The GB Mac and Cheese Crawl
Today my eating partner and I set forth to determine the impossible; we ventured through the city to find Chicago’s best macaroni and cheese. As my arteries are only so wide, we tested just three locations. I acknowledge that there are more locations to add into the mix, but I really believe that the restaurants below should be included when grouping the best mac in the city.
Contenders: Cafe Selmarie, Stanley’s and Handlebar
Winner of GB Mac and Cheese Crawl: Handlebar
(Smoked Gouda Mac ‘n Cheese)
Location: 2311 W. North Avenue (North and Western)
Cost: $3.50 (side dish price)
Positives:
- Simplicity: In this case, less is most definitely more. Just macaroni covered with a gouda cream sauce. No breadcrumbs, no baked cheese, just the basics. This dish tasted truly homemade, helping to reiterate the fact that mac and cheese is the epitome of comfort food.
- Cheese: Smoked gouda’s taste is distinct without being overpowering. Handlebar’s gouda sauce resembles an alfredo sauce. Believe it or not, going this route makes the dish feel lighter and fresher than baking the macaroni with cheese.
Negatives:
- Size: It’s a side dish, not a main. I wanted more. It gave me so much love.
Second Place: Cafe Selmarie
4729 N. Lincoln (Lincoln and Lawrence)
(Macaroni and Cheese)
Cost: $9.25 (entree size)
Positives:
- Complexity of Taste: So this dish uses six cheeses (gruyere, swiss, white cheddar, queso rico, pecorino romano and bleu). You can detect each of those cheese while you’re working your way through the dish. Additionally, they put leeks in. It’s more subtle than an onion, but still provides added flavor.
- Texture: Selmarie bakes bread crumbs on top of each serving, which provides the right amount of crunch. The cheese does that thing where because the cheese is warm, it’s stringy between your mouth and the plate (this is a good thing, think “Cheese-y, Cheese-y from those old Little Caeser ads).
Negatives:
- Bottom of the Dish: The big issue was that there was a milky oil liquid at the bottom of the dish. I understand that’s a by-product of the cheese, but it was kind of gross.
Loser: Stanley’s Kitchen and Tap
(Toasted Macaroni & Cheese)
1970 N. Lincoln (Lincoln and Armitage)
Cost: $8.95 (entree size includes 1 side)
Positives:
- Portion: It’s big. Like really big.
- Side Dish: The entree comes with a side. As we were at Stanley’s, we chose their famous tater tots and were not disappointed.
Negatives:
- Oil: There’s a whole lot of oil in this dish. When you have macaroni and cheese, you expect your cholesterol to rise a bit, but Stanley’s take on mac and cheese could send you to the ER. The level of oil and grease made the dish almost unappetizing to me. I bet this dish could cure a hangover in seconds.
- Bland: They use just one cheese, cheddar (granted there’s a whole lot of cheddar in the dish). Compared to the cheese profile at Selmarie and Handlebar, the taste was a bit pedestrian.
Kuma’s Corner
Location – 2900 W. Belmont (Belmont and Francisco)
www.kumas-corner.com
In one word – Accoutrement
Food – I had only heard fanatical raves about KC, so I needed to check it out myself. It’s a burger joint, you receive a menu with a page full of different burger options. Unlike Epic Burger, vegetarians are welcome here. You can get any burger option with a beef patty, chicken breast, portabella mushroom patty or chicken tenders. Also, they use pretzel bread buns (which I LOVE!). I was a bit overwhelmed by the options, so I went with my server’s recommendation (all the menu options have a rock theme), the Lair of the Minotaur – Beef patty with caramelized onions, pancetta, brie and bourbon soaked pears. This is apparently a shout-out to the May Street Market burger. One of my eating partners went big and chose the Bongzilla burger – Beef patty with a sausage on top of it (I’m not kidding). My other eating partner took the Motorhead Burger – Portabella burger with goat cheese, Kalamata olives, oregano, tzatziki, onion and tomato. Overall, don’t get me wrong, the dishes were all good. However, it was all about the accoutrement and less about the actual burger. Please don’t read this as a criticism, it’s meant to be an observation. Here’s a little advice, you have the options of choosing chips or fries with your meal. Choose the fries, the chips are super dry.
