| Mac-and-cheese: The real McCoy's |
It's also a good dish for what ails you: When you're not feeling well -- fighting the symptoms of cold, flu, hangover -- a soothing dish of soft noodles and creamy cheese sauce has curative qualities. That's why an ailing friend requested a carry-out container (above) of the dish called Mom's Macaroni and Cheese from McCoy's Public House in Westport. It's a mac-and-cheese with plenty of fans: Even KCUR-FM's Walt Bodine raves about it.
But how does it stack up to other local gourmet versions of this dish? The Pitch didn't include a "Best Macaroni and Cheese" category in this year's Best of Kansas City issue, but in past years the dish at McCoy's has been a frequent contender, along with the stylish version at Cafe Trio and the down-home creation at the Peachtree Buffet.
But a new contender in the Mac-and-Cheese competition stepped into the ring this year: the dish served at Oak 63, the bistro run by chef J.B. Bremser. So I decided to put it up against McCoy's.
The McCoy's mac-and-cheese might not score so high for visuals, as the photo indicates. It's made with four cheeses (one of them seems to be cream cheese) and the only colorful one in the quartet is the dollop of melted cheddar right in the middle of the shell pasta. It's an emotionally satisfying dish, although for nearly ten dollars, you might expect a little more mac for the buck.
Oak 63's is just as emotionally satisfying. It comes in full or half-sizes that are both more than generous. Visually, it's a superior product, the noodles baked under a layer of bubbling cheddar. Bremser uses five cheeses in his dish.
Decision: Oak 63's is now the city's mac-and-cheese to beat.
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