CLOSED: Macarollin’ brings gourmet mac and cheese to Utah Valley
The Lobster Mac and Cheese at Macarollin' food truck.
The Macarollin' food truck, parked at the Springville Library.
Macarollin's Lobster Mac and Cheese.
NOTE: Macarollin’ moved its service area to Idaho.
This is, by far, the most I’ve ever written about macaroni and cheese.
I realize what this means — that there’s no coming back. Writing more than 400 words on mac and cheese just changes you. It places you into a unique group, of those who have done the same. This might sound elitist of me; please don’t take it that way. For a writer, this is just a watershed moment. Come with me as I venture into the unknown that is mac and cheese criticism.
Food trucks have really exploded in Utah Valley over the past six months. This a welcome development, for a lot of reasons. For one, it’s given the Herald a whole new crop of eateries to review. Macarollin’, the gourmet mac and cheese franchise that started in New York, now has a truck in the area. I had eaten it once before, at the Provo Food Truck Roundup, and wanted to try the other stuff on the menu.
I’m not well versed in gourmet mac and cheese — but hey, I’d really like to be; might as well start now.
Some friends and I found the truck last week parked near the University Mall. Macarollin’ has six different mac and cheese options that it cycles through, with three flavors available on any given day. That day we were greeted by the Classic Mac, Caprese Mac and Buffalo Chicken Mac.
The Classic Mac may sound standard, but make no mistake, it has a lot of flavors churning underneath the culinary surface. Take the cheeses, for example: New York aged cheddar, gruyere and fontina. The Classic Mac features all three. An interesting mix of breadcrumbs — toasted thyme, rosemary and crispy cheddar — is also thrown into the mix here, giving the Classic Mac a nice bit of crunch to counteract the gooey cheeses and pasta.
Our personal favorite was the Caprese Mac. This Italian-esque dish has bruschetta tomatoes, basil salsa verde, ciliegine mozzarella and Sicilian oregano breadcrumbs. It doesn’t taste vastly different than the Classic Mac — pretty similar, actually — but it was still enjoyable nonetheless. The mozzarella came in little cubes, which gradually melted into the rest of the dish. So that was fun.
Then there was the Buffalo Chicken Mac. This dish is not for the faint of heart. It includes blue cheese chunks, pulled smoked chicken, chipotle hot sauce and celery seed breadcrumbs. Whenever we took a bite with a bit of blue cheese, it was like a flavor bomb. Blue cheese can be pretty pungent. That was certainly the case here. While the other dishes we sampled that day were smooth, the Buffalo Chicken Mac was a bit abrasive. You blue cheese enthusiasts out there might react differently, though, so take our critique with a grain of salt.
Macarollin’ provides huge portion sizes. It’s hard to finish an entire bowl. This is a good thing, since it’s on the pricey side: $8 for the Classic Mac and $9 for each of the others we ate. The food truck tosses in a lot of premium ingredients into its dishes, too, so it’s hard to say whether the price is too much. Personally, I have a certain price threshold when it comes to mac and cheese. Maybe I’m just conditioned by the cheap mac and cheese I’ve spent my whole life eating. Macarollin’ definitely puts a lot of Kraft — er, craft — into its dishes. If you’re craving some mac and cheese, Macarollin’ is certainly worth visiting and deciding for yourself.
MACAROLLIN'
Where: Food truck, at various locations throughout Utah Valley
Hours: 11 a.m.-2 p.m., 5-9 p.m. Monday through Saturday
Prices: $9
Info: (801) 851-5151, Facebook.com/MacarollinProvo