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| RER 4.24.13 |
macbar is a tiny tiny food spot in
the area of Manhattan known as NoLIta (north of Little Italy and
just east of Soho). There are a lot of
fun bars, lounges and eateries around there, and macbar’s small size almost
blends into the landscape, but the big flavors and color set it apart.
macbar is so cute. It’s small and to the point— mac&cheese.
From the bright yellow color of the walls to the curved shape of the eatery,
it’s a mac attack, in a very sweet, quirky and creative way (not the aggressive
way that attack generally connotes). Even the to-go containers are fun yellow
noodles, great mementos from the
home of mac and cheese.
But macbar isn’t about your typical macaroni and cheese.
They offer something cheesey and delicious, but also innovative and unique.
Their menu is comprised of 12 different varieties of the comfort food, ranging
from the classic to mac quack, all coming in three different sizes (small,
medium and large). Macbar starts out with the concept of macaroni and cheese,
but adds elements of excitement like, different kinds of cheeses, or chicken
and spices, or ground beef, or lobster and cognac, or even tomatoes and basil.
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| RER 4.24.13 |
Of course I tried the mac reuben, because I can not resist
any thing reuben, especially with corned beef. I was excited to see what they
would come up with, morphing the popular diner and deli sandwich into a creamy,
cheesy dish. There was a heavy foundation of cheese and elbow noodles,
mixed with stringy strands of corned beef and sauerkraut, topped by a hefty layer of more
swiss cheese. Rye bread crumbs and cubes of pickles dotted the cheese. And to
top it off was a smattering of thousand island dressing.
Oh boy. It was a lot (and I even got a small). It was rich
from the baked swiss and the other creamy cheeses, but that heavy crisscross of
the thousand island was far too much. I would have liked it much better had
there been less. There was also hardly any trace of corned beef. I love the
saltiness and texture of corned beef, but it was lost in the sea of the other
elements, drowning in noodles. This was similar to the miniscule amount of
ground beef in the cheeseburger mac my friend ordered that night. The
sauerkraut, another one of my favorite parts of the classic reuben sandwich, was
not perceptible at all. There were no hints of tangy tartness, which I think would have
helped to cut the richness of the mac dish. I really enjoyed the addition of
the tart pickles and the crisp rye croutons. They added great variety of
texture to liven up the abundance of slimy noodles and cheese; the pickles,
pucker and the bread, crunch.
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| RER 4.24.13 |
Overall, despite my friend’s love for the place and my
general admiration of mac&cheese, I am not sure I need to go again. It
was too heavy, too rich, too cheesy, and just too much. The concept is fun and
creative, mixing some of our favorite comfort foods with the king of
comfort, mac and cheese. Skimping on the meats and some of the add-ins
definitely does emphasize the macaroni and cheese, but it also can lead to minor
disappointment.
However, I do see many more mac and cheese adventures in my
foodie future. My friend, the creator of
JE’s Mac & Cheese Challenge, has
recruited me to come with her to some restaurants that feature the infamous
macaroni and cheese. So stay tuned for oodles of noodles and mountains of
cheese. Also, if you have great mac and cheese places you think we should check out
for her challenge
email me or leave some food for thought…. Mmm mac&cheese.
RER
4.26.13
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| RER 4.24.13 |
