After writing about what very well could be the greatest idea for a NYC restaurant ever, the all mac & cheese eatery called S’MAC, I have had several friends and Tripwire readers ask if I have tried it yet. I decided to wait a few weeks to let the initial wave of comfort food fans invade the tiny restaurant. I rounded up a couple of fellow co-workers last night and finally made the pilgrimage to the East Village to get a skillet of mac & cheese for myself.
The pictures I have seen online of Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese definitely made it look small and those pictures were totally right on. It is tiny. If you happen to get there at a peak mealtime, prepare to wait a while to snag one of the ten or so tables. We timed it just right, only waiting about five minutes or so to sit down. I ordered the Cajun, Tripwire extraordinaire Erin ordered the All-American and Cara ordered the Brie. A few minutes later, our skillets filled with cheesy pasta were served and it was time to dig in.
The first bite I tried was the Brie, which was mighty awesome. Although my fork didn’t get any of the figs or mushrooms, the Brie coated macaroni noodles were delicious. My one comment on this particular mac is that you should only be ordered in the smaller “nosh” size. Cara noted that the “major munch” size was a little much. Next up was my Cajun mac, combining cheddar and pepper jack cheese with peppers, celery, seasoning and andouille sausage. Although in theory this should have been mind blowing, it was actually lacking on the cheese. It was pretty good, just not cheesy enough for my tastes. Then there was Erin’s All-American. It was simple old-school macaroni with American and Cheddar cheeses. It was awesome. If I go back, the All-American will be the one I order.
Overall I did enjoy S’MAC. The staff was very friendly and the mac was quite good. I’m not sure I’d go out of my way for it again, but if I was in the neighborhood I’d totally stop by for another skillet of cheesy pasta goodness.
Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese
345 East 12th Street
NY, NY 10003
