[Macaroni's Blog]
we take cheese seriouslyIcon Grill/Zephyr Bar
2007-04-14
The menu describes the Icon grill as "aroused americana," something that we couldn't quite understand but found very amusing. Comfort food is the key to the Icon Grill, which probably gives some clue about the macaroni: traditional. It's a four cheese blend (white cheddar, yellow cheddar, gruyere and their special "molten" cheese). The molten cheese was not warm enough or something--it came in a pitcher, but the server had to scoop it out with a spoon and plop it on top of the macaroni, where it hovered like a quivering alien.
Caroline's Assessment: Aside from the molten cheese, this is clasically delicious. The interior was very cheesy and yummy, a nice crispy topping gave some contrast. I am now in favor of sliced tomatoes on top of every macaroni, because this is my second adoring experience, where thick slices of tomato added to the overall. We didn't find the cheeses inspiring (especially the molten goop), but it was satisfying and good macaroni nonetheless. The Zephyrtini was for the froofy and tasted like sparkling pink lemonade, a bit uninspired.
Other notes: In addition, we ordered the grilled pear salad (with candied pecans--how could you go wrong?) and cilantro-corn-mashed-potatoes. The potatoes were good, particularly the fresh, crispy cilantro, but more corn would have made them more remarkable.
Madame K's macaroni adventure
2007-04-11
Madame K's is a Ballard restaurant that used to be a brothel (here's a review of the whole place). The waitresses wear lingerie and the line is always long (perhaps for that very reason?). It is so worth the wait. The macaroni is conventional in all respects except one. You see, it is traditional cheeses, macaroni-shaped noodles, baked, with a breadcrumb topping. But the garlic! Oy vey!
Caroline's Assessment: The macaroni is deliciously garlicky, garlicky strong. Not at all raw garlic, but permeating flavor of powerful garlic muscles in, not overwhelming the homey cheesiness but still amazingly present. Roma tomatoes on top provide nice color contrast, too.
Christine likes the shallow dish so there is a nice chewy (topping of baked cheese) to soft (noodly insides) ratio. Also recommended at Madame K's: Sangria! With all kinds of fun berries! It's especially nice in the summertime on the back patio.
The Blue Onion Macaroni Adventure
2007-04-11
The Blue Onion is located on Roosevelt, just North of the University District in Seattle. We visited solely to try their blue cheese macaroni, which we had read avidly about. The restaurant has an Alaska-chic to it, with many adornments on the wooden walls, a homey feel and friendly, cheerful staff. We ordered a salad and the macaroni.
First--the salad was huge. The size of a monster truck. Enough for five people. If you love salad in quantity, this is a place to go. There were also crunchy homemade croutons. Now--the macaroni and cheese. The Blue Onion prides itself on comfort food, and has a very unusual macaroni. They use twisty egg noodles, not actual macaroni noodles. The dish is not baked, but made fresh. There is no topping other than a sprinkling of green onions. A liberal dose of strong blue cheese finishes it off.
Caroline's Assessment: Fierce! The blue cheese dominates in a delicious way, creating a complex dish. However, the mouthfeel was rather dull, as the entire dish was a single, soft texture. Top notch on the blue cheese used, but I wished for thicker sauce, heartier baking and a more traditional topping.
Christine finds this version uninspiring, which is sad considering its close proximity to work and salsa dancing, and the general cute and homey character of the place. I love blue cheese in general, but this was just blue cheese crumbled on top of the gooey noodles. It did not have a cohesive whole for me to love and cherish.
Who we are, what we do
2007-04-11
Christine is tall and redheaded, a future Nobel prize winner. Caroline is short and brunette, a copy editor at heart. We love cheese, macaroni and cheese, and food in general.Currently, we are in Seattle and most of our discussions are around Seattle-based foods and places.
Created with ShoutPost
