New York City II

Today is my first day in the city, being that we landed after dark the previous evening.  Talk about non-stop walking.  We walked and rode the subway all day!  I love this city!  There is a pulse and excitement all around.  There is amazing people watching!   How about the woman with her dog in a “fur” coat with a wig and a hat? 

We took a subway up to the Union Square area and happened right upon the Green Market, which is the daily farmer’s market rain or shine.  This is February, but farmer’s had beautiful greens and potatoes, there were apples and cheeses, grass fed beef and chicken, bakeries carrying artisan breads and whole grain muffins.  The sun was beating down on my face and all I wanted was a kitchen all of a sudden.  I would have loved to be able to shop at this market and go home and create some great food.

Next stop, Mario Batali and Lidia Batianich’s new Italian Market called “Eataly.”  A whole market and restaurant concept devoted entirely to Italy.  I will try to explain this to the best of my ability.  The space is enormous first of all.  As we enter, we walk down an enormous hallway; on my left is a coffee bar, on my right some seating.  Followed by an espresso square bar, serving only espresso.  Across the way is a chocolate dipping station, and every kind of Italian chocolate imaginable.  Then there is the Italian patisserie (if there is such a thing) Beautiful meringues and tarts, fruit bombs, and little Italian cookies.  Then comes the meat and cheese!  Rows and rows of prosciutto and pancetta, ricotta, fresh mozzarella and parmesan reggiano.  I can hardly stand it!  I want a cart and I want to fill it and I want to drag it all home!  This is just the beginning!

 We then walk into a space that is more wide open and is filled with individual type restaurants and walk up booths.  There is a rotisserie with the most succulent looking chickens and pork sandwiches.  There is  a seafood counter selling anything from razor clams, to whole branzino, to squid.  Around the counter is a break out area selling all seafood dishes made right in front of you.  Not to mention, the fresh pasta counter, where they were indeed making fresh pasta, and selling 17 different types!  There were types I had never even heard of.  How about the bread bakery?   There was a wood fired oven and several bakers cranking out loaves of crusty breads.  The most amazing meat counter I have seen in a very long time.  Huge racks of prime rib, lamb brains and kidney’s, osso buco, gorgeous chickens and pheasants and ground meats.  Across from the meat market is a grocery store of sorts.  Every dried pasta, caranoli and arborio rice, olive oils, vinegars and spices etc.  A pizza and pasta restaurant is near here and this is where we choose to eat.  We had a wood fired pizza margherita and shared a pasta dish with braised oxtail.  I wanted to lick the bowl and steal some of Leslie’s oxtail!  I continue to wander through this amazing Italian wonder.  There is fresh produce, and books upon cookbooks, wine and beer, and an area selling cooking tools, pots and aprons.  There is full service sit down restaurant, an area where you can enjoy wine and a charcuterie platter.  Also, any food that you are eating in Eataly you pay for as you go, but groceries, you pay for in one checkout line on your way out.  It is a great concept!  I don’t want to leave this building, but the fact the I can’t buy whatever I want because an impeding airline flight is killing me!  Time to leave……..now I can start to look forward to Colicchio & Son’s, which is our next dinner resrvation.  Stay tuned…..