Black Cat Bistro (East Lansing, MI)

- "Truffled Mac & Cheese" -

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Hey there pretty lady, come here often? Talk about a first impression. Although I cropped this a bit and you can't quite see the plate, it was a very cool, asymmetrical number. Top that off with the flower garnish, and this is one lovely mac and cheese-wouldn't you agree?

Flavor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Recently I have learned that truffle oil + mac and cheese = transcendence. This mac (ft. truffle oil) is certainly no exception to my latest flavor rule. Very delicious. 

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Très creamy, as you may be able to see from the photo. The sole complaint I had about the cream sauce was that it was incredibly (even overly) thick and rich - very similar to an Alfredo. In general, I prefer lighter cream sauces, but to each their own. 

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I will never question a four cheese sauce, especially when parmesan is involved. The menu did not specify which cheeses were specifically used in the mac, but whichever ones they are, they do a bang-up job. 

Overall Experience: 
Aside from the fact that I felt like I was going to burst after I ate this, I loved it. The Black Cat Bistro is a cool place with a great menu, making it an even better place to relish an exquisite macaroni and cheese entrée. 

Menu Link:http://www.blackcatbistroel.com/menu.html

Evol.

~"Truffle Parmesan Mac & Cheese"~

 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

~(Microwavable)~

Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Five stars may seem like a lot for a microwave dinner, but I was blown away by the concept of a round bowl. Why the hell aren't they all round? The food heats so evenly; it makes perfect sense. Five stars for pure ingenuity.

Flavor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
WOW. I would (and will) shout its praises from the rooftops. Truffle oil in a microwave mac? Seems too good to be true, except that it isn't. While it was heating up, the truffle smelled a little overpowering, but it turned out to be the perfect amount. On top of that, you have parmesan, cheddar and some other mixed spices; that's light's out delicious, as the Mayor of Flavortown might say.

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Perfect. Smoother than a politician's lies. 

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I feel like parmesan is somewhat of a rarity in most mac and cheeses, but it makes a world of difference. The addition of parm to the cheddar really elevates this dish out of the league of microwave dinners.

Overall Experience: 

I cannot express to you how blown away I was by this mac and cheese. Every single bite was out of this world, and it tops most of the restaurant macs I have tried. According to the blurb on the box, the truffles are grown in Italian woodlands and sniffed out by specially-trained dogs; whether this is true or not I couldn't tell you, but after tasting it, I'm cool with buying into it. Please do yourself a favor and try it out. 

Website link: Evol's Truffle Parmesan Mac

Mitchell's Fish Market (Lansing, MI)

- "Lobster Mac + Cheese" -

Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2 

Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I think this mac is pretty well put together. With a nice touch of color and a pretty symmetrical presentation, I would say it definitely passes the beauty test.

Flavor: ⭐️⭐️ 
From the presentation of the dish, I expected it to be pretty tasty. Unfortunately, this mac was incredibly bland. Not much going on at all in the flavor department.

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️
Little to no creaminess in this mac and cheese. It was incredibly dry; even on the bottom there was strikingly little cream sauce. I would say it even felt like I was eating plain pasta at times. I was definitely disappointed. 

Cheesiness: ⭐️
The cheesiness was surprisingly subpar as well. The menu says that the mac uses gouda cheese, which should certainly be easy to pick out; I would never have guessed it to be gouda had I not read the menu. The scant amount of cream sauce in the bottom of the dish was fairly cheesy, and would've greatly improved the mac, had there been more.  

Overall Experience: 
Surprisingly poor. I wouldn't have expected it from Mitchell's, so it was fairly disappointing. Not only was the mac itself not so great, but the lobster was stringy and old tasting. Hopefully the mac I got was just having an off day, but if it wasn't, Mitchell's may want to give it some serious TLC.

