Mac!

We braved the city on a freezing Friday evening.  A holiday Friday, nonetheless.  Not quite sure what we were thinking.  Ah, yes, the pull of seeing the city all dolled up and looking it's finest.  It didn't disappoint, downtown Stumptown is always looking pretty and Christmas time is no exception.  Well, minus the whole Occupy portion but, I'm not here to talk politics. 

We were itching to get into the city for a new dinner experience.  We found a brand new place called Mac! on N. Mississippi and I'm kicking myself for not taking the kids.  I so want to give this place 5 stars.  For so many reasons.  Our waiter was cool (a touch slow but more on that in a bit), Portland cool, not Portland weird.  You locals will get my drift, I'm sure. The ambiance was chill, the walls decorated with old-school lunch boxes, and who doesn't love mac and cheese?  But there were a few things that dropped it to a 3.5 stars, and I still feel that is a tad generous.

We had our appetizer, shockingly the only ones available were fried mac and cheese balls, regular and jalapeno and bacon.  We obviously went for the spicy choice but somehow ended up with two of each even though they were priced differently.  Funny enough, we both picked out the originals first and I mentioned that I couldn't taste jalapeno or bacon and Mike said something about it maybe being in the crust and me replying with raised eyebrows and skepticism.  So, after we ate those two, we cracked into the remaining ones and surprise, surprise, there the real deal was - chopped up bits of jalapeno and bacon mixed in with the mac and cheese!  With the two originals gone, what could we do but enjoy what we had ordered in the first place and chalk it up to experiencing both.  All so I can tell you that once you go jalapeno and bacon you never go back!  But sadly I realized that what I really liked was the taste but not the texture.  All of these delicious flavors mashed together in a fried ball.  Hmm.  Yeah, not  a fan, really. 

Mike ordered Cordon Bleu Mac and Cheese (roasted chicken, prosciutto, and gruyere).  I got the Caprese (roasted cherry tomato, fresh mozzarella, and basil with added bacon at the waiter's suggestion).  I thought Mike's was a touch on the bland side with the chicken being a little overdone.  Mine was quite tasty and it really didn't need the added bacon.  The whole dish was swimming in juice though and that was a little unsettling.  Portions are on the generous side, so I boxed up my leftovers thinking if one child at home didn't want to eat it, another certainly would. It took forever to actually get the box and then get our bill too, which was annoying because there were only four other groups besides us.  However, our waiter redeemed himself in  conversation about Jen Aniston being named the Sexiest Woman of All Time by Men's Health.  Controversial to say the least!

By the time we ate our fill, I came to the conclusion that if it ain't a basic cheese mac and cheese (in the homemade style, of course) then it ain't for me.  I think we'll be back, but with kid(s) in tow.  It was a bittersweet meal as I came to this discovery.....



 Pros:
- Clean and family friendly, unlike another popular place nearby known for their mac options.
- Affordable.
- Friendly staff.
- Fun artwork. :-)
Cons:
- Booth seating is uncomfortable.
- Juicy mac and cheese.
- Mixing up our order
- On Mississippi...which could also be a pro depending on how you look at it.