Eddie's Mac and Cheese Ratings

Like most two (almost three) year olds I know, Eddie is a very picky eater. Thankfully, there are a few staple foods such as mac and cheese that he will consistently eat. Still, he won't settle for just any "cheesy noodles." He abandoned boxed stuff half a lifetime ago. And blindly ordering mac and cheese off a kid's menu when we eat out is a gamble because (a) it is way overpriced for what it is, and (b) he expects the noodles to be a certain shape, and the cheese to be the proper shade of yellow (demands that we, as parents, do a poor job of notifying restaurants of beforehand). So here you have it, some of the best and worst places to get mac and cheese according to Eddie:

Noodles & Company
If Eddie hasn't eaten a decent meal for a few days, we can always take him here and get him a large portion of the Wisconsin Mac & Cheese to make up for the lost calories. He will also hork down multiple bowlfuls of our homemade mac and cheese recipe that emulates Noodles & Company.

Eddie's Rating: 4 out of 4 Elbows

Windy Ridge Cafe
The portion may have been modest, but this Park City establishment scored extra points for presentation by serving it up in a miniature saucepan. Once Eddie had scooped up every last noodle, he then licked the cheese residue on his spoon for several minutes afterwards.

Eddie's Rating: 3 out of 4 Elbows

Olive Garden
The popular chain forgoes traditional elbow macaroni noodle for mini shells, which Eddie instantly rebuffed. I was, however, able to convince him to eat the leftovers when I told him the noodles were actually sea shells.

Eddie's Rating: 2 out of 4 Elbows

Iggy's Sports Grill
They may have gotten the noodle shape and cheese color right, but then Iggy's had to go and serve it in loaf form, thus making it unfit for toddler consumption. I can only surmise that a cheesy noodle loaf haunted Eddie's dreams for days, because he wouldn't touch the leftovers even after the loaf was leveled.

Eddie's Rating: 0 out of 4 Elbows