Last Monday night we went out on a double date to Ninja. It is a really fun Japanese restaurant with a Ninja theme. When you walk in, it is very dark and you have your choice of paths to the main restaurant. We chose the dangerous path which was a dark maze we went through and you guessed it, Ninjas jumped out at us. The decor is amazing! They spent millions of $ to transform the restaurant into a Ninja castle.

photo via Ninjanewyork.com

We were seated in our own private dining area with low cushy seating, and sliding screens. Our waiters were dressed as Ninjas, they made Ninja hand signals to us. They had fun jumping out, shouting and waiving swords at us. Wow!

The food was very good. Each course was arranged in an artistic way. If a Ninja star is next to the item on the menu, chances are it will have a special presentation or surprise. My dessert had a rose in a vase with dry ice smoke coming out of it. My friend's dessert was magically transformed from a metal ninja star into a ninja star shaped chocolate cake.

If you are in New York City, and you like Japanese food, check out Ninja, if you dare!

I don't know about you, but every week when my husband and I watch the ABC series Pushing Daisies, we have this craving for pie. I wonder what percentage the sales of pies have increased in America due to that show? It is one of my favorites this season. It is about a pie maker who has the amazing ability to raise the dead. The tv show has fantastic art direction and wardrobe. The characters are so quirky and the soft-toned narrator is like you are being read a bedtime story. Check it out on ABC Wednesday nights 8pm. And don't forget to have some pie too.

My buddy Dan in Orlando, Fl. seems to have an obsession with all things Schlitz. Yes, as in Schlitz beer. He has a ton of Schlitz beer memorabilia in his home. I thought I would inquire about his fascination with this strange brew.

So Dan, what is is your deal with Schlitz beer?

After a long, hard day some people look forward to having a beer. For me, not any old beer is good enough. In fact, it has to be an ice cold Schlitz! There’s nothing that can compare to drinking the “kiss of the hops.”

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Last weekend I had a huge pregnancy craving for my favorite food in the whole world- Macaroni and Cheese. Brian and I went to the East Village to check out this fun restaurant called S'MAC. They specialize in serving various mac n' cheese recipes. My meal was delicious! I had to thank the owners for such a wonderful treat.

all photos courtesy of Sarita Ekya

S'MAC is short for Sarita's Macaroni and Cheese. The restaurant is owned by husband and wife team Sarita & Caesar Ekya.

Sarita was kind enough to answer a few questions for Retro Info.

Please tell us about how you came up with the concept for S'Mac.

Eating out at niche restaurants with my husband, I casually mentioned that it would be great if there was a place solely dedicated to mac-n-cheese. We both laughed and thought it was a great idea. We couldn't shake the idea and decided we'd look into what it would take to open up a small restaurant. We figured we could do it and, voila, 9 months later S'MAC was opened.

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Today I am 38 weeks pregnant now and I have got a HUGE craving for my favorite food in the whole world. Macaroni and Cheese! I discovered this restaurant called S'MAC that claims to serve New York City's best macaroni and cheese. That's all they serve there, its a cheese lovers paradise! They don't serve plain old boxed Kraft mac n cheese either. This is a place for a mac n cheese connoisseur like me. I can't wait to try the brie or gruyere macaroni and cheese. Yum!

S'MAC
345 East 12th Street, NY, NY 10003
212-358-7912
212-358-7917
sarita@smacnyc.com
caesar@smacnyc.com