so... this is where i ended up yesterday. since skiing is out, eating is in. this was the 3rd annual macaroni & cheese bowl in albany, sponsored by the Times Union to benefit a local food bank. so eating for a cause kiiind of makes it guilt-free... all 30 different restaurants, 30 different mac & cheeses. OMG. heaven.we started out working the perimeter, eating every full mini-portion of M&C we were served. this tactic was a mistake. 30% through the event i was getting full. we started getting picky at that point... it's amazing how some mac & cheeses i would normally probably think were fine if served at a restaurant i was kind of "meh" about eating in comparison to some others. if your M&C is in ANY way shape or form bland, it's immediately apparent next to the ooey gooey cheesy neighbor M&C (which really is a testament to how hard M&C is to master... i'm still searching for a recipe with the perfect texture & zingy cheese flavor).
a few standouts from the amazing yum category were Pump Station and Farmer Boy Diner. for those that had lobster, crab, or tuna in your M&C and didn't post a forewarning about it, it's actually a pretty disgusting surprise. no thanks.
i felt like hot garbage by the time the event was over, but what a cheesy delish journey it was : )