Drink – They have a healthy selection of beers to choose from. I saw SKA beer, my new favorite Durango, CO brewery, on the list and stuck with that. One of my eating partners chose a beer only to find out that it was raspberry flavored (which was not noted on the menu).
Service – So I was expecting to wait at least 30 minutes for a table for three. However, perhaps by going to KC on a Tuesday night, we found the golden ticket to “no line, no wait.” Plus, we lucked out and got a table in the back outdoor patio (it’s much quieter back there compared to the actual restaurant). When we got to our table, our server sat down with us. She definitely had spunk, one of those girls who starts talking to you as if you’ve been sarcastic friends for years. She had that balance of jadedness without being unpleasant. It’s a winning combination. Every table in her section seemed like they had created a friendship with her when they finished the meal. KC won me over when the manager (at least I think he’s the manager) came around to make sure that the food was satisfactory.
Scene – KC has this heavy metal biker theme. Don’t let that intimidate you. While the ladies room is wallpapered with illustrations of scantily clad ladies, the clientele is diverse and respectable.
Dress – I would wear something that feels comfortable to you. Everyone at the restaurant is so distinct, there isn’t a real dress code.
Cost – For a burger and two beers, I paid $24. For the caliber of the food, I felt like this was affordable.
If you like, try…Epic Burger, Twisted Spoke
Angels and Mariachis
Location – 1721 W. Division (Division and Hermitage)
http://www.angelschicago.com/
In one word – Michelada
Food – The way the owners describe their place a “taco bar and rock cantina” is amazingly accurate. My eating partner and I stopped here for a late night bite. I sampled the tacos al pastor (pork). My dish was a platter full of pork with grilled vegetables. On the side I was given tortillas to make tacos (each order gives you 3-4 tacos). The food was fine, but nothing to get particularly excited about. I don’t think I would come here for a full dinner again. Instead, I might grab an fail-safe appetizer like nachos or guacamole.
Drink – So my eating partner told me about this drink called a Michelada. Maybe you’re more drink saavy than I, but this was my first foray into this beer cocktail. It feels like you’re drinking a Bloody Mary meets Margarita meets beer. It was a whole lot of flavor, more than I could handle.
Service – We were there late on a Saturday night. By that point in the night, most people were there just for drinks instead of an actual meal. Despite this, our server paid enough attention to us. I couldn’t hear most of what he said though because the restaurant was SO loud.
Scene – This place is like eating during Dia de los Muertos all year long. I stared at a bunch of skulls hanging on the wall through out the meal. Totally distracting. I stand by my opinion that Wicker Park is the new Lincoln Park. So, if you’re there late at night, expect to see at least one Trixie crying in the bathroom because she’s reading too much into the fact that her crush didn’t acknowledge her when he walked in that evening.
Dress – If you’re me, you’ll wear a comfortable cotton dress with appropriate give (because you know you’ll finish that plate of nachos). Otherwise, you can get by with some clever hipster t-shirt and jeans.
Cost – Tacos and a Michelada cost me $16. If I liked the meal more, I would have considered this a steal.
If you like, try…Uncle Julio’s Hacienda, Zapatista
Harry Caray’s
Location – 33 W. Kinzie (Dearborn and Kinzie)
www.harrycarays.com
In one word – Surprising
Food – I am ashamed to admit that as a life-long Chicagoan, this was my first visit to Harry Caray’s. I always assumed it was a tourist trap and therefore avoided it. However, I brought some clients here for lunch and had a good experience! We were confined to an hour lunch, so we didn’t multi-course our meal. Craving protein, I had the Holy Cow Burger. It’s totally messy, but so worth it. They do a nice job of sauteeing the mushrooms and onions, which helps the burger feel more gourmet than most. Here’s a tip, avoid the regular french fries and opt for the sweet potato fries. They are not as good as the ones at Rockit, but they’re definitely contenders. My eating partners all stuck to traditional lunch fare, pulled pork sandwiches, club sandwiches, etc.
