I Shouldn't Be Eating This - Part II

A few weeks ago, I met my friend Kevin for Dinner in Westwood.  He recommended Pitfire Pizza; I had never been but he assured me it was pretty good.  As with any new place, I had no idea what I wanted and mulled over the menu just long enough to exasperate the people in line behind me.  He let is slip that they had Mac and Cheese, as since I am a wanton man when it comes to that dish, my mind was made up in no time.  We did agree to split it, as it was a generous helping, and I did order a salad to temper the carb and cheese speedball I was jonesing for.

I was amused by their use of Orecciette pasta (loosely translated to 'little ear'), my previous post on htis subject mentioned that I appreciated pasta variation on the standard Elbow variety of Macaroni.  Noting wrong with Elbow, we all have them, but variety is the spice of life, right?  It was sauced with a creamy 5 cheese blend and topped with shredded cheese and breadcrumbs, then broiled.

Compared to Bread Bar, this dish was dry, but not in a bad way; Bread Bar's version was very saucy (yes, you may laugh).  The cheese sauce at Pitfire was made from more traditional varieties, dry aged Cheddars and the like, not the pungent, nutty, buttery, artisan cheeses as with Bread Bar.  It was very similar in flavor and texture to what my Mom makes, so there was a familiarity and nostalgia attached to this as well.

As usual, nothing went to waste, and the plate was clean.  Kevin ordered a Farmers Market platter of roasted vegetable to reduce his guilt, and they were excellent.  Flame grilled with olive oil, well cooked but not mushy or incinerated.  Funny how when you go to a Pizza place, the last thing you end up ordering is Pizza.  But this just means I'll have to return and get something else I shouldn't be eating.

- Ian   

I Shouldn't be Eating This - Part I

More and more restaurants are adding comfort food to their menus as small plates or side items and, to my hedonistic delight, they all seem to be adding Macaroni & Cheese.  I'm planning to sample my way though this familiar and nostalgic territory wherever it is offered, so watch for future posts if you have a soft spot for this classic.

Delicious cheese laden goodness.  Beware the the baker,
they broil it in a blast furnace.

For my first foray, I chose Bread Bar at Century City.  I have actually had their Mac & Cheese 3 times before, but this was the first time I remembered to take a photo before it was all gone.  Silly me.  Bread Bar qualifies their Mac & Cheese as a side dish, but you can make a meal of it by ordering a side salad or soup.  Like all dishes at the cafe, it arrives on a rustic wood breadboard (very cute) and the cast iron baker it's broiled in keeps it warm in perpetuity.

The chef uses Cavatappi pasta (a spiral tube) which adds a little variety from the standard issue Elbow Macaroni, and also hold an nice amount of cheese outside and inside.  The cheese sauce itself is a rich (and I do mean rich) buttery mix of several cheeses, I'm thinking Emmenthal, White Cheddar, maybe a little Gruyere Swiss.  It's not sharp at all, nor is it pungent or piquant.  It's got a great nutty flavor (from the cheese, not nutmeg, as I have seen in other Mac & Cheese dishes), and the perfect consistency; not runny and not like a custard.  It's topped with shredded cheese and broiled, so you really do get to go to cheesy town with this dish.

My cautious helping.

One word of warning, do not eat this alone.  I had it all to myself one day and it was so rich (I'm purging dairy from my diet, but I lapse every now and then) that I found myself absolutely cramped up in wretched pain within two hours.  So, proceed with caution if you have a delicate system.  When I took the photos for this, I was sharing with my friend Veronica and I had a much smaller portion, for my own safety.  True, I shouldn't have been eating it, but decadence is always more enjoyable with a soupcon of pain.

- Ian