8 of 31: Moms Soul Food Macaroni and Cheese Showdown

A couple of weeks back, I went on a trek to look for tailgate suitable food. I wanted wings. All the usual suspects were available to me, but I still wanted to try something new. After wasting about 10 dollars in gas and 1 hour of time bouncing all over Aiea, Pearl City, Mililani, and Waipahu, I settled on Mom's Soul food.

Located in what was once an old KFC location in Aiea on Kam Highway, Mom's definitely has a Mom and Pop establishment feel. At that time, I ordered a family pack of sides, including cornbread, mac and cheese, black beans and rice, and fried Okra. And of course, 20 wings. (Sorry, no pictures from that day)

Fast forward two hours later, everyone, and I mean everyone, enjoyed it. Discerning pallets were pleasantly surprised. The simple pallets declared it "awesome." All in all, it was worth a second visit. Amongst the southern food goodness was the Mac and Cheese. And it was noteworthy, even cold. I knew it would be a top contender in the Mac and Cheese Showdown.

Today, I made an official return visit to Mom's Soul food. But I had to do it on the sly! When I asked for the mac and cheese side order, I got a look. Ya know, the kind of look that you get when someone is wondering "is this him?". Something told me to stop taking pictures. So I did and just waited. A few minutes later, a girl asked me if I was doing a review. I lied, of course. But that put an end to the picture taking and an end to the in house taste test. I had to take this bad boy on the road. (photos taken in my car at Neal Blaisdell Park) Notice, no crumble crust. Just the Mac and Cheese. Small side, $3.49

As you can see, the cheese is plentiful and the flavor is true. Its an honest to goodness mac and cheese. No frills, all flavor.

At the bottom of the bowl, when empty, was a POOL of oils which is the telltale sign of awesome. Though my doctor would disagree. The cheese flavor on this one was strong, it had a bite, and a back end subtle creaminess that speaks of Jack and Cheddar at the very least. And if I had to guess, there was at least 3 different types of cheese in here.  As I said, a worthy entrant into the showdown. I WILL be back for a more comprehensive review in the future. But for now, just the cheese.

p.s. Wings are damn good here. As well as fried okra and cornbread. Southern food lovers will note that the Cornbread is a Naturally sweetened cornbread. Ergo a side, not a dessert. Just the way it should be.