Drink – Since it was lunch and we were short on time, we didn’t indulge in cocktails. They have an 18-page wine list, which is pretty impressive.
Service – The caliber of service was much higher than I expected. I told our server that my party of 7 all had to finish our meal in 45 minutes, and he told me no problem. There were a couple of glitches, like they brought me a second Diet Coke when I hadn’t put a dent into my first. But, I’d rather be overserved than under in a heartbeat.
Scene – In my world, this was a perfect location for a lunch with clients. I don’t think I would plan to come here for a dinner with friends. The clientele seems a little on the tourist/senior citizen side. Maybe come if your family from out of town wants to do something distinctly Chicago. The feel of the place is kind of cool, Chicago paraphanalia on the brick walls.
Dress – If you come at lunch, expect to see suits.
Cost – My burger and Diet Coke brought me to about $20 including tax and tip.
If you like, try…Rockit
Moonshine
Location – 1824 W. Division (Honore and Division)
www.moonshinechicago.com
In one word – Yuppified
Food – So I guess that Moonshine is trying to be the neighborhood saloon of Wicker Park. They have your traditional American menu, but they try to garnish as much as they can with their signature New Mexico green chiles. I ate the turkey burger and was less than pleased. The bottom half of my burger bun was totally soggy. Despite the fact that I am not one to give up carbs, I had to say no to that side of the bun. My eating partner at the grilled vegetable sandwich. She thought the vegetables could have been grilled a bit longer. We did agree though that the french fries were excellent. So at least they have that going for them.
Drink – From the looks of the place, we were the only ones NOT imbibing on Sunday at 6 pm. The place has a really decent selection of beers and a whole lot of whisky (70 varieties are available).
Service – We had crappy service. Part of that was circumstantial. We ate al fresco and you could tell that the staff didn’t have their outdoor act together yet. They didn’t know how to regulate the drunk overaged frat boys. As a result, one of the frat boys bumped into a server. She dropped her tray that was filled with beer and tequila. Glass and liquids were everywhere (including on me). Major party foul. Our food took about 25 minutes to get to us. If I had ordered something complicated, that would have been reasonable. But, I could have made my turkey burger faster on my Weber Q. The servers were nice, they just were completely overwhelmed.
Scene – When I walked over to Moonshine, I felt compelled to start singing Madonna’s “This Used to be My Playground.” When did Wicker Park become so yuppified? The young stylish couple next to us just bought their 5 year old daughter (who was dressed like a doll) a puggle. And they brought the daughter and puggle to Moonshine. Maybe it was even more than yuppified as my eating partner said she felt like she was eating at the corner of Hollywood and Vine. I think this is where all the beautiful people hide in Chicago on Sunday evenings.
Dress – You need to go for shabby chic at Moonshine. Jeans are fine, but make sure your overall outfit is adorable or out of a frat house (for men). Note that we went on Sunday when the weather was great. On weeknights in the winter, the scene isn’t as intimidating for us regular looking folk.
Cost – For my turkey burger, plus tax and tip, I paid $12. With that soggy bun, I didn’t feel like it was worth the cost.
If you like, try…Small Bar
Uberstein
Location – 3478 N. Clark (Clark and Roscoe)
http://www.ubersteinchicago.com
In one word – Beer
Food – Uberstein is the only location on the Wrigleyville Clark Street strip that I actually enjoy. I won a gift certificate to the bar/restaurant at a charity event, so I decided to make a night of it at this German establishment. When you come here, you must order a pretzel. They have the best pretzel I’ve had in the city. It’s the perfect blend of salt and softness served with warm cheese. I also tried the potato pancakes (decent) and the chicken wings (I’ve had better). My eating partner had the schnitzelwich, which seemed to work out for him just fine.
