It was so ironic that my son had asked me if we could visit the mac n cheese place we went to years ago. He was craving it he said and I had to crush his hopes because I told him Artesia was too far away. Fast forward two weeks later and a friend of mine asked if we’d like to join her and her family for mac n cheese at Elbows. Apparently, they’ve opened a new location in Brea — okay, still not close, but at least it’s in OC.
Naturally, the kids were excited, I was too because there were so many of us which meant we could order a lot to try. It has definitely been too long. I didn’t remember this many selections before and, there were now sandwiches and salads as well.
My friend and I wanted to start off with a salad and Chinese Chicken Salad ($5.50/$7.50) of mixed greens, green onions, carrots, mandarin oranges, grilled chicken breast topped with crispy wonton stripes and sweet oriental ginger dressing was good. I liked how it is served in a to-go container so if you wanted to pick this up for lunch, it’s quick and easy.
I was definitely partial to the Green Bean Fries ($5.95). Seasoned and battered, these crunchy sticks were absolutely delicious — too bad the kids didn’t care for green beans. More for us!
What everyone fought over was the Chipstix ($4.95), a potato that’s been “fan-cut” and fried. They taste like potato chips, but are so much better!
Classic Grilled Cheese ($4.95) might be the best choice if you have young kids. This simple sandwich filled only with cheddar cheese will be agreeable to even the pickiest of eaters.
One of the kids wanted the Philly Cheesesteak Melt ($6.95) but I didn’t care for it. Filled with steak, onions, peppers, provolone and American cheeses, I thought the flavor was one dimensional and flat, requiring more seasoning in the steak.
When it comes to mac n cheese, the options are pretty endless. There’s Wingin It ($8.65/$11.65) which is good for those who love buffalo wings. The menu description says sharp cheddar with buffalo sauce, but if you don’t mix everything together, you will only taste the buffalo sauce on the boneless buffalo chicken on top. I highly suggest you mixing it all together so that every mouthful will have some sauce, crumbled blue cheese and scallion.
The kids loved Easy Cheesy Caprese ($8.65/$10.65) perhaps due to its simplicity. Roasted tomatoes, fresh garlic and basil with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses. I didn’t care for the cold tomatoes on top, so mix it in if you don’t either, it’ll take the chill off.
Do You Want A Pizza Me ($8.65/$10.65) is self explanatory. Comprising mozzarella cheese, Italian herbs and spices topped with marinara, pepperoni is garnished on top just like a pizza. You can have this as a vegetarian dish — so no pepperoni and with vegetables instead.
I thought Chillin’ Out ($8.65/$10.65) would have been the perfect chilli mac, however, the homemade chili was very bland and desperately needed some punch. Had the chili been stellar, this would have been my favorite dish. I did like the use of chickpeas though.
We loved the name Living Fajita Loca ($8.65/$10.65) so decided to give it a try. I think after several variations, my general observation is that although the options are endless, every single mac and cheese started to taste the same underneath the toppings. One suggestion would be to mix the sharp cheddar and pepper jack together with some of the toppings INTO the mac n cheese, then finish off with the remainder of the toppings to set each one apart. Right now, if you’re getting a spoonful of the mac n cheese without the topping, they all start to taste the same.
This is why When Pigs Fly ($8.65/$10.65) was my favorite, not only because it is the closest to a classic mac n cheese, but also, there were bits of applewood smoked bacon dotted throughout the mac n cheese. This was an absolutely delicious dish, one I would keep coming back for again and again. The Swiss and gruyere cheeses were prominent, and I could taste every single ingredient in each bite. This was the only item with all the ingredients baked into the mac n cheese and not just used as a topping.
Having said a mouthful, and even with the few misses, I still love Elbows. It is a great concept, and one I will visit more frequently if it was closer to me. I know how time consuming it is to make a really good mac n cheese, and who has time for that? Plus, my son loves this place! It’s a win-win all around.
Elbows Mac n Cheese
215 W Birch Street
Brea, CA 92821
Tel: 714-784-6613
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