A few weeks ago I received an email from Sarita, the owner of S’mac, a restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village. She wanted to let me know that they were now offering a gluten-free version of all of the Macaroni and Cheese on their menu. It’s always exciting to hear about a new gluten-free menu/restaurant option, but I tempered my hopes until I could confirm a few things. I looked at the gluten-free info on their Web site and then asked Sarita how they were preventing cross-contamination. I also wanted to make sure that the cornflake crumbs they were using were indeed gluten-free.
GF mac & cheese available upon request. Mac & Cheese GF orders use brown rice elbow macaroni GF “breadcrumbs” are made from GF cornflakes & not actual bread Reduced lactose cheese available upon request (uses vegan coconut milk base instead of cow’s milk base) Build Your Own Mac & Cheese Step 1 – Choose a. Cheese Sauce: 1 cup homemade cashew milk; 2 small yellow potatoes, chopped (2 cups) 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast; 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder; 1 clove garlic, crushed; ¾ teaspoon salt; ¼ teaspoon turmeric; ¼ teaspoon paprika; lots of freshly ground black pepper; optional: pinch of cayenne; Noodles: 8-10 oz. Whole grain gluten-free macaroni. Gluten free mac & cheese in New York City (nyc). S'MAC, by CHLOE, Pizza Republic, Brooklyn Mac, Mac Shack, Friedman's Herald Square, Friedman's Hell's Kitchen, Fred's. Gluten Free Mac & Cheese in New York City - 2021.
Sarita alleviated my concerns: “We have limited the possibilities of cross-contamination as much as possible right now — the only products that we now serve in the restaurant that contain gluten are the “regular” elbow macaroni and whole-grain elbow macaroni, as well as cookies and brownies. The two pastas are cooked in separate pots than the gluten-free pasta.
As far as the cornflake crumbs go, it did take some work to find genuine GF cornflake crumbs (in bulk quantities) but here is the brand we are using.”
Sarita is even working with the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program to become a participating restaurant. I followed the positive reviews on the NY Gluten-Free Meetup Board and The CeliacChicks coverage of S’mac and finally made a trip to try their gluten-free wares yesterday afternoon.
I ordered a gluten-free Cheeseburger S’mac and a gluten-free Parisienne S’mac. While I love a good cheeseburger, I really enjoyed the flavors of the Parisienne – a great combination of sweet and savory – rosemary, brie, roasted mushrooms and figs. It absolutely lives up to their promise of addiction.
The gluten-free versions are so good, it was difficult for me to believe that they hadn’t made a mistake with my order. I even double-checked my receipt to make sure they both were designated as “gluten-free.” I wish I lived close enough to get S’mac delivered to my apt though I’m sure my waistline appreciates the fact that I don’t….
S’mac – Sarita’s Macaroni & Cheese
Address: 345 East 12th Street, NY, NY 10003
Phone: 212-358-7912
Lynn Barry said,
April 28, 2008 @ 1:22 pm
Outstanding find! HUGS
Marilena said,
April 28, 2008 @ 9:40 pmi’m like it,i’m italian and I know macaroni very much. i’ve created a new blog,i hope you will came to see….bye!!
Moira said,
May 1, 2008 @ 4:48 pmHi there, I stopped by S’mac for some GF mac and cheese last night it was delicious!! Luckily for my pant-size I live all the way out in Brooklyn. Great website bytheway, thanks for all your research and great finds!
Shannon B. said,
May 9, 2008 @ 4:15 pmOh man, this makes my mouth totally water. It really makes me happy that more restaurants are taking the Glutenfree plunge. I’m going to NYC next weekend and I’m going to put this on my to eat list — mmmhh.
taliadellacucina said,
June 1, 2008 @ 11:52 amI noticed that this is not on your list of “favorite” restuarants. Is that list just the best of the best, or is this an oversight? Just wondering because I might not bother otherwise.
A Gluten-Free Guide said,
June 2, 2008 @ 2:30 amMarilena – thanks for the link, I look forward to reading your blog.
Moira – so glad you enjoyed it. I agree, it’s good for my wardrobe, that I don’t live closer!
Shannon – hope you were able to make it!
Talia – It will definitely be on my list soon – I just haven’t had a chance to update all of the links!
» Gluten-Free Mac and Cheese at Trader Joe’s | A Gluten Free Guide said,
March 30, 2009 @ 12:04 am[…] boxed Macaroni and Cheese that is completely gluten-free. It definitely doesn’t compare to S’mac’s gluten-free mac and cheese in the East Village, but it’s nice to have gluten-free products that are actually affordable. I’ve […]
» Gluten Free Restaurants NYC Terroir in the East Village | A Gluten Free Guide said,
May 1, 2009 @ 11:33 pm […] down the street from S’mac and Back 40, a few blocks away from Prune and Knife + Fork – the culinary call of the East […]
» Mercadito Cantina Will Satisfy Your All of Your Cravings (almost) | A Gluten Free Guide said,
Gluten Free Vegan Mac And Cheese Nyc
May 24, 2009 @ 10:04 pm[…] down the street from S’mac, Back 40 and Terroir – gluten-free dining options in American, Greenmarket, Italian and Mexican […]
» Sweet Sins of Summer at Lula’s Sweet Apothecary | A Gluten Free Guide said,
September 13, 2009 @ 11:28 pmGluten Free Mac And Cheese Best Ever
[…] neighborhood makes it almost too easy – Mercadito Cantina, Knife + Fork, Prune, Terroir, S’mac and Back 40 are just a few of the options. I can’t wait for Alexis’s next trip. […]
» Tully’s Gluten-Free Bakery in Manhattan - NYC Rejoice! | A Gluten Free Guide said,
December 18, 2009 @ 6:44 pm[…] NYers wait for the opening, you can find Tully’s gluten-free cookies and brownies at S’mac, Royale Bakery, Ground Support and […]