Winter food: Nook serves up mac and cheesy goodness

For mac and cheese fans, the Nook on the Downtown Mall has pulled out all the stops, offering up an entire winter gourmet mac and cheese menu. Of course, the kids tend to go for that bland Kraft powdered stuff, but for those looking for something a little more hearty and fresh”Š

“We introduced this last week, and it has been a huge hit,” says new general manager Jeff Hale, of Northern Exposure and Savour fame. “We have had several repeat customers for it bringing friends back to try a different mac.”

Hale says there are nine different mac and cheese combos, including a take on the traditional with four cheese (cheddar, swiss, monterey jack, and asiago), something called The Kitchen Sink (grilled chicken, spicy Italian sausage, sweet peppers, caramelized onions, and three cheeses), the Godfather (mozzarella, asiago, spicy Italian sausage and basil), Chicken Little (swiss, mozzarella, broccoli, lemon, dill and chicken breast), and the 21 Club (swiss, American, roasted turkey, baked ham, applewood smoked bacon, tomato. For vegetarians, there’s the Helen of Troy (Kalamata olives, pepperoncini, feta, and red peppers), and the Tuscan (mozzarella, asiago, portabella mushroom, tomatoes and basil).

“We have had several repeat customers for it bringing friends back to try a different mac,” says Hale.