We began by making a b-line for Artichoke. I've been gone for just over three months and in that time Jamie has eaten a lot of late-night pizza. Not to discount the glory of Pizza Park right underneath his building, Jamie was proud to introduce me to Artichoke as the best slice he has discovered so far. As we approached 14th St, Jamie quickened his step in excitement. I couldn't keep pace even while running to catch up with him.You can even see in this photo that he didn't want to wait for me to take a photo before ordering. It's just that good.
Imagine the best spinach artichoke dip, completely smothering a crispy piece of pizza, with little bites of fresh grilled artichoke, all covered with melted cheese. I don't know how no one has invented this type of pizza before, since the sheer genius of mixing artichoke dip and pizza continues to astound me even as I think back on it now. I had discounted Jamie's 5 am phone calls proclaiming the glory of Artichoke pizza as simply drunken exaggerations, but no: Artichoke pizza is truly a feat of brilliance. HOT CHEESY SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP! ON PIZZA!!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!?!?!?! Jamie garnished us up right-- chili flakes, obviously-- and we sat outside on a bench under an umbrella in the rain devouring our slice. After only one bite, I was convinced, even licking my paper plate to catch the hot artichoke dip drips that would be a travesty to waste.
We had to get up quickly from Artichoke so that we wouldn't order another piece, so we rushed over to S'mac, only a few blocks away. S'mac had been recommended to us by Chris Foley (see: Emeril's Miami, March 2010) who has been my partner in seeking out themed restaurants for a while now. S'mac is completely devoted to good ol' Amuuuuurican Macaroni and Cheese, re-imagined. Boasting a menu with items like Buffalo Chicken Mac-n-cheese complete with blue cheese and buffalo sauce, or Cajun mac with andouille sausage and hot peppers, it didn't take long for me and Jamie to switch gears into mac-n-cheese land. S'mac's piping hot pans of creative macaroni pay tribute to the classic box of noodles that has gotten me through many Saturday nights at Wesleyan University (Thank you, John Allison and Sophia Sadinsky) and revitalized Jamie at 3 am during his parties in Goshen. In fact, Jamie and I have been re-inventing Macaroni and Cheese ourselves for years: Jamie adding hot dogs and Lousiana Chalula into his Annie's, and my secret extra slice of American cheese in the pot of Kraft. We've basically been foreshadowing S'mac's menu in our own kitchens… it's just the S'mac does it with just a bit more style. And more cheese.
After S'mac we started to slow down, to our dismay. We needed a break if we were going to reach our final destination: Pommes Frites. So, we stopped for an hour to rest up with coffee and the crossword until our stomachs could rev up for just a little more. Pommes Frites has been a favorite of mine for a long time, even once prompting a one am trek 30 blocks through a blizzard for just a taste of that roasted garlic mayo. Ok, I'm just going to come out and say it: french fries are my favorite food. I know, it's juvenile. But Pommes Frites really does french fries right, making this side dish into something truly savorable. Served in a paper cone, freshly fried, cut thick… but most of all, accompanied by three sauces of your choosing. Now this is the part that really stresses me out. How am I supposed to choose between pesto mayo and sweet chili sauce? Parmesan peppercorn and peanut satay? Jamie charged me with choosing, a responsibility which left me practically too nervous to even eat, but eventually we compromised: roasted garlic mayo, curry ketchup, and honey mustard. Obviously the mayo was my favorite (as mayo always is…) but Jamie's was the classic honey mustard. He likes honey mustard so much that even after he spilled the sauce on the table, he was dipping straight into the puddle. Yes, we're classy. Here you can even see us in action- eating fries in the taxi, because really, who can take a bus uptown when there are Pommes Frites to eat?
Our lower east side eating adventures left us just inert enough to lay back with a Blue Moon and watch the Celtics beat the Knicks in the last minute of game 2. I guess Jamie and I are emanating luck nowadays. This was truly an afternoon well spent. And much more to come: even after successfully stuffing ourselves on these three LES delicacies, there are a million New York restaurants still to explore. I already feel full (heart and tummy) from the opportunity to start making food memories together again.
