The Dish: Macaroni au Gratin at Django

Stefanie Meersman, 24, with the macaroni au gratin at Django. (Credit: Eric Rowley/Metromix)

Who loves it: Stefanie Meersman, 24, risk improvement coordinator at Nationwide Insurance

About the dish: Nothing about this dish was inspired by Kraft. The big-enough-to-split meal is loaded with gruyere cheese, house-cured smoked bacon chunks and espiette pepper, then topped with brioche crumbs. It's enough to win over anyone who loathes the bright orange stuff.

"I've hated mac and cheese ever since I had the box experience," Meersman said. (She got sick after eating the store-bought kind years ago and hadn't touched mac and cheese again until coming to Django.)

Meersman read a rave of the dish in a dining review and decided to try it herself one night. "It's a far cry from squeezing the cheese out of the pack," Meersman said.

She and her friends come to Django to anchor their stomachs before going out for drinks, but the price tag inhibits Meersman from getting this rich, adult version of a kids' comfort food every time.

So she tried mimicking the recipe at home - her boyfriend even bought her a gourmet mac and cheese cookbook but she took a few shortcuts and the result was nothing like the restaurant version.