Put a Feather in Your Cap and Call it Macaroni

We've just heard about a local event devoted to the perennial classic of American comfort food: Macaroni and cheese. Oregon-based Tillamook Cheese and the Pasadena location of the higher-end seafood chain eatery McCormick & Schmick’s are sponsoring the 2006 Macaroni and Cheese Recipe Contest. It's a cook-off for Angelenos who think they are the absolute cheesiest--when it comes to macaroni, that is. So what's the prize look like for this feather in your cap? It's $1,000, along with 25 pounds of Tillamook cheese and dinner for four at McCormick & Schmick’s. LA's winner will go on to a national competition in Portland, OR, where the grand prize is $5000 and, of course, all the glory that goes with it. Think you have what it takes? Recipes must be submitted to the website by May 2; the contest will be held on May 25. Got more than one way to make macaroni? You can enter up to three recipes.

Now, if your Mac & Cheese skills in the kitchen are limited to a blue box, some margarine, a quarter cup of milk and a packet of orange powder, maybe this contest isn't for you. But that doesn't mean we all can't take a moment to appreciate the real deal when it comes to this dish. There are plenty of local eateries that claim their version of the classic is unbeatable, or just like mom's. We've dug in and come up smiling at Luna Park, but we're hearing Violet is giving them a run for their money.

So you tell us, LA. Who's got the best macaroni and cheese?

Photo by eunibabe via Flickr