on friday night, after years of research and a complex series of highly scientific tests, i discovered the Best Mac ‘N’ Cheese in austin.
before i unveil my discovery, let’s just take a minute to appreciate mac ‘n’ cheese for what it is: FOOD OF THE GODS. otherwise known as MANNA. otherwise known as I COULD EAT THIS EVERY DAY AND NEVER GET TIRED OF IT COS IT IS SO TASTY.
according to my impressive research, i.e. the internet, mac ‘n’ cheese is “america’s favorite comfort food.” you know, americans aren’t always the smartest people on the planet, but i have to say, they are right on the money with this one. what could be MORE comforting than filling yr tummy with rich, creamy, cheesy noodles shaped like elbows?!! when i eat mac ‘n’ cheese, i feel that All Is Right With The World. and then i want to take a nap, cos i’m so carbtastic.
since i believe in education, here’s a little history of mac ‘n’ cheese, care of my impeccable sources.
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Some believe the dish was created by founding father Thomas Jefferson, known for his great interest in food, and in a 1996 “Restaurants & Institutions” article, Barbara Bell Matuszewski wrote that Jefferson served the dish in the White House in 1802. However, noted food historian Karen Hess claims Jefferson did not invent the dish, though he did return from a trip to Paris with a macaroni mold.
According to John Mariani, author of “The Dictionary of American Food and Drink,” macaroni and cheese was first made in the nineteenth century, but it took on a even greater popularity when Kraft Foods introduced the Kraft Dinner (macaroni and cheese) in 1937. According to a company spokesperson, Kraft now sells more than one million boxes of the dinners every day! The Kraft dinners are so popular, in fact, that children and some adults have been known to turn up their noses when offered a rich and delicious homemade version.
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wow, i always knew thomas jefferson (or, as we affectionately called him in high school, “thomas j.”) was smart, but now he has ascended to the GENIUS LEVEL. i mean, i realize that he helped give us liberty and the need for revolution to water the tree or whatever, but HE BROUGHT US MAC ‘N’ CHEESE. FROM FRANCE (merci to the max, french pants!!). i can’t think of a greater mark to leave upon our fair country, a legacy more magnificent than enlightening our culinary minds to the presence of such TASTY GREATNESS.
so yeah, as the “article” mentioned, most people meet mac ‘n’ cheese for the first time via the kraft box.
i am certainly no stranger to this cheerful blue box, as it most certainly brightened our family dinner table on many occasions, not to mention buoyed my stomach after countless less than satisfactory college dining experiences.
however
i cannot believe that this statement is true:
“The Kraft dinners are so popular, in fact, that children and some adults have been known to turn up their noses when offered a rich and delicious homemade version.”
ok, WRONG. that is so, so wrong. WHO are these people turning their noises up at homemade mac ‘n’ cheese?!!! SHOW THEM TO ME. show them to me, that i might open their eyes to the glories, the deliciousness of mac ‘n’ cheese made without orange, powdery cheese.
i mean, we don’t have to go anywhere fancy. the first step in cultivating yr mac ‘n’ cheese palate is simply a visit to luby’s.
granted, luby’s isn’t gourmet. but the richness and tastiness of their pale yellow mac ‘n’ cheese has not wavered for 28 years (assuming i tried some when i was one, which is possible). in fact, even after sampling some of the finest mac ‘n’ cheese the world has to offer, i still love hitting up luby’s for a luann platter with a heaping bowl of cheesy goodness.
however, luby’s is only the first step for mac ‘n’ cheese appreciation. once you’ve tried this dish with bread crumbs, or exotic cheeses, or truffles, you’re destined to become an addict. you’ll find yrself scanning the menu at a new restaurant, desperately searching for “mac ‘n’ cheese,” asking the waiter if they’ve ever thought about adding it to the menu because it IS america’s favorite comfort food, AFTER ALL.
anyway
back to my scientific conclusions
so i’ve tried a lot of mac ‘n’ cheese in austin. like i said, luby’s is a good stand-by, and so is hoover’s (talk about comfort food!). i also really really love the mac ‘n’ cheese at moonshine, and of course, there’s the alamo drafthouse version (WE ALL KNOW WHERE THAT CAME FROM).
