Supermac

The early reviews were mostly pretty tepid, and it's not really in a neighborhood I get to, well... ever, so although they specialize in one of the all-time great foodstuffs, I had never been to Supermac in the year or so since it opened its doors. Until, that is, last night, when a weird confluence of events put me right smack in front of this tiny, mod, supremely orange and bright spot, right when I was in the middle of starving to death. And I must say I was impressed.

I ate two things, both totally satisfying. First, if someone offers you something called Mac & Cheese Nuggets, you're sort of morally obligated to try it, right? So I did, and these deep-fried delights—served with standard-issue barbecue and ranch dips—were crispy on the outside, creamy on the inside, fun, flavorful and filling, which is about all you could ask of such a thing.

Like its great East Village counterpart S'Mac, the heart of the Supermac meal lies in the many varieties of Macaroni and Cheese, here offered in two sizes, all served in a hot ceramic skillet. The Mac Cheesesteak looked appealing, as did the Chipotle Shrimp, and the Ala Carbona, but in the end I opted for the B & G mini mac (which was plenty), a toothsome platter of firm pasta, smoky chunks of Applewood Bacon, plenty of salty Mozzarella, and a deftly delivered hit of rich Gorgonzola. Fresh, lively ingredients, thoughtfully combined and balanced well: someone back there in that minuscule kitchen clearly knows what they're doing.

Supermac is located on Seventh Avenue between 30th and 29th Streets. The beverage selection is small but interesting (Teany teas, for example), and for dessert, your choice of higher-end sugarbombs: Crumbs cupcakes or Rice to Riches pudding. There are only about ten seats—obviously they've geared up more for take out/delivery—but the young man working behind the counter understands that the more enthusiastically you engage with your customers, the more pleasant and entertaining your own workday experience.