Midtown Lunch

This week Luncher John is back on the streets, checking out the mac from Mac Mart

There will always be a place for the ultimate comfort food, macaroni and cheese. Who, as a kid, didn’t enjoy a good bowl of mac and cheese, whether it was Kraft or mom’s homemade recipe? And it still remains a good meal as you’ve grown up.

Mac Mart, a new food truck that opened in December at Drexel, aims to satiate the continuing craving. Launched by Marti Lieberman, a recent Drexel alum, Mac Mart is the city’s first truck specializing in mac and cheese. At lunchtime during weekdays, the truck is easily spotted at the bustling corner of 33rd and Arch Streets by its distinct pink color and graphic of Marti serving a pot of the goods.

The menu features innovative mac and cheese combinations, such as barbecue chicken and a vegetable-filled option. If you’re feeling creative, you can build your own bowl by picking your mix-ins, proteins and drizzles. There are different sized bowls for different sized appetites. For my first visit, I chose a Mac Daddy (medium) bowl of the Smokey Brisket Mac special ($8). The bowl was filled to the brim to the point that the covering nearly didn’t fit (this is a good thing, by the way). Visually, it looked very appetizing, and someone walking by as I was eating it even stopped to ask where I purchased the bowl. The slow cooked sweet and smokey brisket was excellent, and the sweet flavor was a perfect complement to the mac and cheese flavor. I would say that the mac and cheese was not the “cheesiest” that I have ever had. The cheese sauce was not a particularly thick texture, though it still tasted good. I was pleasantly surprised that the serving was filling for a lunch meal.

Not feeling like having a meal in a bowl? You can also order a G-Dog, which is a mac and cheese-topped hot dog. I had one with an additional topping of bacon ($5). The char grilled beef dog was topped with ample mac and cheese and big chunks of bacon. Make sure to keep the dog in the foil wrapping, or you may be dropping some of the toppings. Both the hot dog and toppings went well together, though I was not as filled as I was with the bowl.

Don’t be wary of ordering mac and cheese as your sole lunch dish, as the bowls (particularly the middle and largest sizes) and even the hot dog with toppings are good for a full meal. After all, how can you go wrong eating mac and cheese fora winter time lunch? Its not like its bikini season.

THE + (What somebody who likes this place would say)

• Plenty of unique mac and cheese combinations.
• A Mac Daddy size bowl is pretty filling.
• The Smokey Brisket Mac special was excellent.

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• The cheese was not as rich and thick as I would have preferred.
• $7 or $8 is a bit much to pay for a bowl of macaroni and cheese.

Mac Mart, 33rd and Arch, Monday through Friday for lunch
@MacMartTruck