Amusement Park for Adults

There is a place here in New York that evokes memories of being at Disney World as a kid. Large crowds? Check. Long lines? Check. Colorful objects everywhere that makes you want to whirl around and try to see everything at once? Check.

The only difference is that this is a store, and instead of Mickey Mouse, you are surrounded by food. Lots and lots of food. I am referring to Eataly, a huge 50,000 sq ft store catering to all things Italian located in the Flatiron district.

The store is actually quite overwhelming when you first walk in. It's a combination of grocery/restaurants, and it takes a little while to get a hold of where everything is. There are officially 6 or 7 separate dining entities at Eataly (one for seafood, veggies, pasta/pizza, salumeri, one high-end place, and a rooftop bar), as well as a coffee bar and gelato counter. All of these eateries are dotted around the open space, with dried imported goods and fresh produce set up on the sides. To add to the confusion, there is a fresh seafood counter, a butcher, a cheese counter (where they also make fresh mozzarella), a bakery (yes, they bake their own bread too!), aaaaaaand a fresh pasta counter.

So much to see and eat!!! And yes, they hand out maps at the entrance.

When I used to work in the neighborhood, I would duck in at lunchtime to buy some bread and prosciutto as a snack. But until yesterday, I had never tried dining at one of the sit-down spots. With the busy lunch service, a friend and I decided to just eat wherever the wait was shortest. Unsurprisingly, that was at the vegetarian place. Meatless doesn't necessarily mean boring though; the menu looked delicious and it certainly didn't disappoint!

We started off with the fried artichoke appetizer. The artichoke had a
scrumptious flavor, smooth from the artichoke heart yet slightly crispy.
The accompanying tomato compote added a sweet saltiness.

Creamy polenta with spring vegetables, and a parmesan 'cracker'. The
veggies included roasted asparagus, carrots, fiddleheads, and radishes.
Really rich-tasting dish, yet not heavy at all. The vegetables were
amazing; the fiddleheads were crunchy, and the cooked radishes
imparted a slight sweetness.

Crostini, topped with pickled onions, roasted red pepper & capers,
and grilled asparagus. Everything tasted really bright and fresh. A
smear of ricotta cheese at the bottom helped to meld all the components
together into a cohesive bite.