Get gooey! Best mac and cheese restaurant specials for National Mac and Cheese Day

Eddie Ritz, Palm Beach Post
·2 min read
The Short Rib Mac and Cheese at Proper Grit in downtown West Palm Beach features braised short rib and mushrooms topped with crispy fried onions on top.
The Short Rib Mac and Cheese at Proper Grit in downtown West Palm Beach features braised short rib and mushrooms topped with crispy fried onions on top.

What is the best thing in life?

If you were to ask Conan in the 1982 classic "Conan the Barbarian," it might be "to crush your enemies and see them driven before you."

Clearly, we're a more sophisticated lot these days. Ask enough people today, and you will likely discover the best in life can be summed up in three words: mac and cheese.

If you need proof: There's an actual National Mac and Cheese Day — and it's today.

One of the culinary world's most classic comfort foods and a dietary staple for many from ages 2 to 92 (and beyond), mac and cheese is good.

A lot of people would call it great.

Parents of finicky eaters might even praise the dish as a sanity saver. (Seriously, along with pb&j and chicken tenders, is there anything more beloved by children than mac and cheese?)

Most adults never lose that love; but they may seek a more refined version of the guilty pleasure.

Forget the blue box and orange powder —  more sophisticated palates would savor a mac and cheese that starts with, say, sharp cheddar, havarti, smoked gouda or Gruyere, and includes a fancy sauce such as Mornay.

Many are baked to golden perfection in thick-walled baking dishes or cast iron pans.

As if the bubbly, gooey deliciousness of cheese and macaroni wasn't enough, it is  topped with lobster, lump crab meat, smoked brisket and more.

Though many local eateries regularly serve mac and cheese, there are a few specials happening right now.

Dig in!

Proper Grit

In downtown West Palm Beach, Proper Grit is offering two new varieties for the holiday: the Short Rib Mac and Cheese for $21 and the Grilled Chicken Mac and Cheese for $19.

Created by executive chef Marc Rosen, the Short Rib Mac features braised short rib, mushrooms and crispy onions, while the Grilled Chicken Mac bumps the bar even higher — and spicier — with grilled chicken, poblano pepper and pickled jalapeno.

Proper Grit, 251 N. Narcissus Ave., West Palm Beach; 561-655-4001

Josie's Ristorante

For National Mac and Cheese Day, Josie's Ristorante in Boynton Beach will be offering their Maine Lobster Mac and Cheese.
For National Mac and Cheese Day, Josie's Ristorante in Boynton Beach will be offering their Maine Lobster Mac and Cheese.

At Josie's Ristorante in Boynton Beach, celebrate the day with their cheese-drenched macaroni with a crustacean twist.

Diners can enjoy Maine Lobster Mac and Cheese when they order the seven-ounce Wagyu filet mignon for $70 or their 14-ounce center cut veal chop for $60.

Josie's Ristorante, 650 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach; 561-364-9601

Corvina Seafood Grill

Corvina Seafood Grill's take on mac and cheese features butter-poached Maine lobster nestled into pasta drenched in a white cheddar mornay sauce and topped with toasted panko.
Corvina Seafood Grill's take on mac and cheese features butter-poached Maine lobster nestled into pasta drenched in a white cheddar mornay sauce and topped with toasted panko.

Getting in on the decadence and honoring the dish, Corvina Seafood Grill in Boca Raton just added mac and cheese to its menu.

Corvina's take on this timeless classic features butter-poached Maine lobster nestled into macaroni that's drenched in a white cheddar Mornay sauce and topped with toasted panko crumbs.

Corvina Seafood Grill, 110 Plaza Real S., Boca Raton; 561-206-0066

Lucky Shuck

Lucky Shuck in Jupiter honors the dish year-round with its Crawfish Mac and Cheese topped with a bacon-shallot crumble.
Lucky Shuck in Jupiter honors the dish year-round with its Crawfish Mac and Cheese topped with a bacon-shallot crumble.

Though it's technically not a special, Lucky Shuck in Jupiter's Crawfish Mac and Cheese with a bacon-shallot crumble will satisfy a hankerin' for a bit of a southern/Cajun twist on the classic.

Lucky Shuck, 1116 Love St., Jupiter; 561-532-3331

*

Eddie Ritz is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. He has lived in the West Palm Beach area for more than 30 years and, from mild to wild, will cover noteworthy community happenings. You can reach him at eritz@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism. Subscribe today.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mac and cheese restaurant specials for National Mac and Cheese Day