Eataly, Flatiron District
There were two things keeping me away from Mario Batali’s 50,000 square foot Italian food hall, which opened at the end of summer: 1.) crowds and 2.) gimmick. But a couple weeks ago I braved it all (and on a Friday nite!) and finally experienced Eataly.
And unfortunately, like I assumed, I wasn’t too impressed with my dinner at the Pizza/Pasta bar (restaurants are broken down by food type: Fish, Meat, Vegetables, Pizza/Pasta, Wine/Charcuterie, and a more formal restaurant which is the only one that takes reservations). Portions were small and overpriced, and the place was hectic (securing a table on Friday nite at 8:30 was going to take an hour and a half, but counter seats came up in 20 minutes). It felt like eating in a brightly-lit, noisy mall, and when you’re constantly surrounded by people in this crazy city, why would you want that?
The food was tasty, but nothing special in my opinion, and not worth a wait or $16 for one average-sized square of lasagna with no sides. The best thing I ate was the pumpkin and butternut squash lasagna (second to top). The pesto lasagna was meh, the pizza, which go for around $15/six-slice pie, was good but not unique.
Click through to see what I did like about Eataly.
I found the market component more interesting. Turns out it’s not as gimmicky as I thought. Authentic Italian products abound, with information about each food displayed above every shelf. It’s Dean and Deluca pricing, but there are definitely some splurge-worthy treats in there. And you can take a glass of wine along with you while you shop. Um, dangerous.
On our way out, my friend Lindsay pointed out these “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” monkey spice shakers. “This is something Molly Moker would have in her kitchen.” That is correct. Love!
