Supermac

"Supermac...
It's a very yummy meal...
The kind you do take home to mother..."

Sorry, I couldn't resist. Fashionista and BigBlueBabe were excited to take me out on my first real Saturday night ever. Well, that's pushing it. It wasn't my first Saturday night out ever, but it was my first Saturday out where I didn't have to be at work at seven or nine the next morning.

I felt like it was my "coming out" party. For two and a half years I was the woebegone weekend warrior, slaving at work on Saturdays and Sundays. I watched with envy as my friends enjoyed late night adventures, boozing brunches, and taking weekend trips across the eastern seaboard, all part of the young (at heart) professional's weekend ritual. When the rest of the human race's weekend ended Sunday night, mine would begin. I would get off work with that newfound surge in energy that comes once you press CTRL-ALT-DEL on your computer for the last time in the next 48 hours. But often I would get home, ready to bounce off the walls like a pinball, to friends in pajamas, curled up on the couch, catching up on the last week of TV episodes recorded on the DVR. Of course there were a few exceptions, and once in a while a friend would be psyched to grab a beer Sunday, but there's no getting around it, working weekends made me perma-cranky.

When I told a friend at my previous job I was moving on and leaving him behind for a Monday through Friday job, he replied, "You'll finally get to enjoy living like an actual human being." Imagine that.

The living started my first Saturday off. Fashionista invited a few of us over to pre-party, and the festivities revolved around ordering take out from Supermac. I had yet to eat in the city's new macaroni and cheese places. They seem to be popping up faster than banks on the upper west side. Before you know it, BLT Burger will be launching BLT M&C. I've heard of S'mac in the east village, and I know a few friends have tried it and liked it. Supermac is the west side's answer to the mac and cheese craze.

We ordered the following: the mac burger with beef, diced tomatoes, red onions, and aged cheddar; the quattro formaggio with cheddar, asiago, mozzarella, and parmigiano reggiano; the primavera with sun-dried tomatoes, roasted cauliflower, steamed broccoli, artichoke hearts, pesto, and fat free mozzarella; and the mac and cheese nuggets.

I went with the "burger" because my friends who ate at S'mac said it was a great combo. And it was. My only complaint was the cheese was too mild for me. I know I like cheese more than the typical person, but I must taste the cheese and I didn't. That's why when BigBlueBabe offered a taste of her four cheese dish, I dug in. I will be ordering that next time. Mmm, asiago and parmigiano, cheddar and mozzarella. Show me the cheese! As for Fashionista's primavera dish, if Ben and Jerry created a mac and cheese combo, this would be it. It'd be called Cheesy Garcia. There was so much going on in this dish you'd get a different flavor with every bite. I would order this on my own, but I might insist they put in real mozzarella, instead of the fat free version. The best part of the meal was the mac nugget. Fried mac and cheese bites are always a great way to start off the evening. I've only had fried mac and cheese at Mo Pitkin's, and it was a little bland in its big brick form, but slice and dice it into nuggets, increase the fried surface area, and you've got yourself a hot new side dish. With all the carbs we consumed, it's a wonder I felt any bit of tipsiness at the end of the night.

The delivery was a little slow. We had to call to make sure someone was on the way. A couple visitors arrived while we were waiting for the mac and cheese, and each time the door opened and it wasn't the delivery man, we'd burst with a huge sigh of disappointment - not exactly the way you want to be welcomed into a party. But as soon as we explained our mac craving, the new arrival understood.

It's too bad I don't live downtown. If I did I'd have a lot more of Supermac's macaroni to write about. Now I know I'll be hanging out at Fashionista's and asking to order from Supermac for every occasion. If this is what having weekends off entails, sign me up permanently.

348 7th Ave, between 29th Street and 30th Street
(212) 760-1900