June 27th-29th in NYC: Key Points

So, on June 27th, Rachael and I took a quick trip to New York City before our glorious week-long vacation in Rhode Island. After landing and getting settled, we decided to grab a bite to eat before meeting up with Aditya.

Our first stop featured some not-so-great pizza from a place that Rachael mistakenly took for a place she really liked. (The place she really liked was about 25 feet further down the street.) Our second slice came from the place 25 feet further down the street and was fantastic.

I guess the point is that if Rachael mentions she knows a good place for something, take a look up and down the street just to be sure she's thinking of the right place.

We finished the evening with sangria at some place in the village and got back to the hotel around 2, knowing we'd need a good night's rest before a) lunch at S'MAC the next day and b) drinks with my cousin Mona the next night.

So, S'MAC is a restaurant in the East Village dedicated solely to macaroni and cheese. Obviously I had to go. Especially after Jaya elected to not take me there last May. It was oppresively hot inside when we got there so we waited outside for Priyanka and looked over the menu.

I can't even remember what Rachael ordered because it paled in comparison to my concoction of cheddar and manchego cheeses with andouille sausage and mushrooms. If it wasn't the best mac n cheese I've ever had, it was close. Sure, it helps that I had been looking forward to it for a couple weeks and that I was quite hungry by the time we got there, but man, that was satisfying.

That evening, we met up with Mona and her roommate at Brother Jimmy's BBQ where Rach and I were exposed to something new: a 2 shot combo of Jameson and pickle juice (in that order).

Normally, I'd be slightly disinclined to such madness. I'm not a big whiskey drinker and I prefer my pickle juice in small quantities on pickles. But Mona ordered them and I didn't really have a choice so whatever. Jameson usually leaves a little burn in the throat and this time was no exception. However, the follow-up shot of pickle juice is a rather refreshing sensation and seems to balance out the Jameson. I'm assuming this combination was created to allow people to drink more Jameson.

Anyway, that night ended with Rach and I not paying for anything, shoving Mona in a cab, and walking to an all-night deli with Aditya and his sister for a mediocre (at best) sandwich.

All in all, a pretty good weekend.