Grooveshark Mel's Mac N Cheese Roux

You may or may not know that one of my three day jobs requires me to work in the offices of Grooveshark.com. I'm there relatively often mostly because they have a team of Chefs working to cook 3 meals a day for us nerds. The food is generally delicious and occasionally cooked to order. Melissa (one of the chefs) made us some mac n cheese last week without knowing what she was getting into. She will probably read this but that won't hinder my honesty.

As most of you know by now, I love Mac N Cheese so I instinctively lean towards positive reviews. You really have to mess up the experience to get burned here. That being said, my goal here is to help people identify the characteristics that they love in Mac N Cheese and choose their meals based on that. There is surprisingly little critical literature on the subject and if I can add even a little bit to the discourse then I can rest easy.

Melissa's Mac N Cheese was a roux which I guess most Mac N Cheese is. A roux is a reduction that I believe (if I am not mistaken) uses butter and flour as the base. Go on, you say? I imagine the cheese to have been garden variety supermarket bought block or shredded (not an indictment of quality). It had a hint of black pepper but I could taste any other distinguishable seasoning. The pepper was enough. Not too salty. In fact I didn't taste any additional salt at all. It didn't sit like an average MNC. It was lobbed on top of standard elbow fare and the diner was tasked with mixing it in. Presented in a Dixie brand paper bowl and served with a plastic spoon, which is perfectly acceptable for MNC.

I can't say that I was dissatisfied with the dish. It was different than any I have ever had but not unwelcome. 4 Stars on level of Cheesiness.  I hope she makes it again (today).

Oh. I accidentally took video instead of pics of the "before".

Ted Turner's Montana Cheese Pit

Generally speaking, "home-style" mac-n-cheese always outranks your average chain so i was excited for my first visit to TTMG. I came upon Ted Turner's Montana Grill in Tallahassee, FL the day after a gig expecting a juicy Bison Burger and a heaping side of Baked mac-n-cheese but I was displeased to see that the only mac-n-cheese they served was on the kids menu (already a bad sign). Priced at $5 for kids with a $2 up-charge for kids over 13, (In case you're wondering, that demographic includes me) I expected a dish nothing short of revolutionary. What I got was Velveeta.

Ted, buyback CNN and get them on the right path because you have no future in Mac-N-Cheese.

'Uber Mac 'N Cheese' from BriarPatch

Warning: The Uber Mac 'N Cheese is NOT for lightweights.

If this were an average foodie blog I would complain about service, seating and just general mismanagement of Briar Patch in Winter Park, FL. But it's not. Here at Mac 'N Cheese Review we only care about one thing... CHEEEEEEESE. If you want a great dining experience read something else. If you want the LD on the creamy-eemy, then you've come to the right place. Now on to our current reining champion.

The Briar Patch "Uber Mac 'N Cheese"

The casual Mac 'N Cheese eater will scoff at the heavy cheese flavor and strong smell but the Uber Mac 'N Cheese is #1 in my book. A traditional elbow pasta drenched in a low-viscossity melt, the body cheese is strong and tart. There is definitely age to it although I can't identify the exact flavor. It's most certainly a mix NOT containing cheddar--more likely provolone, asiago and a cream base. Briar Patch tops off this decadent dish with twice-baked bread crumbs. I sense that there is a head melt of parmeasean. If you consider yourself a conesour of Mac 'N Cheese, Briar Patch in Winter Park, Florida is a MUST visit. I'm new to this review thing so i forgot to get the price. I'll get better. Proms!

[rating:4.5]

Charlie's Truffle Mac Brings the Heat

Most of my reviews are glowing. that's probably because I have an insatiable taste for macaroni and cheese so I tend to lean towards liking it. I'm trying to break the habit so I can be a reliable reviewer. That being said, I do eat some mac n cheese that I don't like but I'm not inspired to review it. Charlie's Truffle Mac N Cheese at Street Car Charlie's in Ybor (Tampa, FL) does not fall into that category. I visit Ybor regularly but only recently found out that Charlie's had an exquisite Mac 'N Cheese. This is the second time I've had it and I have to admit that it wasn't as good as the first but it still lands itself on the Top 10 so far.

The Truffle Mac 'N Cheese is considered a "specialty appetizer" which means that it's not always offered but I've never had a problem getting it. It's served in a ceramic boat, piping hot. The main "body" cheese is very light and at first glance, watered down. As it cooled the cheese thickened. There is definitely more than a hint of "savory" obviously brought by the truffles. Unlike most baked Mac 'N Cheeses, the crispy top was not just bread crumbs. the topping was a tangy blend of heavier cheeses. probably parmesan or asiago. It was baked golden on the top. The portion size was average. Overall, I'd say that Street Car Charlie's Truffle Mac 'N Cheese is a thumbs up and pending an improvement in the consistency of the product I would call it a must have in Florida.