~ Saddleback Mac + Cheese ~

Presentation: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I find it important to note that this mac is a side dish. For most BBQ joint mac & cheeses, a styrofoam container is usually the best you can expect in terms of presentation. Pretty blah. As you can see from the photo, Saddleback shakes that expectation and puts theirs in a real dish that makes for a surprisingly elegant presentation. There is even a nicely browned top sprinkled with breadcrumbs – that’s legit. For that reason, I definitely think that this mac deserves five stars in this category! 

Flavor: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 

Again, for a barbecue side dish, the flavor was had an impressive presence with a satisfying kick that you wouldn’t really expect. Usually, the flavor is quite mild to counter the spice of the barbecue; because of that they can never really stand by themselves as main dishes. Saddleback’s mac, on the other hand, can definitely stand on its own. 

Creaminess: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The cream sauce of this mac was pretty thick, but in a good way. It did get a bit clumpy towards the end, but most do.

Cheesiness: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

On a similar note to the flavor, the cheese was more prominent than it is for most side dishes or BBQ macs; according to the menu, Saddleback uses a five cheese blend. Two thumbs up.

Texture: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The gemelli pasta added a unique texture that was really nice – the shape made it more chewy. Between that and the breadcrumbs, the texture was definitely on the mark. 

Overall Experience: 

Obviously, I was pretty impressed by this mac & cheese, and I truly think that in terms of portion size, flavor and presentation, it could definitely stand on its own as a main dish. Saddleback is killing the side dish game. 

Menu Link:http://www.saddlebackbbq.com/saddleback-mac-cheese