If you go into Mac’s American you may be surprised. But the surprise won’t come when you walk in the door. To the untrained eye Mac’s looks like any other middle-class urban watering hole: wooden tables with ladder back chairs, some neon beer signs, exposed brick walls. And the surprise won’t come when you look at the menu. All the bar food staples are here: burgers, sandwiches, salads and comfort food. The surprise will come when the food arrives.
Mac’s does simple, straightforward American bar food extraordinarily well. This is not about being inventive or adventurous. Mac’s takes the same-old, same-old and elevates it to high art. Take the french fries. You can’t stop eating them. Or the meatloaf sandwich: moist, graciously seasoned, served on focaccia with fried onions. Hearty and delicious. The macaroni and cheese which had better be good at a place called Mac’s exceeds expectations. It’s wonderfully creamy and irresistible.
If Mac’s pushes the envelope anywhere it’s with its use of duck which is offered in a pasta and in a marvelous salad that is a model of culinary simplicity and balance. The salad combines cold duck medallions with mandarin oranges and dried cherries on a bed of baby spinach with a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. My wife declared that it was more than she had been hoping for. A few bites later she feared she could become addicted.
Mac’s offers a considered selection of great American craft brews. The taps sport such impressive names as Rogue, Dog’s Head, Fat Tire, Kalamazoo and Sierra Nevada. We happened to arrived on Tuesday night which is $3.00 American beer night at Mac’s.
So this was the test. A lot of half-assed suburban sports bars will trumpet their “discount domestics night” but when you order a Sam Adams they’ll tell you it’s not part of the deal. No effort on your part to explain that Sam Adam’s is in fact a domestic will get the deal done. What they mean is that the usual swill – Budweiser, Miller, Coors – are on sale, not anything that's actually good. If Mac’s were to pull that henny-penny crap it would’ve fallen sharply in my estimation. But to their everlasting credit they meant what they said. Every American brew, even if it was good, was $3. For this reason alone I would return to Mac’s.
Mac's has taken a beating for their poor service. We visited Mac's on weeknights and Sundays, so we cannot vouch for the service Thursday through Saturday, but our service was fine. Overall, the entire experience struck us as competent and unpretentious with a few very welcome surprises coming from the kitchen. We will gladly return to Mac's again.
Back for Seconds Feb 24, 2009...
The wonderful duck salad we had so favored on our last visit had been replaced with one built around yellow fin tuna. While okay, it lacked the balance and complexity of the duck salad. The only duck remaining on the menu was a fried duck appetizer, certainly nothing to get excited about. The mac and cheese was still a stand out and the tasty meat loaf sandwich was still on offer. The service was shaky but well meaning and not off putting. The beer selection was good, as always, and the vibe remained neighborhoody and low key.
Mac's is still a three-star restaurant because it still does bar food much better than most everyone else, but we were saddened to see the removal of our favorite salad from the menu and unimpressed with the switch from duck to yellow fin tuna.
Mac’s American
1801 W. Division St.
773-782-4400 / Reservations Not Accepted
Hours: M-F 11am-2am; Sa 11am-3am Su
Features: Outdoor Dining, Bar Scene, Carryout, Late Night Dining, Private Party Facilities
Avg Price for Two Including Drinks and Tax $45.00
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