The Newport Marriott was immediately bustling and busy as the doors opened for the seventh annual Mac & Cheese Smackdown during the Newport Winter Festival. Tickets were the key to entry as well as the way to cast a vote for Best Mac & Cheese.
Tasters were faced with choosing one out of twelve local restaurants to dub their mac the best – no small feat with the variety of takes on what mac-n-cheese could be, and the high levels of execution for each dish. Labeled from one through twelve, the pop-up restaurants circled the Marriott’s atrium.
First in the lineup was Wharf Southern Kitchen. They presented a mac with house-made Guinness cheese sauce and a Ritz cracker crumble. Safari Room at OceanCliff was next, with a four-cheese mac (gouda, gruyere, parmesan, extra sharp cheddar), and brown butter parmesan toasted breadcrumbs. Then came The Helmway with three cheeses (parmesan, mozzarella, asiago), brisket, and crumbled cornbread. Skiff Bar at the Marriott entered the fray with their deluxe take on mac-n-cheese: lobster Florentine mac. They took third place in last year’s competition.
Becky’s BBQ entered the competition for the first time this year, with new owners Michael and Carol bringing “real Southern baked mac” to knock the socks off the competition. Their mac had five different cheeses in it. “It’s my grandma’s recipe right here,” said Michael proudly, with Carol adding that their hopes were high for their inaugural year at the Smackdown. “Lots of people are saying we’re really, really, really good.”
Next to Becky’s was La Forge Restaurant, offering “new school mac-n-cheese that’s super creamy with a bit of paprika.” Pour Judgement’s Market on Broadway came next with their bold “Mac-n-Cheese a la Genovese:” a four-cheese mac with pesto and chopped Italian meats. Rounding out the top portion of the atrium came Stoneacre Brasserie. Nicole Bender and her husband, chef Christopher Bender, returned for their third try at the title for Best Mac. They presented a melty four-cheese mac on shells, seasoned breadcrumbs, and chives. Nicole Bender admitted that though they had been unsuccessful in previous years to place, this year she had her husband, a cheese hat, and high spirits for luck.
The final four contenders started with Marco’s, who offered a classic mac-n-cheese with Ritz cracker topping, as well as a side Italian sandwich for tasters who were extra hungry. Laurel and Marco Polselli were feeling confident about this year’s Smackdown; they took second place last year, and because of that, felt like their taste was “one with the people.”
The Newport Harbor Island Resort offered a strong contender of baked mac with herbed breadcrumbs and linguica. Portsmouth Publick House was next with their pulled pork mac-n-cheese. And finally, Rising Tide Barbeque, another first-year contender, took the twelfth position. They offered three choices of mac-n-cheese: their classic mac (no toppings), smoked brisket mac, and their burnt ends and baked beans mac-n-cheese.
Last year’s Smackdown gold winner, Scratch Kitchen & Catering, did not make an appearance for this competition. While Marco’s and Skiff were feeling confident after placing in the previous year, the sense of the room was that really the number one winner could be anyone.
Halfway through the sampling time, throngs of people were casting their votes. Voting appeared to occur in clusters: many individuals dropped their ballots for restaurants #1, #2, and #3 (Wharf, the Safari Room, and The Helmway), but others would create a voting cluster around #7, #8, #10, and #11 (Pour Judgement, Stoneacre Brasserie, Newport Harbor Island Resort, and Portsmouth Publick House).
“I’m voting strictly on the mac and cheese,” said one taste tester, Tim Siciliano. “I’m trying to negate the brisket, negate the lobster, negate anything that’s added.” Other voters who overheard his statement quickly chimed in to agree, noting that the pasta had to have a good texture and the cheese had to be creamy for them to consider something worthy for the title of Best Mac & Cheese. Siciliano’s and the other voters’ top choices were #5, Becky’s BBQ, and #8, Stoneacre Brasserie.
Jennifer Delvaglio and Amanda Ekster were in deep conversation about their opinions before casting their final vote. “There should be multiple categories, for sure,” Delvaglio committed. She suggested Best Classic and Most Creative as the two superlatives, noting that the competition seemed to be split down the middle between being extra creative and embracing classic mac flavors. Delvaglio was impressed with the Safari Room (#2): “such good breadcrumbs.” Ekster agreed, adding that “presentation is definitely something,” like the carefully placed microgreens on Skiff Bar’s lobster Florentine mac (#4). But the final consideration for both voters was the wow factor.
Voter Alexis Rosado claimed that “it was more of a classic take on it [the macaroni]” that he was looking for. “A lot of stuff was loaded.” Allison Roca, who came with Rosado, noted that it “was texture for me. I was looking for it to be gooey,” she gestured with her hands, imitating how she wanted the cheese to be melty.
At 3:30, the winners were announced. Safari Room at OceanCliff (#2) was given special note for having best décor. They also took third place. Second place went to Skiff Bar at the Marriott, who also received special thanks for hosting the Smackdown. A pleasant surprise and shock to all competitors, Rising Tide Barbeque, a first-year contender, took the first-place position and won the title of Best Mac & Cheese. Everyone at Rising Tide couldn’t contain their joy or their big, cheesy smiles as they gathered around the first-place trophy and looked to the cameras.
Photo Gallery
All photos by Ruthie Wood for What’sUpNewp.
