because i live near NYC and have a constant obsession with food, i keep a perpetual list of restaurants and foods i want to try (the list is around here somewhere). however, the list has gotten bigger and bigger as my bank book grew smaller and smaller. it's pretty shameful some of the places i've been talking about eating at and the number of years i've been talking about it. but every once in a while, the stars, planets (and my wallet) align...
S'MAC has been around for so long and i've been hankering to go for so long. it's really a no-brainer: who doesn't want to eat mac and cheese? i was, after all, born in America and it is wholly American to love mac and cheese (most non-ABCs tend to dislike cheesy foods since dairy doesn't play a huge part in asian cuisine). S'MAC is located on E. 12th Street near St. Marks and the size of the restaurant is small like most of the eateries in that area. you walk in and spend your time staring at the people sitting in an effort to mind-control them out of their seats. on the night that i went i noticed a guy and 2 girls at a table where everyone was finished eating but continued to sit at the table to chat and leisurely enjoy the complimentary water. i kept sending ESP daggers towards them in hopes they would get up and get out. go enjoy drinks at the multitude of bars in the area, don't take up space in a tiny cramped restaurant! we eventually got a table, but not that one. they were still there when we finished eating!
the service at S'MAC is almost non-existent since you order at the counter but they do give you a placard which you place on your table and they walk the 1 foot from the open kitchen to your table to deliver your mac and cheese. DRC got the American, Guest got Buffalo Chicken, and i got the Parisienne which has brie, roasted figs, roasted shiitakes and rosemary. my favorite cheese is swiss so the Parisienne seemed unique and interesting. we all got Nosh portions which is more than adequate-sized for a normal dinner portion although if you're starving i recommend an upgrade to Major Munch. 
the American ended up being bland but when seasoned with a liberal amount of salt and pepper it can be saved. the cheese in the American was nice and creamy which was really its saving grace. the Parisienne was good, although a little unbalanced. some bites were sweet because of the fig, others were extremely rosemary. the cheese was less creamy which surprised me since i always associate brie as an extremely creamy cheese. maybe it doesn't melt as well? i ate about 2/3s and couldn't finish the remainder. the Buffalo Chicken was clearly the winner of the night because it was very flavorful and not too salty or spicy, as some buffalo chicken-flavored dishes tend to be (i just had a flashback of Chili's Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. yikes.). apparently, i'm not the only person who thinks it was good since NY Serious Eats also named it amongst its Best Macaroni and Cheese in New York City.
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