A classic American dish, difficult to ruin and easy to consume, macaroni and cheese has the great ability of reinvention. In Naples, some chefs took the basics and got creative. Take a look at a few of our favorite luxury mac and cheese dishes served at some of the area’s top restaurants.
M Waterfront Grille, Naples
With warm colors and soothing Venetian Bay views, M Waterfront Grille’s comfortable atmosphere exudes simple beauty with an upscale twist. The Creamy Lobster Mac & Cheese, made with a three-cheese Alfredo sauce and Maine lobster, is topped with toasted brioche bread crumbs and two asparagus spears. Truly decadent, the sauce is rich in taste, but light in texture, and the mix is redolent of luscious lobster.
Shula’s Steak House, Naples
The walls of dark cherry wood, lined with 1972 Miami Dolphins memorabilia, enclose Shula’s Steak House in the Hilton Naples & Towers, a restaurant of tradition, formality and comfort. The perfect place for a great steak … and Crab Mac & Cheese. Considered a side dish (easily satisfying as a meal), it’s gemelli pasta smothered in sharp cheeses, topped with lump crabmeat, toasted croutons and scallions. A hint of pepper completes the specialty.
The Capital Grille, Naples
Pure elegance, private dining, personalized event planning and an award-winning wine list are just a few amenities provided by The Capital Grille in Mercato. Looking for a perfect side dish to accompany your Porcini Rubbed Delmonico? Lobster Mac ‘N’ Cheese satisfies. A mascarpone, Havarti and Grana Padano cream sauce gives the dish its exquisite taste. The baked campanelle pasta and fresh lobster meat are tossed in the culinary fusion and then topped with panko bread crumbs and grated white cheddar. Prepare to be charmed by the aura of warm mahogany, brass accents, portraits of prominent local citizens and an ultimate dining experience.
The Grill at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples
A classic, contemporary approach to its traditional theme of elegance, The Grill at The Ritz-Carlton, Naples has a constantly returning comfort dish for its devout followers. Summer Truffle White Cheddar and Thyme Mac and Cheese is crafted in a béchamel sauce of white cheddar and a six-year aged cheddar. While truffle oil is gently folded in, along with thyme, parsley and shallots. The dish is then baked under cornflakes, bread crumbs and butter, and topped with a generous sliver of fresh truffle. The upscale venue is relaxing and entertaining with nightly live piano music. Ask a sommelier for the best choice of fine wine to pair with this fabulous dish.
