Dark, wooden tables gleamed in the soft light and rows of bottles glimmered behind the bar. Several parties waited in front of us, wearing masks and keeping their social distance. The inside of Mac’s Place was considerably larger than the façade led me to believe. There were about 12 tables, capable of seating 4-5 people each, and widely spaced to allow for distancing. Country music played loudly, but not so loud that you had to yell. Our wait wasn’t long but is was 2 pm on a Saturday. While we were waiting in line I looked around with interest. The saloon-style bar and restaurant was founded in 1890 (according to the sign). Old photographs of historic Silverton hung on the walls and sweatshirts were for sale near the door. The waitstaff were busy but friendly and took our order almost immediately after we were seated.
My daughter and I were out exploring and we hadn’t eaten anything all day. We were hungry! As we waited I noticed some pool tables folded up and pushed to the side, an arcade game, a smattering of tvs broadcasting basketball, and a stage.
About 3 o’clock, a middle-aged man who looked like a rockstar entered, carrying a guitar and towing an amp. He had long hair and was wearing a pleather, sleeveless vest. He began setting up for the evening’s live entertainment, scheduled to start at 6.
My daughter observed that Mac’s Place wouldn’t be a very good place for a first date because it was kind of loud. It would be great for a gathering of family or friends though.
She also said she was glad it didn’t smell like food, comparing it to Red Robin. In our state of near-starvation; the heady aroma of something delicious might have sent one or both of us over the edge. It made me start wondering Why I wasn’t smelling food. How did they accomplish that? My thoughts were cut short, however; when the food finally arrived about 3:15. The number of patrons inside had grown from 13 to 28 in an hour and there were another 18 on the patio when we left. My daughter had the jalapeno bacon mac and cheese and I had a reuben sandwich. Menu items ranged from around $11-15 and did not come with sides, so we ordered a side of tots.
The reuben! That was a great sandwich! I have had reubens at many restaurants and I consider Mac’s reuben among the best.
The swiss cheese was sliced thin. There was a perfect balance of sweet and tangy from the sauce and sauerkraut. And the corned beef was amazing. It was thick cut and tender. It didn’t overwhelm the sandwich. In fact, none of the ingredients overwhelmed the others, which is easy to do with a reuben.
The mac and cheese was very rich and cheesy, but the sauce was thin and I thought the flavor was a little too subtle. The bacon didn’t have any flavor left and it missed the sharp tang of a yellow cheese.
In any case, it didn’t sit well and my daughter later regretted eating it. Perhaps it was just the large quantity of cheese. The tots were…well, they were tots. Good as usual but nothing to write home about. They did come with a special house-made, habanero-marionberry ketchup which was quite good.
Overall, I would rate this restaurant a 7 out of 10. If you find yourself in Silverton and have some time, I would recommend trying Mac’s Place
Mac’s Place has a website with a menu and a Facebook page.
I know a certain space biker, who will love to check this place out 😀
A special dish made just for him! 😀
Lol I like walking into a restaurant and smelling good food !! LOL but it’s got to be good :).. and that food looks good !