Martha’s Pick:

The Porch
2327 S 24th St, Council Bluffs
Fare: Pub Grub
Cost: $45 for two appetizers and two meals
Reservations: N/A

Greetings, eaters and readers!

Long before words like “coronavirus” and “COVID-19” sent us all into fearful hysteria, Council Bluff’s The Porch caught my eye with some delicious-looking pictures on their social media. Their name and reputation had also been swirling around multiple local food groups we follow on Facebook. I knew what my March pick would be before February was over.

So when all of the scary stuff happened – I spent about five minutes wondering what our foodventure would look like this month. What would it look like going forward? Would we be able to adventure out at all?

Lucky for us – and lucky for Omaha/Council Bluffs – the local restaurant scene is upheld by a strong and active community that lost no time shouting into the unknown: we aren’t going anywhere.

Most places shortened their hours and quickly shifted their workforce to delivery, to-go orders and curbside pick up operations. Announcements of how some of your favorite restaurants were fighting to survive “social distancing” popped up almost overnight.

Last Wednesday, the 18th, Jaclyn and I stuck to the plan and crossed the bridge to visit The Porch. And to sum it up, we are so glad we did – for multiple reasons.

It’s nearly impossible for me to say no to any version of mac and cheese bites. So we added an order of their rendition that came filled with gouda and served with spicy ranch. I loved every morsel. Jaclyn, who doesn’t usually gravitate towards them, was surprised how much she liked them. She even swooped in to savor the last one.

In the mood for some spice, I went with their offering of Buffalo Chicken Mac, and requested the bleu cheese crumbles on the side. In the end, I didn’t even use them but I enjoyed my dish all the same. Creamy and warm and not too spicy, the only way it would get better is whenever I’m able to enjoy it in house and fresh straight from the kitchen. Truth be told, though: Jaclyn’s mac creation had me feeling some major foodie FOMO.

Jac’s ears perked up when I said pulled pork mac as I rattled off the menu to her. It made her think of the smokehouse mac at Leadbelly (her FAVORITE). So she decided to compare the two.

Watch out Leadbelly, The Porch is now your equal contender for adult mac & cheese! Their version comes loaded with a healthy amount of pulled pork, bbq sauce, red onions and crunchy fried onions.

First of all, you get a lot for $10. Second of all, it was damn delicious. Creamy. Savory. Sweet. Peppery. She loved all of it.

Final Bites

We would like to close by reserving the right to visit and maybe blog about The Porch again – whenever this virus hysteria subsides. You know, to give a restaurant its fair and best shot to present their creations the way they were intended. That being said – we still really enjoyed every forkful we brought home.

We hope you’re finding your own small ways to support the businesses that are hurting the most these days. And if you can’t, because we know the effects of this is far reaching and different for everyone, we hope you’ll find bits of happiness for you and your family. Or maybe even be a spot of happiness for someone else. Be a helper, or look for the helpers. And we’ll see you on the other side.

Cheers!
The Good Bite Gals

Feature Image Credit: The Porch Facebook
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