Review: Tiburon Tavern

Source: lodgeattiburon.com

Tiburon Tavern
1651 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon
lodgeattiburon.com

I get a lot of recommendations for places to try mac and cheese, and usually, these are the places I end up wanting to try and write about.  Every now and then, however, I'll happen to find myself surprised by a restaurant's menu.  I'll see mac and cheese and just HAVE to try it.

That happened just recently while eating lunch with a friend in Tiburon.  We went to Tiburon Tavern, located inside the Lodge at Tiburon.  I've always wanted to try this restaurant, simply because their outside patio looks so cool and comfortable.  Due to some unseasonal drizzle, however, we found ourselves dining inside at one of their booths.  I was happy to find that the interior seating was just as inviting.

We looked over the menu and there were several items I wanted to try, but then my eyes glanced to the edge of the menu, toward the listed "side" options.  There it was, Macaroni and Cheese with "herb bread crumbs".  As if I haven't already had enough mac and cheese lately, I ordered it.  It was just one of those days where I just HAD to try it.

So many breadcrumbs!

Sometimes when you order a "side" item, it ends up being huge, so I was actually a little worried about this being too much food for a "light" lunch.  Who was I kidding?  I had given up "light" the moment I said "macaroni".  I was pleasantly surprised when our dishes were presented and the mac was served in a dish just perfect for a lunch time bite.  Instead of being some huge platter, it was the size you would expect in a small cereal bowl.  It was still filling, however.  I left very satisfied and wasn't hungry again for several hours.

The cheese was okay.  I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but it had an unfortunate, thick Velveeta feel to it.  If that's what you have a craving for, however, it's great!  I think it's pretty hard to go wrong with mac and cheese.  No matter what the flavors are, it's still cheese.  Yum.

It did have a really good, creamy texture.  It also had the most unique noodles I'd ever seen.  Perhaps they were slightly over cooked and just falling apart, but they looked like some odd version of a corkscrew.  And the bread crumbs, while not anything to write home about, were piled on top with abandon, which I always appreciate.

If you ever find yourself at Tiburon Tavern and looking for a small side to share, get yourself a spot on the outdoor patio and an order of the mac and cheese.  It's not the best I've had, but I wasn't disappointed.

The Mac & Cheese Festival... It's Coming!

In less than two weeks, I'll be at the Avila Beach Mac and Cheese Festival! 

I. Am. STOKED.

I bought my ticket probably well over six months ago.  I cannot wait to get down there and try all the different variations from restaurants all over the California Central Coast

I've never been to the Mac and Cheese festival, but they have them all over the country now.  Apparently there's a contest and you can vote on your favorite mac after your unlimited 1 oz. tastings at the different vendors' booths.  There's also live music as well as beer and wine tastings by local breweries and wineries.  It's going to be a blast!

You can fully expect a big post about it when I'm back.  Who knows, maybe I'll even have to live Instagram it, or start a Twitter account for this blog so I can live tweet it!

Review: The Vine at Bridges

Source: The Vine at Bridges

The Vine at Bridges
480 Hartz Avenue, Danville
thevineatbridges.com

Watch out Bay Area, Danville just upped their mac and cheese game.  Last night, I had a fantastic butternut squash mac, called the Mac n No Cheese, at The Vine at Bridges.

The atmosphere was trendy, definitely appealing to the Tri-Valley demographic.  My friend and I managed to snag one end of a high-table, even though the place was close to packed.  We had originally planned on just doing a wine tasting (they are a wine bar first and foremost), but then when we saw the small plates menu, decided we would split an order of the Mac n No Cheese.  My friend prefers not to eat cheese, so the butternut squash was a welcome substitution.

The Mac n No Cheese

I've only had one other butternut squash mac that I really loved, and that was at Mua in Oakland.  Unfortunately for Mua, Vine's version is far superior.  The noodles were cooked to perfection, not too soggy or hard.  The creamy texture is definitely better, and, if that wasn't enough, they added bacon bits.  The butternut squash and bacon pairing really put them over the top and Vine has now landed a spot in my top ten!

