Best of Boston, Pt. 2: Lord Hobo

The hubs and I took a road trip to Boston to visit our college friend Allison back in June. It was a long drive (7 hours) for a 3 day weekend, but it was well worth it. We saw so much and ate so many good meals in two days, that I'll have to do a series of posts about our experiences. Here's Part 2:

Lord Hobo is a gastropub (as in a bar that also serves real food... I know, it was a new word for me, too) in Cambridge.  My husband was impressed by the huge selection of beers (the list looked like a wine list at a good restaurant), but I'm not a beer drinker, so I opted for a cocktail and an entree. 

The spot is really casual.  It's on a corner in a neighborhood and it's essentially an oversized bar.  Well, I guess it's a bit better than your average neighborhood bar because the bathrooms were nice and we had real napkins.  But I digress...

Allison recommended the macaroni and cheese.  Now, I thought I knew all about mac and cheese.  I've learned to make a great traditional version for holidays, and I also do a nice Cheesy Baked Shells and Pasta as a weeknight meal.  I figured it would be good, but just normal.

I wanted my husband and I to order two different menu items so I could try more than one entree.  After some discussion, it turned out that three out of the six people in our party just had to have the Macaroni and Cheese with Applewood Smoked Bacon (it's also available with lobster).  I am so, so happy that I ordered my own.  This is not something you want to share.

The sauce was perfectly thick and creamy and had that really sharp cheese taste that I prefer.  I'm guessing it was some combination of sharp cheddar and parmesan.  The chef used mezzi rigatoni instead of traditional macaroni, which was an excellent choice.  The rigatoni were large enough to get filled with cheese and some of the bacon actually made it's way into the holes in the pasta.  The bacon was thick cut, lean, and smoky.  It almost reminded me of a smoked pork chop or a barbecued rib (minus the sauce). 

You know you've eaten a great meal when you think about it for days afterwards.  The best part is that it was only $10.  I paid as much for the entree as I did for the drink.  Yes, it was all worth it.  Every.  Single.  Calorie.

My next quest is to make this at home.  I think I already know the basics, but the key will be finding the right brand of bacon.  Wish me luck!

Want to hear more about our Bostonian culinary adventures?  Check out Part 1.