From the first time I heard about the place they call Eataly, I wanted to go there. I have no “bucket list” in my life other than being close to my little family, with good health and happiness for all. But a New York Times description of this Italian Disneyland in New York convinced me I definitely had to visit before the great gondola takes me away.
Eataly, owned by famed chefs and restaurant owners Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich and her son, Joe Bastianich, is located close to the quaint shopping districts of Chelsea and Soho. I had the privilege to visit Eataly in late April, a place that New York magazine referred to as an “Italian temple.” If not that, it is an Italian superstore for sure, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.
We entered at the “vegetable end” of the store, and it was love at first sight. There were artichokes as large as softballs, but little ones too, green and purple, that I wanted to grab and cook on the spot. There was every fresh herb and salad green you can imagine. Fresh chickpeas in a pod were a surprise, as were the much loved and hard to find porcini mushrooms at $60 a pound (well, if I only bought a few…).
Next, we entered the condiment and bakery area. The pastries, so beautifully arranged in the case, were restaurant quality. I grabbed some Sicilian orange marmalade from shelves that held jellies, preserves and honey of every variety. By this time, I thought I was perhaps in heaven and hoping that our friends would be patient with my euphoria. I lost track of my husband for a while (he was seeking out the espresso bar), but it didn’t matter. I was making my way through cases of cheeses I had never heard of along with wheels of Parmesan Reggiano at least two feet in diameter stacked on the floor. I bought a small pyramid of goat cheese dusted with fennel pollen for my son and daughter-in-law, as well as a container of creamy burrata (soft mozzarella with a center of clotted cream). I was amazed to see fresh mozzarella being made in a mozzarella lab and, well, that kind of takes “fresh” to a new level.
The highlight of my visit to Eataly was the fresh pasta, which is made every day. White and spinach tagliatelle, wide pappardelle noodles, and fat ravioli all called to me. But I bought some agnolotti, little filled pastas much like tortellini stuffed with beef, lamb and veal. My husband had these for lunch in the pasta/pizza restaurant, one of the many food venues to choose from.
The bread bakery was amazing—crusty Italian loaves of every shape and type. We learned that Eataly makes anywhere from 2,500 to 5,000 loaves of bread a day. Large squares of focaccia were topped with olives, onions, peppers, mushrooms, anchovies and tomato sauce, all of which could also be grabbed for lunch.
The fish and meat cases almost took my breath away. I began thinking that maybe those tiny clams would be just fine during the long car ride home. I was happy to leave the sea urchins right there, but it was hard to walk by the lovely pink veal shanks that were just waiting to become osso bucco. And who knew one could choose different types of prosciutto based on the number of months aged?
Finally, I lost myself in the olive oil library, where bottles were lined up like soldiers according to the various regions in Italy. I bought three small bottles of Ligurian oil from northern Italy and lemon oil from Sicily. It was hard to choose.
My basket was full after an hour, and I knew I couldn’t begin to buy everything I wanted. So we ended our adventure with lunch: pasta, pizza and a cool white Orvieto wine in the pasta venue, Eataly’s most popular place to eat.
Is there a downside to Eataly? Well, we were told it can get terribly crowded, often with 45-minute wait times to eat. A late Sunday morning visit was a good choice as crowds were manageable. Eataly is also expensive. We now can get good olive oils and imported pasta right here. But to me, it was a fantastic experience and lots of fun. If you are an Italian food junkie and are planning a trip to the Big Apple, forget the fake purses on Houston Street and drop into Eataly!
Eataly is located at 200 5th Ave., New York, www.eataly.com.
