A macaroni & cheese restaurant. Ok, it’s a gimmick. Ok, it’s easy to make good mac & cheese at home. Ok, the color scheme could trigger an acid flashback. But S’MAC’s gourmet mac – served up in iron skillets and with excellent add-ins – is an easy and tasty option for lunch or dinner during these not-all-that-cold winter months.
S’MAC is short for Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese, and myriad forms of the eponymous product are almost all they serve. There’s a green salad, and there’s some cookies and brownies. That’s it. Really.
But variety is not always a virtue, and places that do one thing and do it well are always better than places that try to please everybody. And S’MAC is very good at what they do. Their mac is somewhere between the creamy, soupy box style and the baked, casseroley home style. Crusty bread crumbs on top are optional but recommended by me.
The plain “All-American” is pretty good, but S’MAC’s unique flavors are definitely the way to go. My favorite mac & cheese was the “Brie,” made with brie, roasted figs, shiitake mushrooms & rosemary. It sounds a little haughty for comfort food, but it’s delicious. Also good are the “Gruyere” (gruyere and slab bacon), “Manchego” (manchego, fennel, and shallots), and “Cajun” (cheddar, pepper jack, andouille sausage, green peppers, onions, celery, garlic, and “Cajun seasoning”). You can make your own with any of the add-ins, but not all the cheeses. If you want to customize, you’re stuck with American & cheddar or 4 cheese.
The mac comes in three sizes: The small is good for a heavy snack, while the medium is a meal and a half. If you order a large, you’d better have some friends. Depending on flavor prices range from $4.25 to $6.75 for a small and $6.50 to $9 for a medium.
S’MAC is in the
S’MAC (Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese)
345 East
212-358-7912 or 212-358-7917
sarita@smacnyc.com
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