Drink – You buy beer here in either the half liter or liter size. Being the lady that I am, I only ordered the half liter. They serve a Munich-based beer, Hofbrau. When you carry a large half liter or liter of beer from Munich while singing a German drinking song, you really do feel like you’re in Deutschland.
Scene – On this Friday night, there was a live band playing German drinking songs. I’ve taken the liberty to write out the lyrics to the best song they sang (tune of “Do Re Mi”):
Do, the stuff that buys my beer
Re, the guys that sells my beer
Me, the guy who drinks my beer
Fa, a long long way to the john
So, I’ll have another beer
La – ger, lager, lager, beer
Te, no thanks, I’ll have a beer
And that brings me back to Do!
The song is surprisingly catchy, I’ve had it in my head for 5 days straight (poor me!). The band was the right mix of corny and fun. They passed out the lyrics to their songs so the audience could sing along. Audience participation, you have to love it.
Dress – Unlike the other trixie establishments up and down Clark, you don’t have to dress up for Uberstein. I wore jeans and a t-shirt and fit in just fine.
Cost – Well, with my gift certificate, I had a free night. You should expect to drop around $30 for a couple beers and a pretzel.
If you like, try…Fado, Gage
Zed 451
Location – 739 N. Clark (Clark and Superior)
In one word – Effort
Food – So my preface to this entry is that I went to the (free) pre-opening party for this restaurant and as a result got to try EVERYTHING. That’s why it’s going to look like I was Miss Piggy all night long in this review. This old Sal and Carvao space transformed into a wooden sleek scene and was overall very impressive. In terms of food, it was good, not great. When the place officially opens (4/22), the schtick will be its Harvest Table. Essentially, all you can eat for about $50 (just like the Brazilian steakhouses in the area). They have their share of steak, lamb and chicken (straight from the oven served directly on your plate). I was drawn to the cheese, particularly the cheese fondue. I heard that Fontina was in the fondue, and immediately I thought “Sold!” They’ve got a nice fruit and veggie selection: okra, marinated green beans, poached pears with goat cheese, apples seasoned with jalepeno and lime and bruschetta. I did enjoy the desserts, one cobbler had a butterscotch flavor. That won me over. So yes, I liked the food. The food selection is vast. However, in their attempt to serve it all, they stumble a little bit when it comes to attaining food perfection.
Drinks – This is their strength. I tried the orange sangria, which was VERY fruitty. Then the server recommended the cucumber sage martini. This was, by far, my favorite. Watch yourself though, it goes down too smooth.
Service – It was a little hard to judge given that this was a pre-opening party. The staff was very attentive, so I hope that carries through to when they’re open for real.
Scene – The party was really sceney. The crowd was pretty mixed, from young 20-somethings to the seniors. I really like the aesthetics of the restaurant. There’s a lot of wood and glass, which makes for a pretty sophisticated feel. Downstairs is the main dining space and a lounge. They have an upstairs dining room and a rooftop area. My eating partners and I discussed how we might not come here for dinner, but we would definitely come after work to the lounge just because the space is great.
Dress – At this party, people were putting their all into their look. Lots of little black dresses and men’s suits. Perhaps it’s because it’s the beginning of spring now, and folks are ancy to show off their latest additions to their wardrobe. No matter, this is one of the few places, I might recommend brushing your hair before coming.
Cost – That’s the beauty of the pre-opening party, the night was free. However, I think when the restaurant officially opens, you could spend about $100 per person with food, drink, tax and tip. My recommendation is that with the Harvest Table concept, you load up on food. This way you can really get the bang for your mucho bucks.
If you like, try…Fogo de Chao, Custom House
Room 21
Location – 2110 S. Wabash (21st and Wabash)
In one word – Tease
Food – I saw the menu for this restaurant a while ago and got slack for thinking the offerings looked like a hotel buffet line. Unfortunately this gut reaction was correct. The food at Room 21 was that of a hotel buffet line…at best. We started with the spinach artichoke dip, it was heavy and creamy. The dip was served with chips that were far too thin to hold such a heavy dip. We later found out that this item was being removed from the menu very soon. We then sampled the spicy calamari. Not so spicy, not so good. An eating partner and I shared the burger with cheddar and bacon. It came out without the cheddar or bacon. No good in my mind. My other eating partner had the vegetable risotto. It was too creamy for our taste, more creamy than risotto ought to be. Finally we had the cardamom doughnuts, which for me, was the highlight. Fried dough with sugar, it would be kind of sad if they messed that up.
