By 5:30 on any given night, on a gritty neighborhood block of 40th Street in Oakland, hungry patrons queue up at the cozy hipster restaurant Homeroom. On the menu? Macaroni and cheese, served 10 different ways. There’s the cheddary version with hot dog bits and crushed potato chips; the option with Point Reyes blue cheese and walnuts; and the one made with goat cheese and scallions. Oh, and then you can add mix-ins like bacon, broccoli or a fried egg.
“There are pizza restaurants, burger places, ice cream shops — so the question was, ‘Why not a mac-and-cheese restaurant?’ ” says Erin Wade, who along with Allison Arevalo are the owners of Homeroom. “Given that macaroni and cheese is the best food on earth, we couldn’t figure out why there weren’t entire restaurants already dedicated to it.”