, but I broke down and bought two of the three options (the gluten free wasn't on sale and was much more expensive so behind it stayed).

While I've had Annie's very yummy Cheddar Bunnies a number of times, I have yet to try any of their many varieties of mac n' cheese.  Their just add water version is just as good as any to start with and since I've got a box of five to eat/give to others at work, I best get started.


The Review

Brand:
Annie's Homegrown Microwaveable Mac & Cheese with real white cheddar

Now the only REAL difference between white and yellow Cheddar is that there is a coloring agent annatto, used to give it the orange we're used to seeing today. The coloring doesn't affect the taste of the cheese, that all comes from the aging process.

Bringing Bacon Back

I've gotten to dig my fork into a fair number of mac n' cheese meals these last 10 months.  The one thing that at first thought didn't scare me a bit, but now scares me quite a lot is the addition of meat to a meal (that isn't a frozen meal).  My Archer Farms real bacon experience taught me that it's potentially a very dangerous thing. So much so that I think even Target/Archer Farms is having a difficult time with them because I've not seen those bacon carbonara bowls on shelves but for one or two days every few months at any local Target since I did my review.

Finding that another brand was giving bacon the ol' college try had me very cautious about the potential outcome.  Armed with a camera phone and their customer support 800 number I was ready to give Kraft's bacon bowl a shot.

The Review

Brand:
Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Homestyle Sharp Cheddar Cheese Sauce And Oscar Mayer Bacon

Big money, no moldy.... STOP!

Yee-Haw!

I love cheese.  While most of us get out cheese from a grocery store, either buying store brands or the national brands like Kraft, Sargento and if we feel like springing for it Tilamook.  Some stores are have small sections near deli's with more craft cheeses in them and if you're in an area with a good dairy supply, you'll possibly be blessed with local artisan cheeses!  With the rise of the organic and explosion of local and specialty shops, there are a number of towns that now have specialty cheese shops springing up once again, selling local and fancy cheese varieties.  Here in the Bay Area, one of the bigger and better known producers of local artisan cheese is the Cowgirl Creamery. 

Located in Pt. Reyes Station (an hour north of San Francisco) the Cowgirl Creamery started making cheese in the early 90's and today sells cheese at two shops, the Tomales Bay Foods location in Pt. Reyes Station and at their cheese shop at the San Francisco Ferry Building.  They've also got a milk bar and cafe right next door to the SF shop and they've got their cheese in Whole Foods stores across the country and if you've got a local cheese shop, they may carry some of the Cowgirl varieties as well. 

As I had mentioned before in my most recent adventure in San Francisco that it was my second mac meal of the day.  This, was my first.

The Review

Brand:
Cowgirl Creamery's Sidekick Cafe Macaroni & Cheese 

That horse and rider silhouette sure doesn't look like any superhero sidekick I know.

Half The Cheese It Used To Be

Instant cups are a really easy on the fly meal snack for those craving some quick mac n' cheese.  One thing that we do have to worry about (well those of us who seem to eat mac n' cheese with wild abandon) is the caloric and fat intake that the cheesy goodness brings to our arteries and midsections.  A number of national cheese makers have begun making cheese using 2% milk rather than whole milk like cheese is normally made from.  While it cuts down on the fat, some of these 2% cheeses also seem to cut down on the taste.  While Velveeta isn't remotely close to a natural block of cheese, but that doesn't mean that they can't get in on the reduced fat craze.  Now all I'm left to wonder is if this reduced fat cheese affects the taste compared to it's high octane cousin. 


The Review

Brand:
Velveeta Shells & Cheese: 2% Milk Cheese

You don't look any thinner than a regular mac cup.

An Italian Double Agent

I've finally come to the realization accept that Italian eateries aren't going to have American style macaroni and cheese.  While I don't think it's too hard for them to have pasta + cheese and I still scour the menu hoping for it, but am prepared for the inevitable defeat.  My one saving grace is the children's menu.  American kids are often given the same options that they've got at home and after my positive results at Strizzi's I was emboldened to once again ask if it was ok to order off the child's menu.  Since I'm writing a review... it must have meant that I was able to!

Pasta Pomodoro is a SF Bay Area Italian chain, focusing on the use of fresh ingredients in the preparation of modern Italian dishes (not sure exactly what modern vs classic is, but that's a discussion for a completely different blog).  They've got a number of restaurants close to me and with a friend in the area during the Xmas holiday, our choice for dinner that evening was the local Pasta Pomodoro. 

