Chorizo Mac & Cheese

Sunday afternoon, 4:45 PM, no reservation — our usual move. We walked into Six Eighteen in Freehold and went straight to the bar. Good thing we did, because the place was packed. First time checking it out, and the room already had that buzz you can't fake.

We weren't even that hungry. The plan was simple: order mains, keep it light, blow out early.

Chicken Milanese — I got the pickled shallots, fried capers, and radish topping on the side. It's not a sauce; it's a salad topping, and putting it on the side was the right call because it can make the chicken soggy. Verdict: the topping was delicious. Really amazing. And the chicken itself was a beautiful crispy chicken — done right.

Southern Fried Chicken Sandwich — Jennifer's pick. Buttermilk pink peppercorn ranch, gem lettuce, pickles. It was good, but her chicken wasn't super crispy, so I'll back off the idea that they know their way around a fryer. I wasn't a fan of the sandwich myself, but she loved it, and that was a good enough factor for me.

So there we are, ready to tap out, when I spot it on the menu: Chorizo Mac & Cheese. We both said the same thing at the same time — too much money, not hungry enough, pass.

Then Jennifer grabbed the happy hour menu that had been sitting in front of us the whole time. Half price — $17 down to around $8.50. She looked at me. I looked at her. It was a go.

The happy hour portion was smaller — we never saw the full-size version, so I honestly don't know what $17 gets you — but that was exactly why it worked for us. We ordered the happy hour version of the dish for half the price, and it gave us a chance to try it without committing to the full plate.

The half order came out piping hot in a little cast iron pan, breadcrumbs toasted on top, and we split it right there at the bar. Jennifer was all about the creamy, cheesy base — the chorizo was sparse, so it played second fiddle to her. I asked her, would you order this again? "Absolutely." And since Worth the Cheat is a team sport, her vote counts heavy.

My honest take? I'm not sure I'd get it again. The cheese was slightly broken and a touch greasy — still good, not great. The breadcrumbs were the lifesaver, adding the crunch the dish needed. And splitting it, I counted exactly two pieces of chorizo on my side. Two. They weren't chunky crumbles, either — they were tiny wheel slices, cut into maybe fourths, so you had to dig through the dish like you were panning for a valuable gold nugget just to find one.

Without over-criticizing it, I looked down at my belly and made a decision: maybe don't take too many more bites. Discipline, people.

The verdict: Worth the Cheat — but with a playbook. Happy hour is the move here. Half price turns a pricey small plate into an easy yes, and the Milanese alone is worth the trip. We'll be back at Six Eighteen — I'll just be a little more cautious with the mac next time.

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Six Eighteen — 618 Park Ave, Freehold, NJ 07728 · 618nj.com

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