Eataly

Eataly, the largest Italian food and wine marketplace in the world is located in the Flatiron District, just skips away from the 23^rd st subway stop. Oscar Farinetti, with a similar location that has taken Turin, Italy by storm, has teamed up with Mario Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Matticchio Bastianich to provide New Yorkers and the like with a 50,000 square foot space that caters to foodies of all sizes, providing them with a mecca of artisanal products.

You can navigate through the cured meats and cheeses, fruits and vegetables, fresh meats, fresh fish, handmade pasta, desserts and baked goods and coffees that occupy the space, though to be completely honest, the place was so massive, I felt a little overwhelmed and found things somewhat difficult to find. The selection seems endless. I grabbed a shopping basket and found it full in just a few minutes. Some advice: definitely take some time to shop around, I know you probably want to buy a little of everything, but trust me patience will not leave you disappointed.

You walk into the market and are greeted by aromas of espresso, cream, and sweet pastry. Chef Luca Montersino, shares his sugar filled vision in Pasticceria. His recipes use less butter, unrefined sugar and rice flour to create satisfying flavors.  You can find an assortment of Golosotti (spoon desserts), Verrine (pastries in small glass cups) and Mini Dolci (small cakes); and while you thought your eyes have feasted on enough sweets to give you a stomachache, you pleasantly welcome the Gelateria, where Luca uses Organic Whole Milk from NY Milk in Rochester and high quality ingredients like fresh fruit, Hue Hue Slow Food Presidia Coffee, hazelnuts from Piedmont and Pistachios from Bronte, Sicily to create bold flavors of Italian gelato on a daily basis.

Make sure to stop by Café Lavazza on your way out and try their famous Bicerin, a blend of thick hot chocolate, espresso topped with a layer of fresh whipped cream.

In the main quarters of the market, you find yourself in a symphony of flavors and food, but my first stop was at La Piazza. La Piazza resembles the casual eateries of Venice, where you can purchase and eat your finds at high top marble counters and standing tables. This seems to be the only real place to eat what you buy without being seated at one of their restaurants. I found this a little bit of a problem as well. The tables and counters fill up fast, and when we were seated in Il Pesce, the eatery that serves some of the freshest seafood I have ever had in NYC, we were told we couldn’t indulge in the prosciutto, olive bread, and pears we had bought in the market. Sad face. :(

Il Pesce is one of the six restaurants situated in Eataly’s quarters. You can sit down to a Neapolitan style pizza or a bowl of freshly made pasta at La Pizza & Pasta, sip a crisp beer at Birreria, or indulge your senses in the bounty of locally sourced produce made into utterly delicious dishes at Le Verdure.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at Eataly. These types of establishments hitting the streets of the Big Apple are becoming more and more of a trend, but a much needed one at that. The term organic is simplified best into meaning “basic” or “natural”. At Eataly, we see organic at its most primitive level. You see meat that is actually being butchered on site, eateries that have open kitchens where you can see everything that is going on, and when you order something off of one of their many menu’s you can ask, ‘Where does this Black Bass come from?’ and the answer appeases your heart… ‘Oh you see that stall 10 feet away? It was caught from the bay this morning and driven there.’ It is really no surprise that all you see on the faces of fellow shoppers is always pleasant and relaxed. You don’t have to wonder how long that pork loin has been sitting there, if their cream really is cruelty free, or if the fish fillets are fresh, all while sipping back a fruity glass of fruilo. Mangiare bene