My first "official" foray into the quest began last night at the Backstage Bar & Grill in Culver City, CA. I had tried the mac & cheese here before - and loved it - but I wanted to try it anew in order to report the flavor in fuller detail.
Let me say first and foremost that the Backstage has the best food you'll ever get at a bar. Period. Now, I'm not comparing to places like the gastropub Bar*Food in West L.A., as I consider that more of a restaurant that just happens to have a cool bar...the Backstage is a true BAR, a dark, dingy and windowless cavern where people come primarily to drink and the food is only a peripheral. You can read my full review of the Backstage on my examiner.com page.
But back to the matter at hand. The mac. We ordered the appetizer portion, which is still huge and only $6 to boot. The over-sized macaroni noodles are cooked to perfection - not too gooey, not too tough - and the cheeses are nicely melted throughout the dish rather than lying atop the mountain of pasta like a rubbery mat (as I've seen at numerous other joints).
It's a tiny bit oily, but not nearly as much as you might expect. The dish definitely has some garlic going on, which I adore, and a lot of pepper, which you can actually see sprinkled liberally throughout the dish. It may be a bit on the peppery side for some, but I think the seasoning is just delish and really helps to cut through the smoky cheese flavor.
I give this mac 4.5 stars (out of 5) for both taste and affordability. A pretty strong contender, wouldn't you say?? And the best part is, if you live in the area, the Backstage does food to go - you can swing by to pick it up and eat it at home if you don't feel like hanging with the barflies watching the game.
Have another suggestion? Email me at summergrace77@gmail.com and I'll give you a shout-out if I choose your suggested locale!
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