Big City Macaroni
In August I packed up my life and moved to New York City for school. I quickly realized I was not in Georgetown anymore, this would take some getting used to! In an effort to find something familiar I began the most important quest of my life — the quest for mac and cheese! Here’s what I learned:
According to New Yorkers the best mac and cheese could be found at S’Mac in the Lower East Side. Not being a very far walk from my apartment and school, I wrangled some friends and some strangers into lunch and we made our way east. The restaurant is nice enough, small like all businesses in the area, but painted all in bright, warm colors so it made for a perfect respite from the rain outside. Here comes the exciting part; there are about a MILLION different kinds of mac and cheese for the eating. My faves include “La Mancha” (made with Manchego, fennel and onions) which tastes like a glass of fine wine, and “La Parisienne” (Brie, shitake mushrooms and figs) but other contenders include the “Cheeseburger”, “Napoletana” and the “Cajun”. The portion sizes range from snack sized to party sized and everything in between, and if you can’t decide on just one kind, you could always try the sampler plate of 8 varieties! Oh but it gets better; if your tummy tries to outwit you on a daily basis like mine does, you can get a leg up on it at S’Mac and make any dish gluten free! Top it off with a single serve lactose pill from the man behind the counter and you’re set. Comfort food without a flaw!
Not one to make a choice without all available information, I had to try the competition. A quick trip to Herald Square had me eating at Supermac. Basically the same deal as S’Mac, but with different flavor combinations and no gluten free alternatives. That being said, I much prefer their basic mac to S’Mac’s.
Both restaurants are reasonably cheap for good sized portions, and both deliver (which has come in increasingly handy as the work load gets heavier at school and nights spent in the studio creep closer to mornings).
Other places worth mentioning, include the cafe at the corner of Bleeker and Broadway which boasts a good bowl full, but only during the week as the weekend brunch is apparently a very big deal in NYC, and doesn’t include mac and cheese. Finally, try the mac and cheese at Cafeteria (17th and 7th Ave) or if you are feeling adventurous, they’ve also got mac and cheese spring rolls with smoked Gouda dipping sauce…but I will talk more about Cafeteria in the near future.
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