The Review

Brand:
Pasta Pomodoro's Cheesy Pasta.

Watch out!  Full moon!  There could be Mac n' cheese hungry werewolves on the prowl!

Wait... This Isn't Sourdough

It seems that I have this strange ability to be in San Francisco when the local sports franchises are playing in REALLY big games.  Back in 2010, after seeing a foam Brian Wilson beard that had made it's appearance during the NLCS series against the Phillies I decided I had to have it, but couldn't find it online to order.  I had a dentist appointment a few days later and ended up taking the day off to accommodate the appointment.  By the time of my appointment the Giants were in the midst of the World Series and Game 5 was later that evening.  A trip to the Giants dugout store at the ballpark didn't net me a beard, but I came back with World Series themed merchandise.  I didn't stick around the park to see the victory at one of the many bars/restaurants exploding with fans, but they clinched their first title (as the SF Giants) that evening.

What does that have to do with mac n' cheese?  Not a thing!  However, I made my way back to the city and spent most of the day wandering and enjoying the highlights of the city on Superbowl Sunday, when the Niners were looking to make it win number six.  While they didn't win, I hadn't seen so many Niners jerseys in one place ever and despite the beating they were taking early, the fans were incredibly well behaved.  It was a site to behold hearing the entire restaurant or bar I was walking by let out with collective cheers and groans as the game progressed.  One positive of the game going on that day was that the tourist traps of SF were pretty empty.  While wandering, I made my pilgrimage to Boudin's massive bakery/shop/cafe at Pier 41 for some fresh sourdough bread.  While there, I took a gander at the cafe menu for a possible dinner and while I saw some tasty options I decided that a trip upstairs to the fancier Bistro Boudin was in order, especially after I saw that they had multiple mac n' cheese options on their menu.  I had initially planned on getting both mac n' cheeses, but due to the cost of one, I decided that I was going to have to make a second trip for the other option at a later date.  I just couldn't quite go for an evening of mac n' cheese meals that were going to run me over $30, especially when I've had as many backlogged reviews as I currently do and had also had mac n' cheese for lunch too. One was going to have to do.  Hopefully I made a good decision.


The Review

Brand:
Bistro Boudine's Dungeness Crab Mac & Cheese 

Sorry for the blur, this area also doubles as the host/hostess zone and I only had a few seconds to snap the photo before they were back in the shot and wondering what in the hell I was doing.

You're Doing It Wrong

I was passed this picture by a friend today that they discovered while they browsed top images on imgur.  Click HERE for the original imgur thread and HERE for the Reddit thread. I don't upvote much but both the imgur AND reddit posts got my +1.  At last check, there were over 2000 comments in the Reddit thread alone.

Pasta? Check!  American cheese singles? Umm... Check? 

PEOPLE, THIS IS NOT HOW YOU DO MAC N' CHEESE!!! 



**Notes on imgur & Reddit**
Imgur is a photo hosting site that also allows for people to comment on images and over the last few years has grown a fairly large community of users.  It's an interesting place.  Imgur also often acts as the image host for those posting on Reddit (think message forums, where there is a 'sub' reddit for practically ANYTHING) Posts found on Reddit are often comments that spring up regarding individual images that are posted.  Oh, and upvotes, You can't forget those.  Everyone loves upvotes.  Both sites can be are HUGE time sucks, can have plenty of naught words and in some corners, many naughty images as well so don't spend too much time there if you're browsing this blog at work. 

Tub O' Mac

You remember the darnedest things from your childhood.  We didn't buy it for our home, but I remember Shedd's Country Crock butter margarine.  I know friends who used it at their house, but why the brown tub stuck with me is a mystery.  Country Crock was heavily advertised and quite popular when I was growing up.  The brown tub and the butter churn were staples on TV and in grocery stores.  I don't know when I stopped noticing that brown plastic tub on the shelves of my grocers, but I was quite surprised to see that Country Crock had made a bit of a reprieve by adding side dishes to their lineup.  I'm not 100% sure why Unleaver (parent mega food corp who own Country Crock) has teamed up with Hormel for these sides, it doesn't really matter in the long run, because the fact there is an mac to review is what really matters.