Drink – I’m just getting over the flu, so I had to stick with water. But, there seemed to be an assortment of cocktails to sample.
Service – Another low point of the night. At first, I found the service strangely aggressive. I asked what was good. The items were shouted at me. Our server was visibly irked by the way we were ordering and that we weren’t ordering cocktails. When our burger was done incorrectly, we told him we didn’t want another burger with bacon and cheddar. By that point we were over the idea of burger, we weren’t going to eat it either way. He managed to do this uncomfortable avoidance for the latter part of the meal. It wasremeniscant of my Crust experience. When we finally got his attention, he told us he would comp one (“JUST ONE,” he shouted) dessert for us. And then when we got the bill, that burger which was wrong was on our bill. Now that ain’t right. Luckily for us, the manager, Brittany, came by to ask about our meal. We were honest about the experience. She comped both the burger and the spinach artichoke dip for us. And, she was truly listening to our feedback. She said that the restaurant is now under new management and was in a period of transition. Maybe things will turn around in terms of food and service in a couple of months.
Scene – The place is really fun! This was the high point of the experience. There’s an outdoor patio and the inside is like a tolerableLas Vegas (that’s a compliment). We thought overall the place was a tease – it dressed up all nice but at the end of the night didn’t even give us a piece of bacon.
Dress – We went on Wednesday straight from work. We were fine in our attire, though you can dress up more if you’d like.
Cost – Well we had no cocktails and got the dessert, burger and dip comped. With that, we spent $36 for three. I think our real bill would have brought us to about $60 for three.
If you like (or want something better), try… Grand Luxe Cafe (I’m serious)
Roy’s
Location – 72o N. State (State and Superior)
In one word – Molten
Food – We decided to come to Roy’s for the Restaurant Week Dinner Menu ($31.95 for a three course prix fixe menu). Roy’s has Hawaiian cuisine, so come here for fish, steak and cake. The appetizer was a sampler of chicken spring rolls (flavorful, nice cream sauce accompanying it), pork ribs and coconut crusted shrimp. All in all, a nice way to start the meal. There were three main entree options. I chose the Tender Braised Honey Mustard Short Rib. I’m not big on red meat, but I enjoyed this very much. The meat was pretty succulent, and it was served with mashed potatoes and some random veggies. I only finished half of the entree because I wanted to save myself for dessert. My eating partners opted for the Blue Crab Dynamite Crusted Skate (but they were out of skate, so they offered a substitute fish which worked just fine) and a Shrimp/Gnocchi entree (that eating partner polished that off, so I have no wonder on what she thought). Then it came time for dessert. I’ve been to Roy’s before, and I decided to come back solely because of the molten chocolate cake. To say it’s divine is an understatement. You have to try it to believe it.
Drink – We ordered this great (cheap) bottle of pinot blanc from Alsace. Awesome pick!
Service – Our server knew what he was doing. He recited the menu highlights like a pro and made us feel confident with our selection. While a bit cocky, I liked him.
Scene – The lights were dim and the Wallflowers were humming softly in the background. Obviously this could be a place to take a date. I saw a lot of groups, like 6 or more people.
Dress – The place is a little formal, but I still got away with wearing jeans there on a Tuesday night. If you came on the weekend, I think you’d be expected to try a bit harder.
Cost – Because it was Restaurant Week, our three course meal was $31.95. Adding tax, tip and wine, our total was $56 each. It didn’t feel as cheap as Restaurant Week is supposed to be, but I’m over it. For reference, Roy’s has a $35 prix fixe menu throughout the year.
If you like, try…Vong’s Thai Kitchen