friday night, henri proposed that we do a Tour De Mac ‘N’ Cheese, which would consist of trying the dish at the wink bar, at lambert’s and then at parkside (where we already knew it would be yummy). this is pretty much the best idea I HAD EVER HEARD, so i willingly agreed.
first stop: wink bar
you guys, just look at this mac ‘n’ cheese. LOOK AT IT.
i have to say, it was really hard to take that picture (with sadie no less) cos the closer i got to the dish, the more i wanted to just smash my face into all of that cheese. and NOTE THE PRESENCE OF TRUFFLES.
verdict: the breadcrumbs added just the right amount of crunchiness, while the creamy sauce was luxuriously rich and strong (no bland cheese here). the noodles are slightly longer than regular elbow macaroni, which i found incredibly satisfying. plus, truffles = POSH. i was supposed to split this with henri, but i found myself trying to eat really fast so i could have more of it. next time, i am sooo getting my own and i’m NOT sharing. SIMPLY DIVINE.
another plus about the wink bar, if you go for mac ‘n’ cheese, is that they have DELICIOUS sliders with BRIE!! BRIE I SAID!!
does that look like the perfect way to spend an evening or what?
next on the list was lambert’s which turned out to be super crowded, with a wait time of an hour and a half. uh, i’m sorry, but i was on a v. vital scientific mission! TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE.
so henri and i ducked into cru, this kinda cheesy (HAR) wine bar on second street, which does not serve mac ‘n’ cheese but DOES offer a lovely fondue with truffle oil. if you’re ever in a bind, it’s a pretty good substitute.
(sorry the picture is so dark. i totally forgot flossie, so sadie took one for the team).
next up was parkside, where i knew the mac ‘n’ cheese would NOT disappoint.
verdict: first of all, it comes in a super cute pot with a little top! yay! as for the taste, there’s a subtle blend of interesting cheeses that you don’t normally find in mac ‘n’ cheese (of course, i don’t remember what they’re called). it’s creamy, and the bread crumbs are light and crispy, so it never tastes dry. DELICIOUS!
it was a night of exhaustive research, but in the end, my conclusion was clear. even though i could eat at parkside every night of the week and never get bored (did someone say donut holes?), the best mac ‘n’ cheese in austin can be found at WINK!
i know you guys are RELIEVED to finally know the scientific truth, but you don’t need to thank me. instead, go out tonight and eat some mac ‘n’ cheese, or even just whip up a box of kraft at home, and before you sit down, say a silent prayer of thanks to thomas j., the Father of America’s Comfort Food.
gah, gotta go… the nobel prize committee just won’t stop calling me!
LINKS
did you guys know that yogurt is the perfect food for women? IT IS. i love eating yogurt in my gray hoodie or when i’m at a wedding. if you don’t know what i’m talking about, please watch this hilarious video.
hey guys, wanna go fishing… in my basement… in NYC?
i know it’s a little early to talk xmas but PLEASE SANTA BRING ME A LISA FRANK T-SHIRT. PRETTY PLEASE with rainbows and purple ponies and pink hearts on top!!!!!
Sarah, as many moments throughout the course of our friendship that we’ve spent jumping up and down, clasping each other’s hands and squealing, “OMG, you too? ME TOO!”, I think my favorite was when we went to the Bellagio buffet and proceeded to get THREE heaping helpings of the fantastic mac and cheese there. And as Matt yelled at us for not keeping our eye on the prize (the prize being, as always with Matt, getting the most for our money), “GUYS, THERE ARE CRAB LEGS HERE. DID YOU SEE THE KOBE BEEF? WHY ARE YOU FILLING UP ON MAC AND CHEESE?”, we were both like, “This is the best mac and cheese ever, which makes it the most important item on the buffet.” It’s totally my favorite comfort food, America. Drizzle a little truffle oil on top and droooooool.
I almost died when Sarah told me about your brilliant idea on Friday, Henri. GENIUS. Now I must drag myself to Wink ASAP and get some of that tasty tasty business.
WRONG! LIES! HERESY!
The best mac and cheese is at Parkside. The best long macaroni-like noodles baked in an Alfredo sauce and covered with bread crumbs is at Wink, and true, it is highly edible. But it’s not even the fact that it isn’t mac and cheese that makes it the runner up at best. It’s that Alfredo sauce is no where near as nuanced and flavorful as a good mix of cheese, and that’s what Parkside has and Wink does not.
