You might expect to find macaroni and cheese on the menu at a steakhouse. Despite its humble rep as a kiddie snack, it's become somewhat of a staple next to many cuts of meat. What you're not so likely to find at a steakhouse is the biggest mound of mac you've ever seen — deep-fried and served with even more cheese on top. It's not that the flavor's so out-of-the-box, it's just that most steakhouses are better known for serving classics than toying with their dishes.
Luke Pascal is well aware of that, which is why when he set out to help create the menu at Manhattan's Chuck & Blade, the steakhouse he co-owns, he made sure to include some dishes that would turn heads … and pull in a younger, less stuffy crowd. Enter: the Bocce Ball. It's the house mac and cheese, which alone is delicious, stuffed with even more cheese, deep-fried, then topped with — yet again — more cheese. The cheesy center and sauce are made of the same three varieties: gruyere, fontina, and mozzarella.
Pascal's team runs the restaurant with the idea that you can't have too much cheese, and diners seem to agree. The Bocce Ball has become one of Chuck & Blade's most popular dishes, and servers never clear a plate that hasn't been practically licked clean. That said, if you're a mac and cheese purist, you're still in luck. Chefs use the same recipe — sans all that extra cheese — for the pasta side dish. Just don't be a total snooze: Add the freakin' short rib on top.
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