The Review

Brand:
Country Crock Elbow Macaroni & Cheese

Packaging when purchased in the fall of 2012

New packaging as of January 2013

Back to homeroom

I think if you've read many of my posts, you'll have discovered (like I have) that consistently the best mac's I've reviewed have all been 'homestyle' macs. The freshness and quality of the ingredients, how they are prepared really highlights everything about them and how much fresh ingredients really trump packaged or previously prepared meals that are made on the stove or in your microwave. These other meals may not be bad, but they aren't the same and that's a big deal.

When i visited homeroom a few months back, we all had a great time when we took over a good portion of the communal table for our lunch.  We had really tasty food and we started to talk about making a return trip.  I knew I had left a number of options untried on their menu, including a few spicy and more adventerous dishes that wouldn't normally be up my alley. But I'm doing this blog for those 15 daily readers damn it and I can't let them down so I was more than game to head back. 

My friends and I finally all had a availability and another Saturday afternoon trip was scheduled back in the beginning of December. 

To my surprise the menu had changed (hello winter menu! which included a spicy Sriracha Mac, a Smokey Bacon Mac and a Truffle Mac that has real truffles in it and costs $15 bucks!) and some of those yet to try options were gone (darn, no Feta mac), but they had added the above new ones in their place.

While most of the party enjoyed what they had last trip, I made sure to try a new dish and this one was an easy choice.  It had bacon!


The Review

Brand:
homeroom's Smokey Bacon Mac



We're back!



Mama Mia!

Macaroni and cheese is a decidedly American dish I've come to realize.  I would think that this pasta dish would have worked it's way into (or out of) all kinds of Italian restaurants because of it's ease of making, when in reality it doesn't ever seem to be on the menu unless you're looking at the children's menu.  That means the planned Mac N' Steve's world tour of eateries (in Italy) that serve mac n' cheese vacation I had planned won't really net me any new blog posts.

While the lack of main menu mac's may stop some from trying to order the worlds best use of cheese and pasta, it doesn't stop me.  What's the harm in asking if I can order off the menu even if I don't come close to looking like I'm 12 (just because I may act my shoe size sometimes...)?

Just over a month ago I went to dinner with my parents for their birthdays (born just 4 days apart) and while Strizzis has an Italian flare with some American influence, I had no option for a mac and cheese on the main menu (I guess I shouldn't be surprised).  The waitress however was kind enough (or didn't care) that I asked if it was O.K. to order off the children's menu and she even told me that the potion was a pretty respectable size so I didn't need to worry about going hungry ordering it.

With that kind of reinforcement, I had no choice but to fulfill my destiny... erm order it.

The Review

Brand:
Strizzis (Kid's Menu) Macaroni & Cheese

One If By Freezer, Two If By Store

There aren't too many places that have their own lines of foods available in stores in addition to having actual restaurants that serve the same food stuffs. Often you're given the 'inspired by' route when you see that same meal at your local grocers, rather than the same exact thing that is in the restaurant.  To a degree the chain/company loses out if you're not in their establishment enjoying their food, but if they're smart, they make good money because of the licensing that they've got on those meals.  I really don't know how it all works out and I really don't care.  I care about getting at Mac N' Cheese, in whatever form it may come to me.

Boston Market a decade ago was HUGE (actually their rise started in the late 90's, man I feel old).  They had restaurants all over the place serving up all kinds of rotisserie chicken, turkey, meat loaf (barf!) and those other big dinner favorites that we Americans love in addition to sandwiches that had the same stuff in them.  That massive expansion did eventually catch up and McDonalds of all companies bought them up in 2000. They were originally bought for the real estate, but because McDonalds was trying to expand their image past the drive through / food in 30 seconds feeling their restaurants and menu's had at the time and because the Boston Market brand still was pulling in good sales, they didn't shut them down.  McDonalds sold Boston Market off in 2007, just a year after they had pulled out of Chipotle as well.

While Boston Markets are rare finds here in the Bay Area now, I had recently gone back to the city of my youth to drop some stuff off at my parents and the wife and I stumbled onto the fact that the one I ate at those many years ago that opened when I was a teen, was in fact still open.  Having a meal that was something completely different than the typical fast food lunch struck a cord and realizing that there was a mac waiting for me to review once we got inside, I was excited to see how it compared to their frozen variety mac & cheese.

The Review

Brand:
Boston Market Gourmet Side Mac & Cheese

I used to work across the street from this place and I ate a ton of their Carver sandwiches all those years ago.