Besides the pasta, the best part of the evening was a great conversation with the general manager, who also happens to be a level three sommelier (if you don't know what that is, go watch Somm on Netflix, it's awesome).  We must have spent close to a half hour or longer talking about different wines and the California wine regions and how they affect taste and quality.  That kind of individual attention and appreciation for what they do at Vine really upped my respect for the wine bar.

Enjoying some Chardonnay

 They also had a great dessert menu.  My friend and I split the flourless chocolate cake, which was actually pretty fluffy for being flourless.  I'm used to something much more dense.

At first, the restaurant just seemed like your standard, hip Tri-Valley spot, but after a great conversation about their wines and their menu, I found myself eager to return for another helping of their Mac and No Cheese as well as some more great wine stories.

I'll be back for sure!

Mac of the Day: Trailer Style

Ordered this fun version for lunch.  My friend and I even got filmed for some cooking TV show B-roll footage while enjoying it.  It's Homeroom's Trailer Style Cheddar Mac.  Cut up hot dogs and topped with potato chips.  No shame.

Trailer Style Cheddar Mac

Review: 1515

Source: 1515

1515 Restaurant & Lounge
1515 N. Main St., Walnut Creek, CA
1515wc.com

While mac and cheese isn't their specialty, 1515 is still pretty noteworthy in my book.  They're currently ranked in my top ten best Bay Area mac and cheese spots.

So what makes 1515 special?  A combination of truffle oil, bacon/chicken add-on options, good breadcrumb/crispy cheese topping, all served in a HOT cast iron skillet.  I definitely haven't had a mac and cheese that's served hotter than what you get at 1515.  Why is this a good thing?  The heat certainly brings out the flavors in the three cheese blend, add-ons, and truffle oil.  Plus, who wants to eat luke warm mac and cheese?  Not me.

Crispy Cheese Topping

The mac is made up of three of my favorite cheeses: smoked cheddar, gruyere (yes!), and mozzarella.  I find the mozzarella to be particularly interesting since I actually haven't seen it used in many mac and cheese dishes before.  Perhaps it's because melted mozzarella tends to a stringy texture (think the cheese on top of a pizza), but blended with the gruyere and smoked cheddar, it doesn't seem to be too noticeable in 1515's version of the dish.

The restaurant itself ranges from super packed on weekend evenings to open and quiet during the week, as is typical with a lot of downtown Walnut Creek restaurants.  If the weather's nice, the outdoor patio is always great for people watching and soaking up the warm breeze.

Breadcrumb Topping

My only criticism of 1515's mac and cheese recipe would be the consistency.  I've had their mac and cheese several times and notice that everything from the cheese blend to the topping seems to change whenever I visit.  While it's always delicious, I'd be disappointed if I was looking forward to the crispy cheese topping and instead got more breadcrumbs (or vice versa).  As you can see in my photos from a couple past trips, I had that very experience.  One version of the recipe had a crispy cheese topping with a decorative leaf, and the next time I visited it was all breadcrumbs.

That said, don't let that one criticism keep you away from trying 1515's version of this comfort food classic.  Overall, it's pretty great and definitely one of my go-to's when I'm in the area and need a pasta fix.

More Running = More Mac & Cheese

I just started training for a 10k I'm participating in this coming fall.  The best part of all this running?

I get to eat more mac and cheese :)

What do you all think of this craziness?  Who's with me?  I'm taking any interested orders!  Hit me up at dontknowmac@gmail.com

Mac of the Day: Ditch Dog

Source: Ditch Plains

My dad recently forwarded me this awesome ABC News video talking about the "Ditch Dog."  It's a hot dog covered in good ol' mac and cheese.

Since it's Fourth of July weekend coming up, I figured it'd be fun to do a themed Mac of the Day post.

The Ditch Dog is the creation of the culinary experimenters at Ditch Plains, a New York City oyster bar and fish shack that also serves up this awesome concoction of hot dog and macaroni.  According to executive chef Marc Murphy, this mac uses Parmesan, Gruyere and white American cheeses.

I'm normally a little averse to mixing macaroni and cheese with other comfort food favorites (burgers, pizza, etc.), but I think I'd be interested in trying this sometime.  Maybe it'll be one of my experiments!

Below is the ABC News interview and demo with Ditch Plains executive chef, Marc Murphy.


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