User's Guide

City Mac ‘n Cheese Disappoints and Delights

Are we surrounded by sub-par mac ‘n cheese? Times staffer Betty Hallock writes on KQAD what we’ve been thinking: mac ‘n cheese is trumpeted by many restaurants that rarely satisfy our nostalgia for the comfort food, nor our taste buds. The version dubbed “Killer” by Tart uses processed Velveeta; while the dish claimed as “Famous” at The Belmont piles on crab, bacon, scallions, smoked gouda, and mozzarella. Upscale restaurants are also constantly surprising us with tasteless, watery versions of something our Moms could whip up during cartoon commercial breaks. When fiending for the familiar, we’ve tasted success along L.A.’s Southern bloodlines at Zeke’s Smokehouse in Hollywood, Aunt Kizzy’s out west, Spring Street Smokehouse, Baby Blues BBQ, and even Roscoe’s. We’ve also loved the dressed-up versions at Boa and Nook, plus Fred 62’s jalapeno mac, and the sinful gorgonzola mac at Musso and Frank’s, and have recently been urged to try the truffle oil mac at Simon L.A. and Taste, and a promising plate at Downtown’s new Cork Bar. And we’ve only just discovered Paddy Mac’s, which specializes in the stuff for takeout and delivery. Mac ‘n Cheese certainly takes up a lot of our menu space these days, so who do you think lays down the city’s best mac?

When bad Mac Happens to Good People [KQAD]

City Mac ‘n Cheese Disappoints and Delights