Muffin Top

The spinach crisis is a sad thing. It is an indicator of the sad and unsanitary working conditions of farm workers. It is sad thing for so many spinach farms that have had to pull their crops and suffer great losses, a sad thing for vegetarians who rely on spinach in their diet as a main source of calcium and other nutrients. A sad thing for restaurants that have pulled spinach off their menus.

But–it has not been too sad for me. You see, I am not a spinach fan. I have not really missed it, not even in the fom of creamed spinach.

Tonight, the spinach crisis hit home. I went to Zachary’s pizza and there it was, a sign that said, “We will not be offering our Spinach and Mushroom pizza until further notice.” Zachary’s spinach and mushroom stuffed pizza is their signature dish, a pizza beyond compare. What would I order in lieu of my usual spinach and mushroom? I opted for a concoction of mushroom and artichoke hearts.

Come back, spinach!

The past weekend in New York was a whirlwind of planes, taxis, walking for umpteen hours and finally crashing out in a low-star hotel in Soho. My partner and I, along with a very good friend, took a little weekend trip to celebrate my upcoming birthday (which is actually today, for those who wish to know

None of this would have been worthwhile without some kind of goal - a purpose, a mission, a raison d’etre - and mine was to EAT. This was to be the first of, hopefully, many pilgrimages to NYC - the gastronomic capital of the East Coast (with San Francisco being the West Coast equivalent, natch).

Our first refueling stop in the East Village (after trolling through the San Gennaro festival in Little Italy - more on that later) was S’MAC - run by Sarita Ekya and her husband Caesar. Sarita, an expat Canadian, opened the macaroni and cheese destination earlier this year to a rainy opening night - and crowds that ran around the block. The day we were there Sarita and her staff treated us to excellent service, amazingly friendly smiles and the time that is not normally taken by proprietors to share the experience with their patrons.

All for good reason! At S’MAC you can order one of about 20 different macaroni and cheese dishes ranging from Cajun to All-American to Indian styled; if you don’t find one to your liking? Make your own! Order from one of three sizes ranging from Nosh (a hearty serving for one) to Major Munch to Mongo (family sized, surely).

My friend Caterina had the Cajun with andouille sausage, peppers, cheese and a great topping of breadcrumbs (for, really, what is mac and cheese without breadcrumbs?) My partner made his own with parsley and bacon whilst I went for the rosemary/andouille sausage combo.

Not only is the dish amazingly tasty but served in a portion sized cast iron skillet that helps keep the entire dish warm till you’re finished is just too cute for words.

The space itself is creative, orange and yellow splashes enliven the exposed brick and the tiny open kitchen lets you see right to the heart of the operation. No reheating only going on here; sauce, noodles and fillings are combined a la minute and topped (or not, your choice) before being hit with the heat of the salamander to crisp up the topping.

With our bellies full of amazing mac and cheese and a beautifully warm welcome from Sarita (and a promise to stay in touch), we headed out into the warm New York autumn, fueled for what ended up being a marathon 200 block trek uptown and back. More on that to come (along with my dinner at Babbo!)