Ginger Face invited me out for pau hana at Kincaid’s. They did not have nachos or mac ‘n’ cheese on the Happy Hour menu, but we did notice on the full dinner menu that mac ‘n’ cheese came with an entrée. And so the macaroni and cheese blog begins…
The view at Kincaid’s is awesome. Located on the top floor, Makai side of the Ward Warehouse, the windows look out to the harbor and the long-forgotten Fisherman’s Wharf restaurant. If you come at sunset, you will not be disappointed.
And you can get happy hour food/drinks anywhere in the lounge area, so there is plenty of seating. I saw some sweet potato fries get delivered at the table next to us and they looked delicious, served with 2 dipping sauces. I love dipping things in stuff. They brought us some bread (I guess cause we ordered the sides of mac ‘n’ cheese from the dinner menu?) that was delicious. Warm with melted butter atop and strong flavor of rosemary.
Since we ordered a side each, we opted to just share the French dip sliders which came out first anyway. The meat was super juicy and when dipped in the au jus was heavenly drippy messy.
And then came out our - what we thought were small - sides of mac ‘n’ cheese. But no, they were large. And we were already getting full. And to our surprise topped with little bits of lobster bonus. The cheese sauce was white and we could never remember to ask the waitress what kinds it was actually made of. At first bite, I thought the dish needed some salt, but after a few bites realized my palette was just over salted by the au jus of the French dip. It was perfectly seasoned and the traditional elbow macaroni was perfectly cooked. They must have used gobs of real cheese because stringy deliciousness formed when you brought a bite from the plate to your mouth, but only for about an inch. The noodles maintained a consistent coating of ooey gooey cheesy nom nom ness till the last bite. Be prepared though…this lovely delight of a macaroni and cheese side dish does not run cheap. $15.95 per bowl.
Ginger Face:
I am pretty familiar with Kincaid's happy hour. With delicious, discounted pupus, $4-5 drinks and ample free parking, you should probably familiarize yourself with it, too. This time I opted for the Basil Gimlet, which is the perfect blend of savory basil, gin and sweetness. Goes down easy. Too easy.
The mac n cheese is not on the happy hour menu and not cheap - one bowl costs more that three happy hour drinks! While a bit pricey, it's not for no reason. This is not your childhood mac n cheese. And I would consider it a dinner-sized portion. It came out topped with lobster and parsley and then gets topped with fresh-ground pepper table side, a classy touch. The lobster flavor is throughout the dish and gives it a sophisticated flare. The cheese sauce was hot, stringy and rich in flavor, but pooled under the noodles - it was a stir and bite dish!
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| It's so cheesy! |
Kincaid's has definitely upped the mac n cheese ante.
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| Someone is too full and cannot finish! |
