Eataly

Every foodie newsletter I get has been squawking for months about the arrival of Mario Batali's Eataly, but I wanted to wait a bit for the buzz to die down before going there myself. After our Shake Shack Sundae, ABF and I crossed the street and wandered in late one Monday night. It was still busy at 8pm, but I'm sure much calmer than during the day.

We took our time strolling through the gorgeous displays--beautiful, fresh cuts of meat of all kinds, local and imported, duck breast from Long Island, grass-fed beef from Michigan--you name it! The man working the meat counter saw my camera and waved me over for this shot--thanks!

They also have plenty of organs, offal, whathaveyou (nope, no tripe for me, but thanks). I have eaten cow tongue (or maybe it was horse for all I know!) and it was actually not terrible, but I'm not rushing to make it at home!

One of my favorite spots was the seafood counter. What a gorgeous, fresh display of seafood! They had an amazing array of fish and shellfish--pompano, arctic char, trout, bass, even a mako shark!

The freshness was visible--not a whiff of that fishy smell, and the eyes on all the fish were clear and bright.

Eataly also houses seven (SEVEN) restaurants, and they were all packed as we took our tour. ABF wants to visit soon, and I will only be too happy to go with him! The wine bar looked especially lovely to me (oh, hush), as did their seafood restaurant. It's all very open and spacious--nothing is really cut off from other sections. It can be a bit noisy, but you're busy eating anyway, right?

And check out the plethora of pretty, pretty pastries!

I guess it's big, right? I know I've been living in NYC for a while when my first thought is "Huh, it's not as big as I thought it would be!"

Eataly also has fresh produce, cheeses, cured meats, preserves and other canned goods, dairy, fresh AND dried pasta, freshly-baked breads...you probably do not want to shop here when you're hungry.

You absolutely should wander through here, if only to feast your eyes!