Mac & Melts reopens inside Plainview food hall

When a restaurant is bold enough to stuff a grilled cheese sandwich with macaroni-and-cheese, they have crossed a threshold and become immortal. At least that's what we hope is going on with Mac & Melts, a defunct Long Island eatery that's resurfaced at a food hall in Plainview. 

The business, run by Richard Yorke and his father, Mel, closed in April of last year after the pandemic decimated its main customer base of Garden City office workers. But now you can find their decadent menu at Coliseum Kitchen on Old Country Road, served alongside other breakfast and deli vendors such as A Wing Away Kitchen, which makes "everything bagel"-seasoned chicken wings. 

You might not see Mel up at the front as the "official greeter" anymore because orders are taken by Coliseum Kitchen's staff, but on a recent visit, Richard hand-delivered plates that he helped cook in the kitchen. He said he found the food court while going to his accountant's office nearby, went in for a conversation and hit it off with the owner.

Yorke's new, pared-down menu has parted with previous selections like the M & M sampler with eight varieties of macaroni-and-cheese served in a divided cast iron skillet. But many previous favorites are still there, like the Alpine mac with Gruyere and caramelized onions, as well as the more basic All American and 5 Cheese macs. 

The buffalo chicken mac ($16.49 for a large) was a favorite with corkscrew pasta in a gooey Cheddar/blue cheese sauce with Buffalo sauce and bits of fried chicken. The noodles were perfectly cooked and the sautéed bits of celery added a nice touch. Multicolored tortilla chips add some crunch.

The Mac & Melt sandwich ($10.99) is a confident expression of carb-on-carb action. Macaroni and cheese is fried into a log and smashed between slices of firm white toast with a hint of sun-dried tomato pesto. It isn't as gooey as you might expect. It held up without spilling, a promising sign of more successes to come. 

Mac & Melts, 1660 Old Country Rd., Plainview (inside Coliseum Kitchen), 516-483-4900. Open 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday. Closed Sunday. 

By Andi Berlin

andi.berlin@newsday.com

Andi Berlin is from Arizona and does not know where she is going. But when she gets there, she’ll find something beautiful and delicious that the world needs to taste.