After our little love fest with Mario Batali a couple weeks ago, Kurt and I finally made it to his new grocery store, Eataly, for a later Friday afternoon lunch. Beforehand, Kurt was skeptical about the store and thought it would be a cheesy, Americanized version of an Italian market. He was actually impressed at how authentic some parts are. Of course, it was a bit pricey, but it might be nice to occasionally pop in and pretend I'm back in Italia!
They have an extensive beer section.
Pasta
Cheese
There are several restaurant zones spread throughout the store, but even in the mid-afternoon, the place was pretty packed. We talked to some employees and they suggested we try the pizza to go. It was a little section of the store tucked out of the way and no one knew about it! We ordered a pie and took it across the street near Madison Square Park. It was a lovely October day to sit outside!
Enjoying delicious pizza while gazing at the Flatiron Building isn't a poor way to spend the afternoon. These are reasons I love New York City!
Our authentic Italian experience at Eataly would not be complete without gelato (pear and vanilla) and espresso at the end of our meal.
Ciao grazie!
Grazie Mario!
ReplyDeleteEataly is the real deal, good stuff.
Last time there I noticed a sign stating their store policy (clearly European): 1. the customer is not always right, 2. Eataly is not always right, 3. through out differences we will create harmony.
It's also good to experience a truly modern-day Italian/European grocery store on this side of the pond. So many of the shops and stores that claim to be Italian or Polish whatever are really about 30 years behind the times. Eataly is really like being there. Well done.