Danny Dines: Road trip to Mac and Cheese Paradise

Thanks to one of the funniest submissions I have ever received, I decided to head up north and visit MacSantaFe to try some of its gourmet mac and cheese.

Here is an excerpt from the submission I received:

“You got to check out this macaroni and cheese place in downtown Santa Fe! Everytime my in-laws come to town, they want to take the Rail Runner to Santa Fe and spend all my money. However, in these troubling times, I was able to find mac and cheese paradise and now day-cations to Santa Fe aren’t so unbearable. I do rue the train rides back home where my mother-in-law tells me to take it easy on the cheese intake, but I just tune her (out) and pretend I am on the beach.”

Now, I have been to MacSantaFe plenty of times. It’s part of my Saturday tradition, and it is “mac and cheese paradise.”

Every Saturday, I take the 10:40 a.m. train to the Santa Fe Depot station, I watch two movies, eat at MacSantaFe, then I miss the 10:14 p.m. train back home, so then I wait for my brother to drive to Santa Fe and pick me up. It’s a wild time.

MacSanta Fe offers various mac and cheeses (three sizes available), grilled cheeses, tomato soups and some desserts such as candied bacon and their signature Drunken Raisin Rice Pudding.

Some of the menu items include the Santa Fe mac and cheese, the Hawaiian mac and cheese, the Billy the Kid grilled cheese, the Diablo grilled cheese and more.

“We have a handful of customers from out of state that come to Santa Fe two or three times a year, and a few of those regular customers make it a point to stop here before even checking in to their hotel,” owner Theo Gio said. “It brings me a great deal of satisfaction knowing that people absolutely love our stuff and that they can’t wait to come back.”

I usually order a large pan of the four-cheese mac and cheese with a side of garlic toast. However, this time, I ordered their most popular items: a large pan of their Mushroom & Truffle mac and cheese, the Baconator grilled cheese, and their Soupa Dupa which is their twist on tomato bisque.

The Mushroom & Truffle mac and cheese is made with a combination of artisanal cheeses, homemade Béchamel sauce, panko bread crumbs, clarified butter, white truffle oil and tender mushrooms with mozzarella.

This might be the best mac and cheese on the planet.

The mac and cheese easily passed the cheese pull test, and I bet you can stretch that cheese to the Colorado border. It was rich, creamy, cheesy, and the top layer of breadcrumbs had the perfect amount of crisp and crunch. The cheese blend with the fresh mushrooms and white truffle had an amazing umami flavor to it.

Next, was the grilled cheese and Soupa Dupa.

The Soupa Dupa is a classic tomato bisque with pasta, parmesan and toasted sesame garlic toast.

The Baconator grilled cheese was made with Texas-cut Pullman bread, a cheddar cheese blend and five pieces of bacon.

This masterpiece was thick. The first bite was absolutely glorious. Starting from the outside, you had crunch from the toasted, buttered bread and from the cheese crisps that caramelized on the outside of the bread. As you got into the sandwich, you got the gooey cheese and perfectly cooked savory bacon.

Like a pro, I dipped my Baconator into the Soupa Dupa, which launched my taste buds into eternal happiness. I’m going to chase that feeling.

The large pan of Mushroom & Truffle mac and cheese costs $15. The Baconator grilled cheese costs $18 with a side (or you can substitute the side for a soup).

MacSantaFe is located at 115 E. Water St. in Santa Fe. Hours are noon to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday. Call 505-984-8484 or visit them on their website for more information.

Where should I go next? Email me at zunigasauce@gmail.com