By Lindsay Ryan
On a cold Wednesday night I decide to get comfy in Our House Bistro, voted best comfort food by Seven Daisies three years in a row. They famously serve macaroni and cheese, a dish so simple, yet their complex dishes don’t know the definition of simplicity.
Records decorate the walls like posters in a teenager’s room. You can’t look anywhere without seeing antique lunch boxes. It feels like I have walked into someone’s home, not a restaurant in The Winooski Circle.
My server brings me to a high top table where I sit alone and have the opportunity to take in everything around me. Dim lighting relaxes me. My water sits in a frosty mason jar, giving me a vintage vibe.
The menu is divided between vegetarian options, seafood, and meat options. They even have a seasonal Pumpkin Mac for autumn. I decide to order the BBQ mac which has the option of chicken or pulled pork, with red onion, BBQ cheese sauce, and is topped with fried onion strings and a BBQ chicken wing or pulled pork.
My waitress, a young girl in her 20’s serves me my food with a smile. She has tattoos, piercings and blue hair which I love seeing, knowing that the owners of this restaurant don’t discriminate people based on their personal appearance.
An aroma lingers out of the spiral noodles. The onion crisps top the meal like salt and pepper on french fries. The flavor and consistency remind me of skinnier, less-processed Funyuns, onion-flavored cornmeal snacks that remind me of my childhood.
As I slice into the crispy coating, steam frees itself and I discover the lush core. The soft and creamy noodles from the inside juxtapose the baked macaroni on the outside in a perfectly harmonious way. A little hint of pink from the BBQ sauce mixed in with the cheese catches my eye.
Despite how delicious it looks, the amount of food is overwhelming. The pork and noodles balance atop this mountain of food like tightrope walkers. One wrong move and the whole composition could go tumbling down.
A large piece of pork about the size of a golf ball refuses to be cut easily atop the delicate macaroni noodles. Nonetheless, once I managed to cut it, the tender pork made the struggle all worth it. The pork added a rugged texture to this typically soft meal. The cheese strings away with the fork for every bite I scoop. I get the same satisfaction from this as I do ripping apart a grilled cheese or mozzarella stick but with every bite.
Barely half way through my meal, I get full. The savory sweetness stares at me and I want to continue, but the thought of eating this for lunch the next day excites me even more. I ask my waitress for a to-go box, and she comes back with it already boxed up along with the date and a little drawing of their logo.
I return on Sunday with two of my friends. They don’t make reservations at Our House, but if you call ahead they can reserve you a table if you arrive within the next 30 to 45 minutes.
We sit in a booth next to the bar which is filled with Our House workers on their break, smiling and having a good time. I can feel the friendly and comfortable environment Our House claims to have. I had a great sangria here a few weeks before but no longer see it on the menu. I ask the waitress about it and she happily has one made for me. Slices of lemon, lime, and orange decorate this light peach colored drink with a lonely cherry resting on the bottom. Much stronger than I expected, but the citrusy drink still refreshes me.
A waitress who was not serving us recognized me from a few weeks prior and offered to clear our plates. Overall, I feel very welcome in this small community.
Most of their food follows the guideline of crispy and hard on the outside and soft and comfortable on the inside. This restaurant is located in The Winooski Circle with lots of cars driving by and many other competing restaurants nearby, but Our House genuinely promises a comfortable and home-like environment on the inside.