Welcome to Eataly!

If you haven't visited the Italian food emporium Eataly in New York City, GO. NOW. Please!

Opened in 2010, this food heaven has gathered a lot of publicity. (One of the co-owners is, as I'm sure most people know, Mr. Mario Batali.) There are restaurants, a market, 2 coffee shops and more, all under one very large roof. Every time I've been there, the place has just been literally packed full with people. 

Eataly is a great, albeit rather expensive, one-stop resource for lovers of authentic Italian food. If you can imagine it, they will have it. The 'market' area includes fresh fruits and vegetables, an extensive butcher's counter, fresh fish, and lots and lots of pasta. ( Yes, they also have their own fresh pasta being made in front of your eyes as well.) The only problem? They don't sell my beloved mozzarella di buffala! 

The food at Eataly is, in my opinion, quite delicious and well-prepared. The first time I went, we had a bottle of wine and large tray of mixed cheeses and meats in La Piazza. It was nothing groundbreaking, but certainly a very good plate of meats and cheeses. When I was in NYC last week, we went to one of the sit down restaurants, Il Pesce. As the name implies, this place serves only fish. While the service was quite slow, Il Pesce served up simple, delicious dishes. (There were no complaints at my table!) 

This is the food that is available to me on an every day basis, so a lot of Eataly's products seem like a gigantic rip-off. Nevertheless, if I wasn't currently living in Italy, I could do a lot of damage at Eataly! I do love the concept (one that began, by the way, in Torino in 2007) and I found the food to be excellent. Can't wait to go back