At present the title goes, without a doubt to HobNob.
HobNob is cozy gastro-pub near Ansley Mall. Their menu features excellent versions of pub favorites and unpretentious suggested beer pairings. The macaroni and cheese comes straight from the oven to your table in it's very own cast iron skillet. The creamy molten three-cheese sauce covers traditional elbow pasta and is topped with crumbles of truffled bread and butter crust. Every time I've ordered it, my table-mates and onlookers nearby have been jealous. The portion is generous and can easily be shared. The best part? Their menu pairs this with New Belgium's Fat Tire Amber Ale, which happens to also be my favorite beer. It's a culinary experience not to be missed.
A very close second is The Porter Beer Bar
Situated in the heart of Little 5 Points, the Porter gives you that local English pub feeling. Like HobNob, their entire menu features unique twists on old pub favorites. They also have about 30 beers on tap that will broaden the horizon of some of the biggest beer snobs. Their mac and cheese combines bechemel, asiago and cheddar into a cheese sauce you'll want to savor. The portion is not quite as big as HobNob's but it's definitely filled me up for dinner before. I deduct just a few point because the sauce begins to clump as you get toward the end of the dish. Perhaps if I ate more quickly this wouldn't happen, but this stuff is just to good to rush. If you're arteries aren't too clogged from all the cheese, I also recommend the Reuben. It might just change your life.
Don't write home to mom about:
Mary Mac's Tea Room - This iconic Atlanta restaurant should be visited a least once in a lifetime, but I'm not impressed with the mac and cheese. There was a lot of hype going in and I don't see what all the fuss was about. This mac is the clumpy casserole type and I'm just not a fan. They use solely cheddar, which also makes it a bit greasy. No disrespect to Mary Mac's though. The fried chicken gets two thumbs up.
Kaleidoscope - Style points are awarded to this new Brookhaven establishment for use of the corkscrew pasta. Marks for texture get an A+, but there wasn't enough sauce to go around. Next time I'll just stick with my mashed potatoes. The rest of my dinner was great though. If you haven't visited the new strip off of Dresden, you're missing out.
DBA Barbecue - As one my favorite places in Virgina Highlands, it pains me to report that DBA needs some help in the mac and cheese department. The rest of their menu is great, featuring excellent suggestions for barbecue pork and chicken. They even have sweet potato tots! This place is great for a group and often features great drink specials.
This is a small report on a much larger sample size. If you feel that I've missed out on the best of what Atlanta has to offer, let me know and I'll check it out.