Incidentally, Parkside wins in the beef category, too. For while Wink’s burgers are good, the meat in them is only so-so, and there primarily to play back up to brie and onions. Not a bad call, but the beef tartar at Parkside? That dish = win. Every time.
The other way Parkside wins? Service. Wink is full of snooty jerkfaces who won’t talk to you unless you’re an over 40 regular who comes in there every night. Parkside’s staff is full of real people who are awesome and make you feel like you’re their friend that comes in every night even when you’ve never been in before.
In conclusion, while I will still go to the Wink wine bar occasionally, and I will enjoy every trip there, I would move in to Parkside and live there forever and ever.
Or, to put it another way, Parkside is Justin Timberlake. Wink is that goober from Felicity. You can prefer him if you’re looking to end up with a no talent waste of life with no career, but Justin will stomp-stomp-swish him under the table EVERY TIME.
Also, speaking of truffle oil, I just have to quote The Great Eminent and Sage Food Junkie Sarah Pitre in saying, “You can put truffle oil on paper towels and I’ll eat it.”
i’ve never had wink’s mac n cheese, which looks wonderful. but i think you ought to try lambert’s before you officially issue your verdict, because it is definitely, as you say, tasty business.
Sarah, I commend this scientific study! Finally, FINALLY I SAY, someone has the courage, the passion, the intestinal fortitude to take on a study of this kind. Can I please be eating all your primary sources?
I have to say, there are times when nothing will soothe my black heart but some good ole’ radioactive Kraft (I had some yesterday!). Its bright orange glow brings life to my tired countenance and its ease of use is a balm to my weary hands. That said, Kraft over mac ‘n cheese with truffle oil??? Please, America, I know it can be hard sometimes, but let’s be civilized!
In other news, I could really go for some yogurt right about now. But only if it’s this-is-the-reason-i-have-tifaux-so-that-i-can-avoid-these-commercials good.
First off, this new schedule is REALLY confusing me.
Secondly, I need to eat at Wink. Like, soon. Like maybe, tomorrow soon.
I have a baked potato standing by for tonight.
while all of my friends were getting hundreds of dollars for their grades in elementary school, my sister and i were treated to dinner at any restaurant in town. inevitably, we always ended up at luby’s - so that i could eat mac and cheese. lots of it.
I am going to echo Jessica and insist you try Lambert’s mac n’ cheese. I can also highly recommend the mac n’ cheese from Galaxy Cafe. Both are reputable establishments of cheesey-goodness. You will not be disappointed.
Truffles and all that is just way too posh for me… Give me my blue box any day.
Sarah, do you remember Semolinas over by the mall? They used to have Macaroni and Cheese Cake, which was a wedge of baked Mac and Cheese. It was so yummy!
You may have addressed this at some point in time, given your fondness for M&C, but have you tried the ladie’s M&C who Oprah rated as the best in the world? She’s from Philly and the recipe for it is online.
I saw a Food Network show called “Throwdown with Bobby Flay” where he goes to people who are famous for a dish and challenges them to see if he can make the same thing better. He challenged the M&C lady from Philly and won the taste test. His M&C recipe is on the Food Network Site, too.
I’ve never tried either of the recipes, but I really enjoy it, so if anyone’s tried either of these, (or if you have) I’d like to know how they stack up to the restaurants you’ve rated.
talena, HOW I COULD I FORGET MACARONI AND CHEESECAKE?!! it was perfection. did you know semolina’s is still (i think) around in louisiana? why do they hate texas?!!
randy, wow. those recipes look amazing. i am totally going to try them and make a blog about it in the near future. hmm. if only wordpress had a “scratch ‘n’ sniff” or BETTER “scratch ‘n’ taste” function.
Wow, this is making me hungry. mac and cheese is awesome. Sarah, have you ever tried Plucker’s fried mac and cheese? I never have…but it sounds so nuts.
I am going to have to try Parkside soon! Yummmy…
I looked up that lady’s recipe. http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,1977,FOOD_9936_36279,00.html
It looks major!! As in major heart attack…it calls for two sticks of butter ;)….but it sure does sound deeelish.
Would I have my commenting privilege revoked if I pointed out that “most truffle oils are not, in fact, made from actual truffles, but are instead a synthetic product that combines aromatic hydrocarbons (2,4-dithiapentane), one of numerous organic aromatics found in real truffles with an olive oil base”?
