New Ways To Cook Noodles

Starting this Friday, C-Style begins its new food column - Foodie Fridays. This column will cover our recommendations for delicious foods in the Chicagoland area, and will rotate with the popular Fashion Forward Fridays.
Today, we feature Noodles and Company. Last week, I was invited to a tasting at the newly opened Clybourn store located at 2000 N. Clybourn. Greeted by General Manager, Jennie Mullenix, I was seated with another foodie named Laura, who had also brought along her precious baby daughter, Lark. Unfortunately, Lark is only six months old, so we all enjoyed the spread for her.

Our first dish was an appetizer -chicken and vegetable potstickers - along with a soy dipping sauce. Laura and I shared the dish which was absolutely terrific!
While eating these tasty dumplings, Jenny explained how Noodles & Company came to be. The company was started in the Cherry Creek neighborhood of Denver, Colorado in 1995. Since then, the company has opened up 300 restos across the country. The Clybourn location is only the third in Chicago with the others located at 180 North Michigan Avenue and 2813 N. Broadway.
Before we finished the apps, our first dish of Wisconsin Mac & Cheese was served. This dish touts a blend of cheddar and jack cheeses. Unfortunately, it wasn't the best mac and cheese I've had. I found the cheese too sharp (the cheddar, I'm guessing) for my taste. But things were about to get a whole lot better!
Our next dish was Truffle Mac w/Baby Portabellas. Wow! This dish knocked everyone's socks off! Dubbed as "Mac & Cheese All Grown Up," this dish is part of a trio of new flavors the restaurant now serves.Everyone was raving about this dish while eating it.When polled by me after the affair, everyone voted that this dish was the best in show! Made with white truffle oil, sauteed baby portabella mushrooms, toasted breadcrumbs and topped with parmesan cheese, this dish is at the top of our list for you to try.
Next we were treated to the Southwestern Chili Mac dish.The chili mac was spicy and loaded with meatballs, onions, beans, and of course cheese. This took me back to when my grandmother used to bring home chili mac from a downtown diner that no longer exists. This dish is real comfort food. However, Laura did not go for the beans--preferring the dish without any.