Just Mac review

The hype for Just Mac had been on my radar for months. A restaurant dedicated exclusively for the sake of creating cheesy entrees in the Heights- it sounded like a winner in my book. 

When the restaurant finally opened, I was not among those first in line (damn you GRE) but my little brother sampled its gooey delights and gave it glowing reviews. It goes without question that the moment our schedules allowed it, Fran and I headed to JM's doors. 

I'm just going to come out and say it, there were to huge drawbacks that Fran and I found to the restaurant that we ultimately think will lead to its demise:

1. the prices

2. the atmosphere

Let's begin with the prices. For $36 (because our eyes are bigger than our stomachs) we were able to sample three of the dozen or so dishes along with a beer and wine glass. Not too shabby but, when you really think about it: you're eating a side dish for $8. 

This leads to the atmosphere. It was kind of a disappointment to realize that I had rushed home from work, freshened up my hair and makeup, jazzed up my outfit only to realize that I was completely overdressed in my skirt and fancy shirt. Instead of the twenty minutes primping, I could have left the house in my lame school shirt, chucks and jeans...not the outfit I want to wear on a "fancy" date with my husband. Yes, I could have saved myself the trouble had I bothered to go online and read the reviews but...that's neither here nor there (anymore). 

We arrive to the restaurant (which is literally one street before the you hit 610) and are charmed to find out it's a 

renovated house. 

Unfortunately the first thing you stumble into upon walking in is a soda dispenser and a line to the cash register. Yep. It's a line up, place your order, here's your number, go find a table kind of place. The workers are super friendly and as enthused with cheese as its customers but, after grabbing our table Fran and I waited over 25 minutes to get our meal. It was long enough for me to down my wine in the hopes that it would curb my hunger. 

By the time our steaming skillets arrived any complaint was forgotten in the face of such dairy heaven. We ordered the rustic (tomato, basil), the bacon ('nuff said) and the jalapeno (speaks for itself). Of the three, my personal favorite was the bacon but the other two were not too far behind in the taste race. 

However, here's our thinking: if you are going to wait over 10 minutes for food, it better be a "here's your menu, would you like a glass of water" kind of place. Especially one that specializes in serving you an over priced side dish. Example: after so long a wait, I was willing to go get another glass of wine but the line was so long to place my order I decided to save my four bucks. And, granted we were so stuffed we practically had to grease our way out the door but, if we had been willing to order dessert- there's no way you could have paid me to stand in line to put in the order. 

Ultimately, we learned we were looking for something a little more romantic than the latest cheesy restaurant. Which means our review could be extremely narrow minded. In which case, I am more than willing to give it another shot- except this time, I am wearing jeans and a white tee (aka, Fran's uniform). And that concludes my moment of snobbery. Thank you.

PS: I'm sorry, Becca.