I wouldn’t know this from experience (I’m not sure if I’ve ever had truffle oil or salt, much less actual truffles), but my company recently published a book about truffles
I’m partial to the Chipotle Mac and Cheese at 219 West (is that the name of it? too-yuppie-to-be-believed place on a corner on 4th). Anyway, the mac’n'cheese is made with long curly tube pasta and has a creamy, cheesy cheddar sauce and a nice kick from the chipotle. Mmmmm.
Must try Wink now. And Parkside. And evidently, Lambert’s (my hair stylist tells me that Lambert’s has excellent brunch. like mac’n'cheese, it’s another food category I don’t get enough of.)
Wow, Again props to Henri for planning a great evening. I have not had Wink’s mac and cheese, but I can give an AMAZING referal for Parkside’s mac and cheese. It is OUTSTANDING!!! So delicious and it is a lovely place where there is never a line and the donut holes are always hot. Beware they are very protective of their menus…
I remember when I was a teenager and mac and cheese was one of the 3 things I ate..I was picky. I will always have a special place in my heart for that blue box. Particularly the shells, there is something so wonderful about a little extra cheese getting stuck in the shell. Yumm…must go to store and buy mac and cheese.
I vote parkside as best mac and cheese in town!!
I heart Mac and Cheese. I just have to know, have you tried CiCi’s pizza’s Mac and Cheese pizza? It’s pretty good. And the fried mac and cheese at Cheesecake Factory is amazing. And probably deadly.
I can only read this very quickly because I am already starving for cheese and I’m at work, and a cruel 2 hours away from lunch. But it sounds delicious. I miss America for mac and cheese as well. The reasons are piling up!
or maybe you can send me your fav recipe (hopefully it includes only real foods and not american foods like velveeta)?
TODD. PLEASE DO NOT FILL UP MY BLOG WITH YR BLASPHEMOUS LIES. i don’t want to hear about chemicals! i want to be just like the rest of america and live in blissful ignorance!!
moody, i’m sorry, but even though i would do almost anything for good mac ‘n’ cheese, i refuse to go to cici’s.
obligatory preface so you don’t think i’m a creepy internet lurker: i read your blog from time to time, but never comment.
anyways, i am a huuuuge lover of mac and cheese as well, and was wondering if you’ve tried it at Z Tejas, because it is AMAZING.
I have the worlds best Mac N Cheese recipie, really . . .
Will share it if your promise to actually make it and not leave ANYTHING OUT !!!
“Queen” Esther Horton’s Macaroni and Cheese
Submitted by Esther Horton of Antioch
1 1-pound bag medium macaroni
1 ½ sticks butter (3/4cup)
8 ounces cream cheese (Horton likes Philadelphia brand)
8 ounces sour cream
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (Horton prefers Pet brand)
2 8-ounce bags shredded jack and cheddar combo
2 8-ounce bags shredded sharp cheddar
3 eggs
Lawry’s seasoned salt, to taste
Garlic salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Boil macaroni according to package instructions and drain. While the macaroni boils, melt the cream cheese in the microwave, or over medium low heat on the stove, until creamy and almost pourable. While macaroni is hot, add butter, sour cream, melted cream cheese and eggs, stirring well to combine. Then add the cheeses (reserve 1 cup to sprinkle on top), alternating with the milk, stirring until creamy. Pour the macaroni mixture into a greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish and sprinkle the reserved cheese on top. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for approximately 1 hour, or until golden brown. During the last 15 minutes of baking, remove the foil to help the casserole brown. You may need to turn the oven temperature down to prevent burning.
Serves 10, generously.
Per serving:843 Calories; 60g Fat (64.4 percent calories from fat); 35g Protein; 40g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 230mg Cholesterol; 990mg Sodium.
I have made this according to the recipie above more than once, and it is like eating manna from heaven . . . only better !
Want some more recipies? I have the winners from the East Bay ANG Newspapers Mac N Cheese recipie contest in 2007 . . . This was MY WINNER !
I haven’t tried the M&C at Wink, Lambert’s, or Parkside. I will have to check out all three. I love the green chile M&C at the Alamo on South Lamar and I don’t know where it’s from.
Also, I love the mac and cheese at Pluckers. They make fried mac and cheese that is delicious too.