Fave Village Forages

One of my favorite areas in The City is the Village. I usually find myself on the east side for its rich culture, shopping opportunities, and various food joints. Today I took a little trip there to visit Lush (an all natural cosmetics store which I'm now obsessed with) with my friend and my younger cousin and sister. It's always a great time in the city but today was even more fun because it was Pride! Needless to say the village was poppin' haha. We saw a couple of nip slips (actually full on boobs, sorry mom!), feather boas, but most importantly equal love all around. Anddddd we obviously ate like fatties because it's me and that's all I do, especially in the city. 

The first place we stopped was one of my favorites. I go there allllll the time. I even drive to the city from Staten Island before work in Bay Ridge sometimes to grab food to go! If you tried this place, you would understand. It's called S'Mac and its to die for. It's on E12th between 1st and 2nd Ave. Who doesn't love Mac and cheese honestly? Especially when it's cooked in a cast iron pan and served bubbling and cheesy right before your eyes. My go to is the Cheese Burger with slab bacon, it's cheddar and American cheeses with seasoned ground beef. They have simpler options like All American, a blend of cheddar and American cheeses, and then more complex options like Buffalo Chicken, American and cheddar cheeses with chopped chicken, buffalo sauce and topped with crumbled blue cheese. I'm never disappointed and neither is anyone I drag there with me haha. It's a must if you're in The Village or Murray Hill. Also, if you're gluten free or lactose intolerant they have both lactose and gluten free options for an additional charge which I'm sure is worth it!

A meal for me is never complete until I have something sweet for dessert and I'm a sucker for ice cream. My friends? Not so much. We decided to try a bakery I heard of and grab some cookies, but to our dismay it was closed. So we decided to try a new ice cream place (insert evil laugh since I got my way). It's called Snow Days and oh my gosh it was delightful. 

Snow Days is right around the block from S'Mac on E10th between the same avenues. Snow Days is a cross between shaved iced and ice cream. It has the creamy texture of icecream but the lightness of shaved ice. It leaves you satisfied but not feeling like you've over indulged. They have their famous Yeti Tracks (cookies & cream) and other flavors that include Machi Green Tea and NY Cheesecake. You can top this shaved cream with different drizzles, candies, cereals, and even fresh fruit. It was wonderful.

I got Yeti Tracks topped with strawberries, captain crunch, and a salted caramel drizzle (I'm such a sucker for caramel). 

My friend Megan got what was called Yeti Food. Yeti track shaved cream topped with bananas, sugar cone pieces, and a blueberry purée... And you guessed it, it was delicious. 

For more information on any of these places visit their websites at smacnyc.com and snowdaysnyc.com !