S'MAC

Yesterday I was finally galvanized into action.

New York may very well be the only city in this country that can support a restaurant devoted to macaroni and cheese. And not just one, either, I know of at least three.

I heard the chatter that S'MAC had introduced gluten free macaroni and cheese, but for some reason I just couldn't get my but over there.

Yesterday was the day of no more excuses, in honor of their 2nd anniversary S'MAC was offering $1 mac-n-cheese, $2 for gluten free. The allure of inexpensive, gluten free food finally pulled me in.

After working up my appetite by walking all the way downtown to 12th Street from my office at 49th Street, and a minor detour and call to 411 to verify the address, I found this hole-in-the-wall joint hopping with people. All of them loving their mac-n-cheese.

I stepped up the counter, paid my $2, and fought my way to a counter seat. It no time my cute little skillet of All American mac-n-cheese arrived. And it was good.

I grew up with Kraft in the blue box and a distinct aversion for anything Velveeta. After trying mac-n-cheese at picnics and food service offers in cafeterias I was bewildered as to why so many people consider this a comfort food.

Now I know. This warm, cheesy, gooey skillet of goodness could just about cure all ills as far as I'm concerned. I can tell you how great it was, and how I want to go back and try all the different combinations. I can't really make educated comparisons, but I can say that this is the best mac-n-cheese I've ever had.

Appearantly, they have created all their recipes to be gluten free, even the bread crumbs, and only the noodles are gluten. There is an additional $1 charge for gluten free noodles in any style or any size. So if you're ever in New York City I will be overjoyed to take you to S'MAC!

The Last Bite

Lilli and Loo

This past Tuesday I had the honor of attending the first Worry Free Dinner, hosted at Lilli and Loo. The event was organized by Allergic Girl, along with Vanessa of Food Matters and the staff of Lilli and Loo. They had a gluten, and other allergen, free menu for us to choose from. It was so wonderful to have a choice of items to order from, rather then to choose the only menu item that can eat.

Besides Allergic Girl, Vanessa and myself there were two other women who were able to attend. We had a wonderful evening of great food and great conversation. It was so nice to eat and chat without having to worry about what I was eating. It was truly a first and a wonderful experience. Besides the meal Allergic Girl had gift bags for us with gluten and allergen free foods and other goodies for us to try.

Lilli and Loo keeps gluten free items on their regular menu for us GF folks. The wait staff and chefs are very aware of food issues, allergies and restrictions and are happy to accommodate. While we were talking we were approached by another gluten free woman who was visiting and had found that they had a gluten free menu.

Since the menu was prearranged for us we had a choice of four appetizers, four entrées and four sides. Among other things there were: Saigon Roll, Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wrap, Spicy Beef Salad, Pomegranate Teriyaki Grilled Chicken, Balsamic Teriyaki Grilled Salmon, Borneo Orange Chicken or Beef, Chicken or Shrimp with Fresh Mango, Fried Rice and Singapore Noodles. Their entire gluten free menu is much more extensive.

I tired the Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wrap, Borneo Orange Chicken and Singapore Noodles. I ate entirely more than I should have because it was all so delicious. It was such a treat to have oriental food again. The Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wrap was not too spicy but very flavorful, alone it was enough for a meal. The Borneo Orange Chicken was a crispy dish with a sweet orange sauce, it’s been so long since I’ve had a crispy dish, and to be able to have one with out worrying about what else was cooked in the fryer oil. The Singapore noodles were like standard fried rice, with noodles rather than rice. Again, it’s been a very long time since I’ve had noodles like these.

I highly recommend Lilli and Loo whenever you’re in New York. I plan to take all my friends there so that I can try all the super yummy looking dishes on the menu!