Mac and Cheese Madness: Steel Creek American Whiskey Co.

By Ron Swarner on June 13, 2014

Macaroni and cheese may not be duck à l'orange, but it transcends so-called gastronomy by inspiring devotion and embodying sustenance. Adults fight over whose mother's recipe wins out. Friends have mac-and-cheese cook-offs. Even fancy restaurants try to capitalize on such greatness by adding things such as chorizo, cotija and aged English cheddar. Hmmm, that actually sounds delicious.

Anyway, it's Friday. You've had a tough week and you really want to treat yourself to make it all better. Best way to indulge? My weekly Mac and Cheese Madness report. This week I suggest wrangling the lobster mac and cheese at Steel Creek American Whiskey Co. Yup, this cowboy and whiskey bar not only features 3,000 awesome whiskeys (I could be off a tad) but a worthy mac and cheese to boot.

Steel Creek's lobster mac and cheese is my first creamy version since I began this insane weekly journal. I'm talking exceedingly creamy. The cheese-to-pasta ratio is perfect - pasta isn't left swimming in the cheese or, horror of horrors, there's so little of the good stuff. The only thing is that the subtle flavor of the lobster is hidden in the cheese. The lobster flavor is subtle but pervasive and really pops when you happen upon a bit of claw meat. But I still wouldn't kick this mac n' cheese out of bed.

Steel Creek, which is celebrating its one-year anniversary this weekend, has eased my disdain for mixing seafood and cheese.

STEEL CREEK AMERICAN WHISKEY CO., 4:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday-Saturday, 4:30-11 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday, 1114 Broadway, Tacoma, 253.627.1229