Lobster mac & cheese from Deleece Grill Pub (photo by Steve Dolinsky)

Everybody’s got a gussied-up mac & cheese on their menu these days. It’s either a side dish or a full-blown entree. All of these chefs are tapping into our childhood, of course: that famous blue box from Kraft, with the mac that looks nothing like real macaroni and the cheese that is more akin to yellow sawdust than it is real cheese. But oh, the memories. ‚ At Deleece Grill Pub in Wrigleyville, they’re taking it one step further. Cavatapi pasta is the star here (its ridges and divets all the better to cling to homemade cream sauce), while ingredients ranging from root vegetables to asiago cheese and even lobster are all frequent companions in the bowl. I’m going to show you how they make them today at 11 a.m. on ABC 7, but I’d love to hear about more great mac ‘n cheese options around town.

Three of the five varieties of mac at Deleece (photo by Steve Dolinsky)

Fried shallots make a crispy topping (photo by Steve Dolinsky)