I don't like the fries at BRC Gastropub: too much fry, not enough potato. But since I insist on a carbohydrate side with my burger and BRC doesn't offer onion rings, I tried the macaroni and cheese of the day.

Advertised as "blue cheese and ham," the mac & cheese I received wasn't the best in town, but it was very good...albeit a bit confusing.

First, the surface dusting of bread crumbs initially led me to (mistakenly) believe the pasta of the mac & cheese would be "dry," that is to say, coated with a dense cheese mixture as opposed to "wet," swimming in a liquid cheese sauce. I briefly pouted, as I prefer the latter, then felt rather foolish when I scooped a large portion onto my plate and watched the sauce flow over to the burger's egg bun.

Second, the rich yellow hue of the mac & cheese's interior threw me off, as I expected it to be much lighter, almost white in color with faint traces of blue in accordance to its primary ingredient. Again, I felt slightly dismayed, thinking I had been served a plain variety by mistake, until I spotted some chunks of ham. One bite confirmed a sharp, pleasantly moldy flavor that could only be blue cheese. Ah well, color wasn't needed to make it delicious.

Third, upon setting the baby cast-iron skillet next to my plate, the waiter warned me that it was hot. He was right: sort of. The mac & cheese itself was very warm (no complaints there) but skillet itself was just below room temperature. Having majored in chemistry in a past life, I know a bit about the cooling rates of metal versus macaroni, and the temperature disconnect was a bit odd if not scientifically impossible. Perhaps the skillet was only for show?

None of these points of confusion prevented me from eating every last bit of pasta and even slurping the remaining cheese sauce with the serving spoon. I do look forward to trying a cheddar cheese mac & cheese at BRC, if only because it might come out bright-green.