Eataly NYC (photo from shoppingblog.com)
You may have the universe if I may have Italy. ~Giuseppe Verde
We don't do restaurant reviews at MindfulEats, but we are doing a quick briefing on the most innovative and inspiring food concept we've come across in a long time - Eataly. Eataly opened last week in New York City, and we forgive the cheesy name for the beautiful celebration of the joy and deliciousness of Italian food. Powered by Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich and Joe Bastianich, Eataly is a stunning retail market and a glorious food hall (fish, pasta, pizza, vegetable, prosciutto, gelato, and a white-table steak restaurant are some of the food stations). All the food is prepared from imported Italian ingredients and local farm-fresh offerings. If you like what you eat, you can buy the ingredients to take home. Yum.
We were skeptical of the concept when we first heard about it, but the reality far surpasses the description. Somehow the Italian good life and elegance is infused into this massive Ikea-like food emporium. This is the ninth and largest Eataly, and we are grateful that it has landed in NYC.
Prices are far more reasonable than we expected. And even the retail food is beautifully presented - it's Whole Foods amped up to a new level. Eataly is truly committed to small local farmers - dairy, produce, meat and fish - and we love them for that. We also love them for providing us la dolce vita, no plane ticket required.
What I ate: latte + skim nymilk, peach, Mindful Mix, Whole Foods buffet: steamed collards, kale salad, macrobiotic rice, quinoa + spinach salad, braised tempeh; grapes, hummus + pita chips, 1 bite chicken, 3 cheese cubes, 2 chocolate chip cookies, 45 oz. water
Exercise: jogged 5 miles + 30 min lifting
