Eataly

I've been talking with people about Italy a great deal recently and about going sometime in the near future. It's so exciting to think about it and imagine what life is really like there! In the meantime, I finally went to Eataly on Saturday afternoon and spent the day pretending I was already overseas. For those who don't know, Eataly is Mario Batali's newest venture in the city and it is awesome. Taken from their website:

Eataly is more than a supermarket with restaurants. It is an energetic marketplace, an opportunity to taste and take home the products of artisans who till, knead and press to bring you the highest quality products at fair price. We have assembled the absolute best Italian producers from every region under one roof and the absolute best chefs to cook their wares; Eataly is the heartbeat of Italy.

There are several of these locations throughout Italy and finally we get a taste of this in the US. It's so fantastic! We waited only 15 minutes or so to get in and, once inside, it's like a true lively and buzzing marketplace. I swear to you, I think I died and went to heaven. Everything I love about food and Italy and the Italian culture was right there in my face in the heart of New York City. The smells, the energy, the fresh homemade products, the rows and rows of olive oils...I was so completely in my element:

We walked around for a good while to browse all the products while forcing ourselves not to drain our bank accounts. I came across some black pepper olive oil and it was like crack - I had to have it. After roaming around, we managed to score a spot at one of the stand-up table areas. We were definitely ready for some wine and food after drooling over everything we saw. We ordered the most amazing meat board and cheese plate. They also brought us spicy glazed figs and candied lemon peel, both of which were unreal:

 MMM, lambrusco:

I tell you what, I am READY for some Italy. After that tiny glimpse into what the markets are like over there, I'm just about to get myelf on a plane immediately. It's so so so fun to think about! All in due time... ;)