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.

Price:
A la Carte $2.29 for regular size, $4.29 for the large size.  Also, depending on what you order, sides may be included so there would be no additional charge in selecting the mac as your side dish.

I still haven't gotten over the weird looks I get when I bust out my phone to take pictures of the food/menu's in restaurants.  I'm always worried about getting told to put it away or get out.  I swear I'm not filming the next food safety expose!

Preparation:
*If you know where there is a Boston Market, you're doing pretty good.  If not, use their location finder to get the address of one.  For example, there are now only 11 Boston Market's in the entire Bay Area, so be prepared for travel!

*Stand in line and peruse the menu while waiting to order.  Want a Quarter chicken?  Maybe a Turkey Carver sandwich? So many choices!

*After you've placed your order you'll be given a number.  Find an open table and display your number proudly if you're staying to eat.  If not, stand at the end of the food bar line.  They'll call your receipt number once your order is ready.

Whatever magical preparation happened to make the mac is a mystery, it'll still be doled out with vigor into the side dish container.

*The employee/server will bring out your plate, which you will eat using real silverware flatware.  It's actually a nice touch considering the nature of the restaurant. 

I went with the half Turkey Carver + Mac side combo meal. 

*Commence with the nomming!

Taste:
After the plate was set in front of me, I didn't notice any smell that was letting me know that mac was there, though the light eminating off the little bowl was trying to get into the KFC territority.  The noodles were almost overcooked (they had just the last bit of firmness that showed they came out about 30 seconds before being beyond overdone) and were quite chewy.  The sauce was cheesy, but it really did not taste very good.  The sauce tasted like some kind of an American/processed cheese amalgmation.

Final Score:
While I'm not surprised that the frozen and restaurant versions weren't the same, I was surprised with the outcome.  The frozen version was SO much better.  Noodles weren't overdone, the sauce was better and was actually eaten.  I went in hoping for a 'fresh' version of what I got from the freezer aisle and I was sorely disappointed.  I gave up on the restaurant side quickly because it really wasn't very good and having now seen the nutritional information, I'm glad that I did.  Boston Market is a rare fast food place that has a much different atmosphere than most other chains (while Chipotle and McDonalds and Taco Bell have really stepped up their dining room game) and they've gone to lengths to try and be a better/healthier place by not having salt on the tables, it's easy to see why.  The side dish alone would have been close to 40% of my sodium intake if I had polished it off. 

Nutritional Information:
**Taken from the Boston Market nutritional guide found online**
Serving Size ~1 cup (210g)
Servings Per Container ???

Calories 280
Calories From Fat 100
Total Fat 11g
Saturated Fat 7g
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 30mg
Sodium 1050mg
Total Carbohydrates 33g
Dietary Fiber 2g 
Sugars 5g
Protein 10g