Monday, 29 November 2010

• Macaroni & Cheese Themed Restaurant!!!!!!!

  I'm really loving the whole idea of niche market restaurants these days!  Italian restaurants and pizza joints are a dime a dozen.  Yes, I enjoy good Italian food and good pizza, but my mood is leaning toward the less obvious, the eye catcher, the hmmm-that-could-be-interesting and, overall, the experience.

  In the last few years there have been restaurants that have popped up all over like wrap shops, selling everything that can possibly be wrapped in a tortilla.  There are cream puff shops like Beard Papa and the newest craze seems to be the cupcake shops.

  All are interesting, all are scrumptious, but I wanted to talk about one in particular. Mind you, this is in New York City, but I'm pretty sure, that if you haven't visited already, you will most likely make your way here at some point in your life.

  And so, I wanted to sing the praises of S'Mac (which stands for Sarita's Macaroni and Cheese), an all macaroni and cheese restaurant on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.  It is likely I would never have known of its existence except for a friend of my daughter's who shared this gem of a restaurant referral with her this summer.

   

  Stepping into this tiny joint in a rather obscure location across from an elementary school, one would think it would be empty.  But word of mouth is powerful, my friend, and this place has definitely been discovered.

  There are two doors.  One for take-out (how amazing is that?!) and one for sit-down.  I've always used the sit-down option.  Lucky for me, this restaurant is (more or less) on the path between my house and my daughter's school, so I have used it several times already.

  The menu is great!  Several different themed options for your personal pan of macaroni OR, if you can't decide, you can order a sampler!  Better yet, why not choose the make your own option where you can select your ingredients like you can in a pizza parlor?  In that vein, the possibilities are endless.

  Choices (themed) are as follows:

  All-American

  4 Cheese

  Cheeseburger

  Nepolatana

  Mediterranean

  Alpine

  La Mancha

  Parisienne

  Garden Lite

  Cajun

  Masala

  Buffalo Chicken

  Ingredients include a wide variety of cheese (even brie and blue!), herbs, veggies (jalapenos or shitake mushrooms, anyone?) and meats.  There are gluten-free and vegetarian options as well - something for virtually everyone!

  I even love the uniquely named size selections, which are the next choice, ranging from the smallest, Nosh, to Major Munch, Mongo and Partay!  Nosh was enough for me to make the I'm-so-full-I'm-gonna-pop face!  But it's so hard to resist finishing the dish and I can't seem to talk anyone into sharing it with me (sigh, oh well!).

  The restaurant itself exudes macaroni-ness with its orange and yellow decor!

  Visit them online if you want to find out more!  http://www.smacnyc.com/home.html

  S'Mac is like no other and, therefore, earns itself the right to be experienced.  I'd love to hear about some other restaurant finds that capture the essence of incomparable like this one! 

  What restaurants have you found that are themed and refreshingly unique?

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