CapMac: Or how I desperately love melty, congealed, cheesy goodness
I made it my mission to find CapMac, the "mac and cheese truck", wherever they might be stopping this week. My visit came a week later than I expected. I was out of my door, pressing the down button to my elevator last Wednesday the 14th, when I pulled up my twitter and saw that the truck had aborted their mission for the day. I was devastated. All I had been hearing for weeks was the details of how drool-worthy the new fall Goat Mac was (goat cheese is my #1 favorite cheese), and man, when you've been looking forward to one dish for days, it freaking sucks to not be able to get it. The website succinctly describes the goat mac with "fall greens, crispy onions" at $8 and for $2 extra, I can add braised pork. Since I was also grabbing lunch for my Mother (or creating an excuse to be able to get 2 different macs), I also decided to get the Classic CapMac'n Cheese: "Cheddar, pimento, cheez-it crumble" for $6, make it Sloppy or Balls-out (or both) for $2 more.
The truck made its Wednesday stop at GWU, and after a particularly frustrating drive into D.C. (is there any other kind?) because the red line stops nowhere near campus, I made it. I have to say the only thing CapMac has going against it is that it is cash only. Nothing huge, but I am just not a cash person. I specifically have to go to the ATM before I visit the truck. But I can get over it pretty quickly. So, I waltzed up to the truck amid a pretty decent line and ordered. The girl who helped me was nice and was smily, no complaints. I probably waited no longer than 5-7 minutes for my name to be called. I grabbed my brown bag (I was kindly told my goat mac was on top) and headed back to my car. I was practically ferocious to eat once I got back home. Tell me this doesn't look amazing:
A sloppy classic mac and the goat mac with braised pork. Do you see what I see? The GLOB of CHEDDAR in the classic mac?! How about the dollops of goat cheese? Zonks. I think I just passed out. Lets look more closely.
I'll start with the goat mac. As you can see, I think it is one of those dishes that would have been absolutely perfect if I was able to eat it immediately. I am a huge proponent of eating food when it's hot, but today, I just wasn't able to. The greens, which should've given the mac a fresh, slightly chewy flavor, were mostly just soggy. Maybe spinach would've been better? Or maybe it's just because I ate 30 minutes after it was made. The crispy onions added a great texture. Downside: not enough cheese. I was lucky to get the goat mac offered this summer, with tomato jam and breadcrumbs, and it was to.die.for. Perfect amount of goat cheese, which the jam set off perfectly, and the breadcrumbs were basically the cherry on top. I wish I could've gone back everyday. But the ingredients of this goat mac just seemed to be lacking in those "match made in heaven" qualities that the summer edition had. I really did enjoy the braised pork, though. Saying all that, it was still pretty tasty. My Mom said it had a very "earthy taste". I would definitely have to agree. And once I heated it up, it tasted a lot better. I still wish there was more cheese, though.
Hello, my love. The sloppy classic mac was practically perfect in every way (just like my idol/alter ego Mary Poppins). The sloppy means that the dish was topped with ground beef and bolognese sauce. Worth it. This is definitely how I like my mac: slightly cooled, cheese has started to congeal, and is a little chunky instead of runny. The best part about it all? TONS OF CHEESE. My Mom and I dug in and never looked back. I did heat up a portion of it to see if even perfection could be improved upon. Nope, not necessary. The cheez-it topping gave the pasta a great texture and flavor. What could possibly go wrong with topping cheese with more cheese? Maybe the world imploding in awesomeness.
I received an e-mail from my Mom this afternoon telling me that she dreamed about the mac. She had to run off for a hair appointment halfway through our lunch and I may or may not have eaten the rest of both of the dishes.
I can't wait to try CapMac again. They'll be at Truckeroo next Friday, but I don't think I'll be visiting this truck then. I plan on trying out something new, but who knows what those crazy lines will dictate? Maybe when they come out with a new goat mac I'll go back. I have also heard great things about their Chicken Parm Meat Balls and will definitely have to try that out.
Bottom line: Thank you CapMac for satisfying my daily undying need for cheese. Your service was friendly and efficient. Your classic mac is tops and your fall goat mac leaves some changes to be desired. A friendly suggestion? Come near Friendship Heights sometime soon! Or Bethesda if you REALLY want to be kind. Preferably on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Okay, I'll try to stop being so demanding.