Menu Link: http://www.mitchellsfishmarket.com/the-menu/

Zingerman's Roadhouse (Ann Arbor, MI)

- "Roadhouse Macaroni & Cheese" -

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay, so I got the small size mac; I wasn't hungry, quite a pity. Unfortunately for me, getting a large seemed to be beneficial (Nick got the large so I was able to assess this). The large comes in a bowl, so it not only looks better, but also stays warmer/creamier longer. That being said, I would probably give it a better presentation score as a large than a small, but it's still quite a looker either way.

Flavor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Exquisite, really. Zingerman's Roadhouse uses Cabot cheddar in their classic mac, which they also caramelize, as you can see in the photo. Throw in some béchamel sauce, and there's a ~tremendous~ amount of flavor in this dish.

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
For a dish that has béchamel sauce, I was underwhelmed with the creaminess. Again, getting the large bowl seems to improve that issue, so take this rating with a grain of salt. Still, it wasn't bad at all.

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Zingerman's is one cheese-savvy eatery. I really appreciate that they use cheeses that are a little less mainstream for all of their macs, so they truly stand out to your tastebuds. THAT, friends, is how you make a dish memorable. 

Overall Experience: 
I would 100% recommend ordering a large mac, you won't regret it (plus, possible leftovers). All of the macaroni and cheese dishes on the Zingerman's menu stand out of a crowd. Not only are the cheeses unique, but the pasta is "Martelli" maccheroni (a brand from Tuscany), perfectly zany. Overall, touches such as these make for a one-of-a-kind dining experience. 

Menu Link: http://www.zingermansroadhouse.com/menus/

GrillCheezerie Sandwich Shoppe (Ann Arbor, MI)

- "S'Mac & Cheese" -

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Comes in a cute cardboard box that you can even use as a plate, so one has to appreciate the functionality here. Aesthetic placement not included.

Flavor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
The flavor all comes from the cheese, so nothing crazy different/innovative.

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I suppose that in this case, it might make the sandwich pretty hard to eat if the mac & cheese is overly creamy. However, it is always pretty stable, so it seems to have just the right amount of creaminess. 

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
~Dang~, this is one cheesy entrée. Let me break this down for you: First, you have the cheese from the mac itself, and THEN the grilled cheese cheese. If you're worried about being overwhelmed, fear not; the different textures help to tone it down.

Overall Experience: 
Let's all take a moment and tip our hats to the individual that decided to put mac & cheese in a grilled cheese. All in all, the bread is very sturdy and grilled just enough, while the mac & cheese is perfectly creamy on the inside. With every bite, there is a balanced ratio of crispy to creamy; it's always just right.

Menu Link: http://grillcheezerie.com/menu

The White Horse Inn (Metamora, MI)

- "White Horse Mac and Cheese" -

Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Presentation:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pretty nice, n'est-ce pas? The skillet is a quaint touch, and the dish is satisfyingly symmetrical; not too shabby at all. 

Flavour: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Really nice, rich flavor. A little on the heavy side, but indisputably delicious.

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The sauce for this mac was crazy thicc, but still very creamy. I gave it four stars here mostly because it seemed a touch overkill.

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This is a five cheese mac according to the menu, but what those five cheeses are remains a mystery to me. I could make some educated guesses, but then again, from the photo alone I would wager that you could too. Very tasty.

 Overall Experience:
I want to start by saying that this was a little on the heavy side. I ate about half of this, and as you can see, it is not a huge dish - bear that in mind. Despite the richness, it was a very satisfactory mac. Again, cavatappi noodles make an appearance here; I firmly believe that every excellent macaroni and cheese begins with cavatappi. As you can see from the photo, Panko breadcrumbs are also sprinkled overtop of the mac, which made for a really nice mix of texture. If I may say so (which I can, since this is my blog) I much prefer breadcrumbs to actual chunks of things like pretzel or something, they're much more palatable. 

