You Don't Know Smac

Happy St. Patty's day all! I celebrated last night by not wearing green and drinking normal colored beer at a non-Irish bar. However, it did have an outside patio that was perfect for the spring weather we've been having - so all else is forgiven.

Since we were celebrating the leprechaun for so long, my friends and I totally forgot to eat dinner! We realized we were in walking distance to the newish mac and cheese joint connected to Delicatessen in Soho so we followed our google maps the 4 blocks over. MacBar is all the rage lately because mac and cheese is all the rage lately. There is truffled mac and cheese at Waverly Inn for almost $100, the mac and cheese sampler at Cafeteria and possibly every other restaurant in New York will feature a variation of mac and cheese.

The "restaurant" itself is minimal and cute. Everything is yellow and in the shape of a noodle - even the restaurant! There is only seating for about 10 lining the side of the restaurant. You order your choice of mac and cheese at the counter in a small, medium or large and then wait until your name gets called. If you don't like mac and cheese, or you're lactose intolerant - don't visit MacBar. There is only mac and cheese, soft drinks, water and a couple bags of chips offered.

Robin and I decided to share two smalls to make sure we tried more than one. We went with the mac 'shroom which had "magic" mushrooms, cheese and truffle (you know I can't say no to truffle) and the cheeseburger mac that had ground beef with American and cheddar cheese. Both came out extremely hot in to-go containers in case we weren't staying. I can't decide which one I liked better but I'm leaning more towards the mushroom mac. It wasn't as heavy and the truffle oil made it. The cheeseburger was also good but not my favorite - even though they say it's a best seller. Both could have used breadcrumbs on top for that extra touch.

Tim got a medium size of the Mayan chipolte which definitely had a kick to it and came with chicken, cheese and green onions. It was a lot better than the cheeseburger in my opinion. I love anything with a little spice as ya'll know and the chicken and noodle was an interesting combination. The medium size mac and cheese comes in a cute noodle shaped container which is very creative in my opinion but also makes it awkward to take it home if you're doing take-out.

Jenna and Petey also got the cheeseburger and they tried the four cheese which they said was way too cheesy (which is hard to believe I know). The Gouda was a little too strong. Another twosome got a medium of the best seller mac lobsta' and there was just something off about this one. They didn't like it so I tried it just to make sure they weren't being crazy and they were right. It wasn't good at all. It could have been the lobster being over cooked, or mascarpone not being the right cheese but it was returned to the kitchen and exchanged for another cheeseburger.

The pros about MacBar is that it's open late: 11pm on weeknights and 2am on the weekends. It's also reasonably priced - around 7-10 dollars for a small of any kind of mac. It's in a good location service was fast and accommodating.

However, if you're really in the mood for mac and cheese, I would take you to the first mac and cheese only establishment - S'Mac in the East Village. When this place first opened, there were lines around the block. They are more choices at S'Mac, more tables and the food is just better. I love the Mediterranean that comes with garlic, goat cheese and olives and the napoletana that tastes like a slice of pizza and mac and cheese combined. They also offer gluten free mac and cheese and family style portions for your next office party, football party, or if you just really like mac and cheese.