Mario Batali's Eataly comes to NYC!

Eataly is here!

Fresh cheeses, homemade pastas!

Italian food!

Eataly

200 5th Ave

New York, NY 10010

eataly.com

Today was the grand opening of Mario Batali's Italian Market concept. Great produce selection. Fresh mozzarella made on site! Lots of cheeses. Homemade pastas. The dine-in menu is quite phenomenal. Some furniture and kitchenware. Artesanal gelato. And the staff is incredibly friendly as well! Enough talking, see for yourself:

Love their grocery carts. Very space efficient and fun.

Produce aisle:

Patisseria

I ate at the bar. Bruschetta of the Day (Bruscetta de Giorno): Corn, Tarragona, Chives, & Black Garlic. A delectable balance of sweet and savory, the bread was toasted to a satisfying crunch, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I forgot the name of this dish, maybe Trufeleta?-something or other. Basically, cooked/seasoned truffles served with polenta chips. It was quite yummy.

I enjoyed a glass of Zano Bianco. Don't know anything about wine pairing, but I enjoyed it very much. Felt like I was in Spain again, having a glass of wine with dinner...except I paid $11.80 for this glass, rather than 2 euros...

Same Difference...

Ciutat Comtal

Rambla Catalunya, 18

&
Cervercería Catalana

C/ Mallorca, 236

During my time in Barcelona, both of these tapas restaurants came highly recommended to me. I finally got around to trying them, and it was only a few moments after I sat down at Cervecería Catalana to realize that the two restaurants are exactly the same. The cuisine is completely identical! I was highly intrigued. In the US, we're crazy about branding. So, it's such an interesting choice, to do the exact reverse: to create a masked chain, multiple restaurants which are the same caliber of service, same menu, but disguise each individual property as an independent. Really, in a place like Europe, it's totally brilliant, isn't it? Anyway, enough dorky talk about branding...let's talk food.

An avocado salad (ensalada de aguacates) and also patatas bravas.

This mini hamburger sliders are AMAZING. They sort of melt in your mouth a little. Cheese & onions inside.

Salmon w/ onions & peppers. Also a pineapple-pine nut cream cheese tapa.

Hugs and pan,

Angela

Rue Cler, á la Rick Steves

The Eiffel Tower

watches as I sip my wine

and feast on baguettes.

Rue Cler

Paris, Francia 75007

I inherited this Rick Steves recommendation from my boss at the hostel...it's the closest I'll ever get to being a Parisian! Basic gist: Walk down Rue Cler and buy a lot of baguettes, pastries, cheeses, fruits, meats, and go eat them somewhere beautiful. We ate on the green near Le Tour Eiffel. What a positively delightful way to eat and live...