7 Different Ways To Eat Mac & Cheese
Mac & cheese can come in many forms and variations other than a bright blue box. These mac & cheese options below take a new spin on the classic.
1) Quack Mac
The mac & cheese bar at Perennial is a foodie's delight. My personal favorite is the Quack Mac. Quack Mac, is made with smoked gouda, duck confit and apple. The only problem with the mac & cheese at Perennial is that there isn't enough in the tiny bowl! If you're really in a mac & cheese mood, try their Taste Menu.
Pick 3 taste size portions of the options below:
- My girlfriend's vegan mac, brown rice pasta
- The standard mac, 3 cheeses, edamame
- The quack mac, smoked gouda, duck confit, apple
- Carbonara mac, guanciale, red onion, quail egg yolk
Perennial
1800 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(312) 981-7070
www.perennialchicago.com
Directory information and reviews
2) Mac & Cheese Pizza
Why eat your mac & cheese in a bowl when you can eat it on a pizza? Take two of the best foods on the planet (mac & cheese and pizza), combine them together, and out comes a slice of Ian's Mac & Cheese pizza. This is truly a mac & cheese masterpiece.
Ian's Pizza
3463 N Clark St.
Chicago, IL 60657
(773) 525-4580
www.ianspizza.com
Directory information and reviews
3) Mac & Cheese Truck
The Southern Mac & Cheese Truck
Coming to a Chicago street near you
www.thesouthernmac.com
Just when you thought there wasn't a non-traditional mac & cheese joint close enough to you -- The Southern's Mac & Cheese Mobile Truck, comes barreling into your neighborhood. Yes, it's really happening. Mac & cheese is hitting a street near you. The Southern's executive chef Cary Tay, prepares a variety of different macs weekly, and tweets the trucks whereabouts throughout the city. Follow the Southern Mac & Cheese Truck on Twitter @thesouthernmac to stay up to date.
Sample mac & cheese varieties include:
- Cheddar cheese with grilled Vienna Beef franks
- Pulled chicken blue cheese and buffalo sauce
- Smoked gouda, apple and walnuts
- Sundried tomatoes and caramelized onions
Check the website weekly for updated menu options.
The Southern Restaurant
1840 West North Avenue
Chicago, IL 60622
www.thesouthernchicago.com
Directory information and reviews
4) Build Your Own
If you've ever dreamed of putting your own favorites in mac & cheese, dreams do come true. The Build Your Own Mac & Cheese at Lockdown Bar & Grill, offers mac & cheese with your choice of two items: Bacon, caramelized onions, carnets, cherry tomato, chorizo, gorgonzola, green onion.
Lockdown Bar & Grill
1024 N Western Ave
Chicago, IL 60622
(773) 687-8565
www.lockdownbar.com
Directory information and reviews
5) Lobster Mac & Cheese
For a seafood twist to mac & cheese, look no further than the Capital Grille. Lobster mac & cheese is baked campanelle pasta and fresh lobster meat, tossed in a mascarpone, havarti and grana padano cream sauce, topped with panko bread crumbs and grated white cheddar.
The Capital Grille
633 North St. Clair Street
Chicago, IL
(312) 337-9400
www.thecapitalgrille.com
Directory information and reviews
6) Truffled Mac & Cheese
The truffled mac at Smith & Wollensky is a more refined take on the traditional dish. Served as a side for two, this generous portion of truffled mac & cheese is topped with crunch and filled with gooey, smoky flavor. For mac & cheese with a view, make sure you sit by a window. The views on the Chicago River can't be beat.
Smith & Wollensky
318 North State Street
Chicago, IL 60610
(312) 670-9900
www.smithandwollensky.com
Directory information and reviews
7) Macaroni & Cheese Spaghetti Salad
Macaroni & Cheese Spaghetti Salad at Pearl's Place is a delicious throwback to a good old fashioned summer BBQ. This side combines the best of two worlds; mac & cheese and pasta salad. The cool, creamy mac & cheese is a lighter (in taste - not calories, unfortunately) alternative to the traditional mac.
Pearl's Place
3901 S Michigan Ave
Chicago, IL 60653
(773) 285-1700
facebook.com/pages/Pearls-Place-Restaurant
Directory information and reviews
--Lauren Wulf, CBS Local Chicago