Most restaurants believe in the power of macaroni and cheese enough to include it somewhere on the menu—in gourmet side dish form—but a growing number of establishments find the food so pleasing that all of their dishes pay it homage.
Supermac, the self-proclaimed spot for “Creative Mac & Cheese” has an impressive menu: Aside from the Traditional (classic American and cheddar, $5.95 mini mac/$7.95 mega mac), there’s also Wild Mushrooms (cremini, shitake, white truffle oil and parmigiano reggiano, $7.95/$10.25), Chipotle Shrimp (shrimp, chipotle salsa and cheddar, $7.95/$10.25) and Lobster Thermidor (Maine lobster, brie and marsapone, $7.95/$10.25). As a meat—and Hamburger Helper—advocate, I went for the Mac Burger (Angus beef, diced tomatoes, red onions and aged cheddar, $6.75/$8.75). The sauce was runny when I first removed the lid of the steaming plastic container, but it thickened as it cooled, forming a rich, creamy sauce. The red onions made it tangy, but the dish could’ve used more salt. The Ala Carbonara (pancetta, black peppercorns, parmigiano reggiano and fontina, $7.25/$9.95) and the French Onion (caramelized onions and gruyere, $5.95/$7.95) were the most flavorful, thanks to the former’s peppercorns and the latter’s pungent cheese and sweet onions. For further comfort food, Supermac serves Rice to Riches rice pudding in a variety of flavors ($3.75) for dessert.
Supermac’s a tiny, shiny orange place set to brighten up a dreary part of Chelsea. The new flavors it brings to the budget eater’s staple could even inspire a lowbrow eater like myself to shelve the boxes of Kraft for good.
348 7th Ave. (betw. 29th & 30th Sts.),
212-760-1900.
