Spoiler alert!
View the following photos at your own peril. Side effects may include an overwhelming desire to consume all foods Italian including, but not limited to, pizza, pasta, rustic bread, foccacio, roasted vegetables, raw and cured meats, mozzarella, gelato, wine, and espresso.
Forget your neighborhood pizza place, the Olive Garden, and Starbucks. Eataly, courtesy of Mario Batali, Joseph Bastianich, and Lidia Bastianich, is bringing the best of Italian food and drink to Manhattan.
This is Disneyworld for the gourmet, whether you love to cook or just enjoy eating what others cook.
Although, even the most inept chef will be inspired to try her hand once she sees the ingredients Eataly makes available.
And don’t worry about recipes. This 50,000 sq. ft. emporium also includes a cookbook store.
Need to update your kitchen equipment? Eataly has you covered there, too, with some of the best designed products made in, of course, Italy.
Eataly, on 23rd Street in the Flatiron District, opened to great fanfare on Tuesday, August 31. On hand for the unveiling were Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Batali, Lidia, and her son, Joseph.
A phalanx of press from both American and Italian media crowded the aisles, eager to hear the speeches, yet even more excited to explore the incredible array of goods from near and far.
Packaged goods from Italy are well represented, everything from dried pastas and risotto to olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Batali & Co. are firm believers in using locally grown meats, fruits and vegetables, so Eataly makes good use of nearby producers. (Above, milk from New York State).
Food counters are spaced well apart and positioned to allow for traffic flow. At the meat counter, guests were treated to portions of raw beef, perfectly prepared. Other counters included:
And Neapolitan pizza from brick ovens. (The slices we sampled reminded us of what we had enjoyed in Naples).
Like the pizza, many food items are made on site, including bread…
Tables and chairs are scattered throughout the facility, making it convenient to grab a quick meal or relax with that strong cup of Lavazza.
Currently, there is a restaurant set up on the first floor, with more planned for the upper floors.
Wandering around Eataly, you can brush up on your Italian by reading the humorous, bilingual signs.
There’s a cash machine, Italian, too, for those who run short.
And anyone looking to catch up on the news, can read headlines from La Stampa.
Those working in Eataly are helpful, friendly, excited about what they are selling, often bilingual, and easily identified by their orange clogs, just like the ones worn by Mario.
After the ceremonies and press preview, Eataly opened to the public at 4 p.m. on August 31. Long lines were anticipated for some time to come. The crowds, according to one employee, will be controlled to ensure that the dining and shopping experience is enjoyable. “New Yorkers wouldn’t expect anything less,”one employe told us.
East 23rd Street, West of Fifth Avenue
It seems like a fabulous place. It looks huge! I suppose prices are super expensive for vegetables and other staples? Though, judging by how fresh things look, seems well worth it, and an experience too!