PlanJam!From your screen to the scene

Cheese. I love it. Show me a person who doesn’t like cheese and I’ll show you someone I just don’t care for. Also, macaroni. Any pasta will make me happy, really. In this case my choice of discussion of macaroni is for a reason. I want to talk of these two ingredients because I want to pontificate, nay, PREACH about the mac and cheese at the oh-so-yummy haven: Chat ‘n’ Chew

Allow me to start by pointing out that I hate mac and cheese. Growing up I avoided it like the plague and always chose gross beef patties in school just to avoid this seemingly sickening concoction. It didn’t seem organic to me in any sense and I wanted no part. Mac and cheese was not for me.

In going to Chat ‘n’ Chew for the first time with a friend who swore by their version of the dish, I vetoed the spot in favor of something less offensive to me. It was after all, the Union Square area and possibilities were ample. She held her ground, insisting on their famous mac and cheese. I gave in. And thank the cheese gods I did, because that day changed my life. The mac and cheese was impressive to say the least. Gooey and soft on the inside, the outside was adorned with crunchy bits that give the perfect complementing texture to the gooey cheese. (Great now I’m getting hungry.)

You think that is where this review ends but you are mistaken. I have not yet tackled the meat loaf. Now you might not believe what you’re about to read, but it’s true. I grew up without ever having tried meatloaf. To me, it was the vague notion of what a proper 50’s family with a stay home mom ate for dinner every Wednesday. Not so for my family. I was served up a seafood surprise that was surprisingly not seafood. So, I ventured to try the “foreign” dish one fine lunch hour at Chat ‘n’ Chew. It was divine. Made with a ridiculously flavorful mushroom gravy (not an overpowering mushroom flavor—just a great texture and taste), this loaf of meat, if you will, is paired with mashed potatoes (with skins) and a bevy of roasted veggies. All in all no human can still be full after this dish. And each one I’ve seen try it for the first time was left deeply satisfied.

Chat n chew has a full menu apart from my favorites here and a full bar for the lushes of the group (me), so no one will leave dissatisfied. In the summer they offer a few tables on the sidewalk if you’d like to enjoy your food alfresco. Located not one block from Union Square, this eatery is the perfect spot to enjoy any or all of your cravings while staying in a cool area.