Eataly: So. Much. Food.
Eataly had ended up on my Hype List after a friend recommended it to me. It was everything that I had heard/expected of the place and more. I've never been to Disney Land, but I imagine it's something similar to this. This place was seriously amazing.
The interior is like a grocery store/restaurant combination. Since there's multiple entrances I didn't bother taking pictures of the exterior. Each entrance has a sign that says Eataly so I'm sure you'd be able to find it even without a photo. I took a lot of pictures of the interior, so this post is definitely a 52k killer. If you're on dial up, please do not attempt to view the following...unless you want to, then I really can't stop you.
My journey starts on the subway. On the N from Brooklyn to the Lower East Side, you will find yourself crossing the Manhattan Bridge. I find the transition to Chinatown is especially interesting because of the graffiti art on the rooftops. Your line of sight is suddenly filled a wide spectrum of colors.
Here's a shot of one of the restaurants inside. This one is called Manzo Ristorante.
Here are the hard workers at Michelis making piles of baked potatoes? I assume it's for pasta/gnocchi, though I could be wrong.
La Piazza is somewhere near the center of Eataly, where you are able to stand and have your cheese and wine. To the right they have their Salumi Department that sells a wide variety of cured meats, and to the right of that is their Mozzarella Department (which is different from their cheese dept.) where watch as they make fresh mozzarella.
This is their seafood counter, and I've been informed you are able to buy squid ink here if you are wanting to make your own squid ink pasta from scratch.
Fresh Pasta. Need I say more?
The Pastry Department within Eataly. It was pretty crowded so I was only able to get this action shot. It's hard being a food blogger in NY.
Rachel and I decided on La Pizza & La Pasta inside of Eataly and after looking at the menu, we both ordered the same thing. Tagliatelle al Ragu di Manzo, which is housemade pasta with braised shortrib Ragu. It was amazing. I generally don't like to order the same thing as other people, but I couldn't help it. The pasta was tender, but elastic so it had enough of a bite to remind you it was hand pulled. The lamb ragu was amazingly tasty, but not overly seasoned and the meat was very very tender. Add some fresh cheese and it's a done deal. I don't normally like to spend 20 dollars ish on dinner, but I feel like the experience was worth it.
I tried to take a shot of the interior of La Pizza & La Pasta. I didn't realize until after I left that the man in the front was adjusting his jacket. That or he clearly didn't want me to take a picture of that waitress.
Rachel noticed the outstandingly lavish ovens they have at La Pizza. I'm sure gold ovens is an ancient Italian secret. It should be noted that they have two kitchens, so if you order a pasta dish and a pizza they will come out at different times.