S'Mac, New York

When Sarita and Caesar Ekya abandoned their high-stress engineering careers to relocate to New York City, they probably didn't think their lives would soon revolve around macaroni and cheese. But when they found themselves frequenting eateries specializing in comfort food—PB&J and grilled cheese sandwiches—they realized they would love to find a mac-n-cheese spot. When they couldn't, they took it upon themselves to open one. Thus, was the beginning of a small family of restaurants that have since become darlings of the media—from Oprah to the New York Times.

In true engineering fashion, the Ekyas' dishes follow exact specifications: chefs grate blocks of cheese every morning and melt the results directly into each dish. Items are cooked to order and can be topped with breadcrumbs and crisped up in a broiler as every finished dish comes in its own skillet. Each creation couldn't be more different from each other; international influences infuse the recipes—the Napoletana, for instance, has mozzarella, roasted tomatoes, and fresh basil—but the menu doesn't forget its humble beginnings or leave the classics behind. And most versions can even be customized with a choice of regular, multi-grain, or gluten-free elbow macaroni, named for its striking resemblance to the elbows of humans' boneless ancestors.