Menu Link: http://www.thewhitehorseinn.com/menu/

Tick Tock, It's Feedback O'Clock

It's your time to shine; I would love to hear any suggestions for mac & cheeses to test run, or things you'd like to see on the blog! Comments can be anonymous so you can even rip me open if you like. Comment below to let your inner food critic loose.

Bagger Dave's

- "Twisted Mac 'N' Cheese" -

Rating:  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Presentation was just OK. The toasted pretzel bits on the top were a bit much and were also a little burnt (as you can see in the photo), so a slight deduction here. 

Flavour: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
WOW. This mac and cheese was insanely flavorful and/or knocked my socks off - will elaborate more in the cheesiness section.

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Excellent. Simply delightful. The creaminess came from the melted cheese itself (most likely the mozzarella), so it didn't dry up at all as it cooled. I abhor the word "gooey", but it describes the consistency of this mac and cheese quite well. 

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
If I could award six stars here (technically, I can) I would. Bagger Dave's really gives you the ole' razzle-dazzle by incorporating cheddar, parmesan, smoked gouda AND mozzarella. Seriously, what more could you ask for? As Guy Fieri might say, this mac and cheese is a one-way ticket to Flavortown.

 Overall Experience:
First of all, I am a sucker for cavatappi, so the "Twisted Mac 'N' Cheese" got some style points there. Secondly, despite the slightly burnt nature of the pretzel flakes on top, they were still a very nice addition to the texture of the dish. Finally, the assemblage of cheeses was out of this world. Truly, a delectable macaroni and cheese experience. 

Menu Link: https://www.baggerdaves.com/menu/

Carlyle Grill (Ann Arbor, MI)

- "Carlyle Mac & Cheese" -

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The photo above was taken after I mixed up the dish a bit. The mac is presented with a baked layer on top, so it wasn't all that appealing upon first glance. However, the plating itself was still nice, especially after the pasta was mixed.

Flavor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
The dish was very savory and a little oniony, but the most prominent  element about the flavor of this mac, however, was its heavy taste. After eating a few bites, I was pretty stuffed and had a mild stomach ache. Definitely a little too much something.

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The dish was satisfactory in the creaminess category, but did dry up  a little whilst being consumed.

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
White cheddar is always a thumbs up. I would say that it made up for the mac's heavy flavor to a degree.

Overall Experience: 
Definitely a very hearty dish, a little too hearty maybe. The baked top was not a huge W from me, but we all like different things. Not perfect, but still not a bad mac.

Menu Link: http://carlylegrill.com/menu/

Cracker Barrel

- "Macaroni N' Cheese" -

Average Rating: ⭐️⭐️1/2 

Presentation: ⭐️
Presentation was jarring. The Cracker Barrel mac comes as a side, so I assumed that it would come in a separate dish. Definitely not the case. Instead, it was haphazardly slopped on the side of the main dish; there was a strong prison food vibe to this presentation.

Flavour: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The flavor was much better than I originally imagined, based on the presentation. While it was rather one-dimensional in terms of flavor, that one dimension was savory and rich, and made for a pretty palatable mac.

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 
Creaminess was certainly not lacking here. I never thought I could say this about a mac and cheese, but it may have been a touch too watery, especially for being on a plate where it has a great deal of room to spread out. 

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The cheesiness of this mac and cheese dish was definitely its greatest strength. It constitutes all the flavor in the dish, a delicious positive in this instance. As touched on above, the cheesy flavor was pleasantly robust.

 Overall Experience:
Cracker Barrel's mac seems to function in a manner similarly to that of the KFC mac and cheese; it is an excellent sidekick for a main dish of comfort food. (Cracker Barrel's mac is significantly better than that of KFC, although maybe not in terms of portion). I think that this mac could improve greatly if it were served in a separate bowl instead of directly on the main plate; presented as it currently is, it cannot stand on its own as a dish.

Menu Link: https://www.crackerbarrel.com/menu/lunch-and-dinner/vegetables-n-sides