Beecher's Gluten-Free ("World's Best") Mac and Cheese

I'm not a mac & cheese person. Never have been - even when I could eat gluten. A bite or two is fine, but it always seems like such a bland treatment of pasta and cheese - completely one note. I much prefer any pasta dish involving tomato sauce. On the rare occasion I do have mac & cheese, I always (ALWAYS) add ketchup and/or hot sauce. (A crime in some southern states, I imagine.)

So when Twitter told me about the gluten-free mac & cheese at Beecher's, I wasn't too excited. Am always psyched to hear about more GF options, just not personally excited about this item. But since I was running errands in the Union Square area last weekend, I decided to pop in and check it out.

Love a grand NYC facade

 Which, hell, is worth the trip just for the view from Broadway:

New York, New York!

Since it was a Saturday, Beecher's was pretty darn busy, so I just got my mac & cheese,

grabbed a sample of their (deeelicious) Flagship cheese, and checked out the in-store cheese-making area before heading to the register.

Cheeeeeeeeese!

Have to say: This GF goodness ain't cheap. I was kind of surprised by the price at the checkout: $18! Almost put it back, but decided these folks probably wouldn't have bothered to make a GF mac & cheese if it wasn't outstanding. (They call it their "World's Best Mac & Cheese", perhaps an honest claim?) Also? It's a hefty portion - says 4 servings on the box, which I'd agree with if you're serving it as a side. As a main course, I'd call it 2-3 servings.

Ok, enough with details. Here are the goods:

I took a bite and let out a long "Mmmmhh!" This mac is piquant and flavorful, full of what was clearly more than one cheese - just MMM. I ran to get the box out of the recycling, to see just what was in this magic: Their Flagship cheese - the one I had tasted in-store - along with some jack cheese, chipotle peppers, chili peppers, and garlic, among other things. In short: This ain't your momma's mac & cheese.

I'd be a liar if I said I'm a mac & cheese convert. Still not my go-to pasta dish. But I can say: Beecher's is the only one I'll buy from now on if the craving strikes. Just head and shoulders above the rest; unlike any mac & cheese I've ever had. May just be the world's best after all.