One of the very first posts I wrote last year was about the 2010 Mac and Cheese Bowl. Chris and I went to the event, where we got to sample mac and cheese from 17 or so Capital Region restaurants. Last year, when it was held at the Italian American Community Center, it was so crowded they sold out in the first 30 minutes or so. This year they moved it this year to the Marriott. And it sold out, again! We had so much fun last year we knew we had to come again!
It was almost just as crowded as last year!
This year there were 30 restaurants! That means 30 samples of mac and cheese!! Glorious!!
We made our way around the room to each table. I then discovered most of the mac and cheese was not vegetarian friendly at all. Thankfully, I eat fish, so there were a few delicious ones with lobster that I really enjoyed.
One of my favorites: mac and cheese with lobster and truffle oil. I can’t remember where this one was from but it was so good! You could taste the lobster and it was really cheesy!
And mac and cheese with pretzel topping from Chez Mike. The pretzel was a surprise but gave it a salty crunchiness that I really liked!
I was pretty much a fan of all the mac and cheese I tried here! I also really liked the displays that the restaurants set up.
Jack’s Oyster House had an ice sculpture! and their mac and cheese had clams, which was pretty tasty, but the clams were really overpowering. I probably couldn’t have eaten much of that!
I also ran into Carolyn!!! She is also a local blogger and her husband works at the DP in Albany, and they also had a booth of mac and cheese at the bowl! Chris was a huge fan of their mac and cheese.
By the time we reached the middle of the room, we were already pretty stuffed…
Overall I’d say it was a good event. It was much more organized than last year, but still got pretty crowded. I don’t think they ran out of mac and cheese either! The only thing that concerned me were the lack of vegetarian mac and cheese dishes, but I guess in order to win, restaurants think they need to put meat in theirs. Which I guess isn’t too surprising. I still had a great time and got to eat lots of mac and cheese, regardless! Until next year!
So nice to run into you today!! And thanks for the link to my lazy little blog
Chez Mike’s mac & cheese was one of my favorites too! I loved the pretzel topping. Have you ever eaten at that restaurant? It’s really good! I was also a fan of the mac & cheese that had apricots in it… sounds so weird but it was delicious!
And PS… my husband actually owns dp and Yono’s
Come on down sometime and I’ll buy you a drink!
Carolyn recently posted..Hes gonna live forever- right
omg I wish I could have gone to this. Mac and cheese is my favorite food!
Christina @ Food.Fun.Fabulous. recently posted..Neverending Days
They all sound so good! Lobster mac n cheese has to be one of the best things ever. Pretzels in mac n cheese sounds so weird but I bet it is amazing!
Jealous! That sounds amazing. Macaroni and cheese keeps coming up in conversations; I think I need to make some.
Emily @ Relishments recently posted..I’m Not Dead!
Sounds like a lot of fun. But I agree about adding meat – not really necessary in mac & cheese. For me it’s all about the cheesy goodness. Sharp cheddar, the sharper the better. Pretzel crumbs on top sounds interesting…
[...] 2011 Mac and Cheese Bowl [...]
That looks so fun!!! Sad that a lot of them weren’t vegetarian
but I want to try the one with the pretzels on top!
Yummy! This looked like a fun event! I love mac & cheese. Dinosaur BBQ in Troy has some delicious mac & cheese. You & Chris will have to try it sometime.
[...] 2011 Mac and Cheese Bowl [...]