S'Mac

I love macaroni and cheese, but really, who doesn't? I make a pretty good baked version (usually with broccoli in it), but am also happy enough to eat some sort of Kraft product, especially if the pasta is shaped like characters from Toy Story. I'm not fussy in the pasta department.

(thanks to the Retro Info blog for the image!)

So really, me google-ing "mac and cheese restaurants New York City" was not a huge surprise. And there is one, a restaurant that just serves mac and cheese, salads, desserts, and a few types of drinks. It is called S'Mac, which stands for Sarita's Macaroni and Cheese, and is in the East Village.

I was worried about the trendy factor (the East Village is so fun to walk around, but can be a bit annoying, hipster-wise) and the crowded factor, particularly since we went on a Friday night. But even if I had to wait an hour for a table, I would go there again. Plus, they have take-out. The place ROCKS.

What did we get? We all got the Nosh size, which was the smallest, and since I had lunch late it made me comfortably full. If I were quite hungry, I might up it to the Major Munch size. They serve it in individual skillets. We scraped the sides of the skillets when we were done, hunting for more--it was that tasty. I got the Napoletana (a word I have trouble saying, for some reason) which was mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, garlic, and basil. I'm not big on tomatoes, but they didn't overwhelm it in the slightest, and the basil was a tasty addition. One of my friends had the 4 Cheese and a salad (which she said was also good, the rest of us weren't virtuous enough to comprise the mac with excess green stuff). The other friend got the Garden Lite, which involved cauliflower, broccoli, and mushrooms. This friend can't eat gluten, and they not only had gluten free pasta, but gluten free breadcrumbs to put on top. Since it was officially the weekend and we were belatedly celebrating Karl Marx's birthday, we got Cabernet to go with it. It was served in plastic cups. Works for me.

Any downsides? It is a bit small inside, so when we were leaving the line was out to the street. The cashier/servers weren't outrageous friendly, but they certainly weren't surly either. Forks should be located on each table, so if you can't find them, it may be that they haven't been restocked.

You can create your own, but we went with some of the recommended ones, and there are plenty more (Parisienne with Brie, roasted figs, fresh rosemary? Cajun with andouille sausage, green pepper, and onions? Alpine with Gruyere and slab bacon? All there.)

We'll be back. You can order it online, but I feel like the delivery to Brooklyn would not be cost prohibitive, nor feasible. Plus, when I was walking from the subway I saw a man carrying a piano across the street, so the people watching is solid. If you're intrigued, do check out the website--I linked it above, but here it is again. They have some vegan-lactose intolerant options, as well as the gluten free ones. I like that they also seem to support a few different women-centered organizations.