Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese
345 East 12th Street, NY, NY 10003
http://www.smacnyc.com/

I don’t remember who told me about this place or how I cam across it but once I did I knew I was in heaven.  I made it a point to visit here when I went to NYC because really? How could I not? An entire restaurant dedicated to my favorite comfort food? Going here was the one thing I was looking forward to most when I went back East (I know that sounds strange but I go to NY frequently) so during my family’s day in the city we made a stop here for dinner.  I had obviously checked out the menu and everything i possible could find on the place long before hand so I was pretty prepared by the time we walked in.  S’Mac allows you to choose exactly how much mac you want by offering 4 options of size Nosh, Major Munch (which is what I got), Mongo, and Partay! (the latter two better suited for sharing). They even have a sampler that you can choose which allows you to have a little bit of multiple types of mac that’s featured on their menu.  There’s 12 different kinds of mac & cheese on the menu from your traditional strictly macaroni and cheese to more interesting varieties such as Masala (cooked in Indian spices) and Buffalo Chicken. But if you’re not in the mood for any of those you are free to “Make your Own.”  My brother and I both opted to get the La Mancha which consisted of Manchego Cheese (a dry cheese from Spain), onion and fennel. I selected this mostly because I LOVE the taste of fennel (it has a licorice-y flavor).  Bread crumb crusted top is optional so if you like your crunch be sure to answer “yes” when they ask you.  My parents, being the brown people that they are shared a Masala; I of course tried theirs as well.

Let me tell you, hands down the best macaroni and cheese I’ve had ANYWHERE which is fantastic considering I expected nothing less from a place that only specializes in one kind of dish. Cooked perfectly, creamy and very flavorful and the top crust was baked just right for both myself and my parents’ dish. I enjoyed savoring the fennel.  The Major Munch was actually too much for me I ended up only finishing half of it and packing the rest in a doggie bag which was great for me the next day.  I will definitely be making return trips here during any future NYC trips. Overall grade: A+

Backstage Bar & Grill
10400 Culver Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
http://www.backstageculvercity.com/

The Backstage is a bit of a local watering hole and by that I mean it’s located directly across the street from Sony Studios in Culver City so on any given day/night you can expect a good crowd of Sony employees and other regulars. I’ve been there a couple times for friends’ birthdays and wanted to try the mac & cheese. Any place that has mac & cheese on the menu I’m there. Unfortunately, the first time I went they said they had stopped serving entree dishes at 10pm. Since I was there a bit earlier on my second visit I made sure to get my fix this time.  You have the option of an appetizer portion for $6 or entree size at $9.  I obviously went with the $9 dish.  I had read on the site and on the menu how their mac was “famous” (and by famous I assume just with their regulars and surrounding areas) but I have to admit I was a bit let down by it — It didn’t suck it was nicely cooked and relatively creamy but I think I just expected more for it being “famous” and all.  It was simply seasoned with salt and pepper and there was no crusty top — It was just your basic mac & cheese. I ate the whole thing anyways because why would I just leave a perfectly good plate of mac & cheese?  Overall grade: B