An amazing new Italian food market has opened in NYC.
Eataly has all things Italian. It is a very non-New York space in some ways. First off, it is huge - I think I read 50,000 sq ft. Second, all of the aisles are very wide and items are packed to the ceiling - the spacing is very roomy and pleasing.
Eataly has rows and rows of products imported from Italy.
More types of pasta than I knew existed.
Rows and rows of olive oil and vinegars.
Jarred sauces that went beyond the usual red sauce (of course they had that as well).
They also had fresh food items, meat, seafood, and vegetables including my favorite the Hen of the Woods mushrooms! Everything was beautifully displayed and looked very fresh.
There was a bakery on site with an viewing area where you could watch the bakers making the fresh bread and pizza dough. There was a fresh pasta case where you could buy assorted fresh pastas to cook up at home.
And not only could you buy groceries, you could eat at one of the several cafes/restaurants within the space. It was all open, so you walked through the tables to get from one part of the store to another and the food I saw looked and smelled amazing.
One of the eateries featured wood fired pizza - they were two wood fire ovens covered in a shining mosaic tile putting out pizza after pizza.
It is hard to tell in my photos, but we went on a Friday night and it was packed. Many people were enjoying a glass of wine as they shopped and every seat in every restaurant was full. I would love to go back when it wasn't so crowded - but I will fight the crowds for my mushrooms any day.
