An Homage To Mac And Cheese

I have already professed my obsession for pizza in this blog and now I move onto my other great love - mac and cheese.  If it's on the menu, I will be tempted by it and usually wind up ordering the thing with a green salad on the side to cut some of the richness.  In NYC, there are hundreds of places to indulge in this comfort food, and I have not tried a lot of them, but I have compiled my own list of favorites.

Most Cheesy @ Ditch Plains - I waited an hour at the bar on a Friday night with 'Cuse and Commack to get a table.  While the guys drank beers, I got a bloody mary to quell my hunger, snacking on the olive and celery garnishes.  While at the bar, 'Cuse went on some rant about not being able to get laid in Vegas by his own girlfriend - yikes.  The Ditch Plains concoction resembles french onion soup on first glance, with a crunchy but gooey gruyere crust on top.  Once you break through, it's creamy gruyere, american and parmesan blended together - pure heaven.

(Ditch Plains)

Most Sophisticated @ Artisanal - My favorite brunch spot for out of town guests, since it's great and around the corner from my apartment.  I remember meeting Stamps here for lunch on a day off, recovering from my latest bout of jet lag.  It's not called mac and cheese at this French bistro, but Macaroni Gratin, which is a blend of gruyere, parmesan and marscapone topped with a crunchy bread crumb crust.  I was on a serious serotonin high after the carb fest - so happy that I followed up my feast with a two hour nap.

Best Delivery @ Maxie's Grill - It's yummy and comes in a tray ready to be reheated - plus it's cheap at $6.99!!!

Best Cafeteria Style @ City Bakery - Take out time!  This mac and cheese comes in a huge tray out of which a square can be cut out, as big or small as you would like.  They weigh it, heat it and then it's ready to eat!  The sauce is drier than my other favorites, with the standard blend of gruyere, cheddar and parmesan, but it never disappoints.  This place is very close to my yoga studio and sometimes I just have to undo all the good from 75 minutes of downward facing dogs and sun salutations with a slab of this stuff.

(Side at Stand Burger - a not-so-rich but still good mac and cheese)

Best Steakhouse @ Primehouse - Had it once and was one of the yummiest things ever.  Baked and crunchy.  I must go back since I can't remember the exact details of this one.

Other places to kill a vicious mac and cheese craving?  Cafeteria (get the sampler with the original with cheddar and fontina, one with smoked gouda and one with truffle oil), Delicatessen (appetizer sized with cheddar, american and swiss) and the heat and eat mac and cheese from Whole Foods is yummy.

The bad?  Check out this train wreck from Au Bon Pain that I ate at my desk this week for lunch.  Soupy and oddly smooth, though it reminded me of some cheesy Lipton's noodles and sauce thing I used to buy in undergrad, when I wanted a break from my Kraft Dinner.

(Au Bon Pain - never again)