17 Irving Place,

New York, NY

http://www.livenation.com

Max Brenner
841 Broadway (14th street/Union Square)
New York, NY 10003
www.maxbrenner.com

If you’ve ever been to Max Brenner before, you may be aware that it is filled with lots and lots of chocolate and sweet goodies. The menu is orgasmic with many variations of crepes, cakes, fondue, cookies you name it. But before you go thinking I want real food not a bunch of sugar let me stop you right there. While Max Brenner specializes in chocolate (their hot chocolate is amazing) they do a great job of making sugar the star of meals you can eat any time of day. I’ve gotten many crepes and even waffles with chocolate and ice cream here and it satisfies just like regular meal. However if you’re really not into the idea of a pre-show sugar high then they offer regular food too like sandwiches, pastas, and salads (but really who wants to eat all that in Willy Wonka’s factory?). And the great thing is it’s open late (up til 2 am on weekends) so you can easily hit it up after show let out. But remember it’s NYC so to fill your whet appetite look to spend close to $15-20 per person for your “food”

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+