Mac's Pizza Pub

I can't believe that I had never heard or even seen Mac's Pizza Pub for how many times I have been to Clifton and especially in that area. It is right across the street from Penn Station on W McMillan Street (which could be the reason I have never seen it since I am always starring at Penn Station). After not being able to find any parking on the street, we found some parking in a metered parking lot for 12 minutes for every quarter we put into it up to 8 hours. The group I went with and myself didn't realize till after we were done eating that they actually have a parking lot designated for their restaurant and the King Wok right behind the building. So next time, because there will be a next time, we will know to just park in the back for free without trying to find anything on the street.

We headed inside to a pretty empty restaurant, I think I only saw one or two tables filled and then a few at the bar. We missed the big sign on the floor telling us to seat ourselves, but we eventually figured it out. I did notice before even coming in and then again all over the walls the amount of beer specials they had. Since we were at a work lunch, I decided not to take advantage of these specials, but it did make me want to come back and try some of the beers they had. They also had some food specials as well, including their 7 for $7 menu. This menu was a list of 7 choices that were all, you guessed it, $7. I don't remember them all, but I do remember one was a Sam Adams beer and 8 wings, another was a specialty burger, fries and a soda and another one was a meatball hoagie, any toppings and a soda. We didn't get any of these deals today.




Instead, we decided to split two medium pizzas and we also ordered some onion rings and loaded fries for some appetizers. It was way too much food for us to put down. We still have close to an entire medium pizza left. We got the Mac-Attack Pizza (with jalapenos and spicy beef) and their Meat Lovers Pizza (with pep, ham, sausage and bacon). I liked the Meat Lovers more, but the Mac-Attack was very good, just more spicy than I cared for.



The onion rings were some of the best I have ever had. The breading was perfect and the onion didn't all come out when you took your first bite into it. And the loaded fries were awesome. They have their "famous" waffle fries and they load them up with cheese and REAL bacon. The appetizers were my favorite part of the meal, but I love bar food like that. If I could have had a couple of beers with the appetizers, I think I would have been set and left a very happy man.



The reason we ended up going to Mac's today was because of a Groupon I got for $20 worth for food for $10 and I am glad we went. With or without a coupon, we will be back. The service was extraordinary (maybe because we were the only people in there) and our waiter treated us like regulars. They seemed very interested in what we thought of the food and wanted to make sure we had the best experience possible. I have definitely found my new favorite pizza and beer restaurant (and I actually can't wait to try out the burgers and sandwiches they also serve).

Currito

I just got back from eating lunch at Currito, a burrito place in Clifton. I must say that I love what Clifton and UC have done with that new area with all the restaurants on Calhoun Street. Anyway, we decided to go to Currito after a long debate on whether to go there over Five Guys or even B-dubs (Buffalo Wild Wings). Since none of us had been to Currito and we hadn't had burritos in awhile, we went with it, and I'm glad that we did.



It reminded me a lot of the "Chipotle experience", but I figured it would be pretty similar. It is hard to do a burrito place like this and not be compared to Chipotle at this point. I did the same thing when I went to Qdoba and most "Americanized" Mexican places. The thing I liked about Currito over Chipotle was the selection. They had three different kinds of rice and I was able to get some caramelized onions and buffalo sauce on my normal chicken burrito. It was very flavorful and it had a sweet taste from the onions that I enjoyed, but I think I would do without them and try more of the buffalo sauce next time to try and get more of the spice.



The portions were huge and they could barely fold my burrito, which broke half way through. I did go with the regular size burrito, but they offer a small size for $1 less. I also got the wheat tortilla instead of the flour since I know it is better for me and Chipotle doesn't offer it. With the burrito having so much flavor on its own, I didn't notice the wheat tortilla at all and would stick with the healthy choice. I also split some chips and salsa with the group which were good, but not as good as Chipotle's. I did like that they offered a sort of "combo" type deal if you get chips, salsa and a drink with your burrito for only an additional $2.49 more. So with the combo, you could get a small burrito, chips, salsa and a drink for around $8, which isn't too bad for the amount of food you get.

After going into a food coma, we sat and talked for awhile, letting the food digest itself. Me and one of my co-workers had noticed when we ordered that they had giant chocolate chip cookies for only $.99! So we both were waiting for our stomachs to make some room for dessert and we both knew we wouldn't be able to tackle the whole cookie by ourselves. So at the last possible second while we were walking out the door, we decided to go in on one together and ate it on the car ride home.



I would definitely recommend it to people if they are tired of the same old Chipotle burrito, and I hope to go back myself to try something else and maybe just get a small burrito so I have room for the cookie at the end. :D