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



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