Eat a Little or Eat A Lot…at Eataly!

Good Friday morning!  I decided to sneak in a Friday post this week because we had SO many wonderful experiences during our long weekend in New York City I just had to end the week with another!  And of all the experiences, I have to admit some of the best moments were spending time with my family around the tables of eateries or even indulging right on the curbside!  We all love to treat ourselves to good food so we were sure to stop at as many places as we possibly could for multiple tastes!  I even got smart this time and ordered the smallest portions that I could so I could sample the mouthwatering offerings and still keep up with my boys who can afford to eat pretty much non-stop!  So we proceeded to make many pit-stops at food carts, sweet shops, and restaurants and enjoyed every morsel of each and every one!  We didn’t really want to keep too many schedules so we only ate at one restaurant that required reservations…the rest were more spur of the moment and casual…but no less impressive!  And my favorite eatery of the weekend was filled with such wonder that we were all awestruck by what was within the walls!  If you’ve ever eaten at an Eataly restaurant you know what I mean when I say it’s a unique experience!  Whether you eat rooftop or casually amidst market shoppers mingling through isles that separate multiple dining options…it’s definitely a treat!  And those shopping isles are brimming over with varieties of pasta, produce, breads, deli meats & cheeses, seafood counters, cookbooks, and kitchen accessories…the list goes on and on!  Even better?  You can grab a glass of wine for some sipping and shopping while you wait for your table!  And for those in the family who are too young to visit the bar…they won’t miss out on any pre-meal fun with plenty of sweet options available…like nutella crepes!  We WERE on vacation, which i think is a perfect opportunity to eat dessert first!  So if you’re looking for a quiet, private table for intimate dinner conversation–this place might not be it!  But for lively fun paired with fabulous food…this is the place to be!

a little taste of Eataly…

we thought at first we’d eat on the rooftop, but this particular evening ended up being a rainy one and the boys really wanted pizza or pasta which were both served in one of the market sections.  i’m sure you can guess that there was a bit of a wait to sit down in ANY area of the restaurant so we put in our name, my husband & i grabbed a glass of wine, sent the boys to the crepe counter, and proceeded to browse this fabulous place!  it’s kind of like an Italian food court where you can grab sandwiches, desserts, wine…but there’s also places to sit that may serve seafood in one, pizza in another, pasta dishes in yet another…all in between shopping!  WOW!

every corner takes you somewhere new!  see the watermelon stacked in baskets behind the tables?

there’s a produce market right there behind the diners in that section…how cool is that!?

rivaling any outdoor market…

check out the varieties of mushrooms…

our favorite…morels!

i LOVE the baskets to hold all the potatoes…it made me feel like we were in Europe!

just a few varieties of cheese…

how about that stack?!

or maybe you need some salami?  i’m telling you it was hard to browse all this food when you’re starving!

hungry or not, it was a fun time wandering through the sections with a glass of vino…

oh, and they did have samples scattered here and there!  so while the boys indulged on some sweets, we had a taste or two of some crusty bread and cheese…which took the edge off as we continued to be face to face with deliciousness like fresh pasta…

a seafood market right in the middle of it all!

being able to wander and shop certainly made the wait so much more fun!

pasta galore…

flowers…

and more…

i had SO much fun in here!!  and on the other side of this display was the nutella bar where the boys were waiting for crepes!  i was amazed at how fun it was to have everything intermingled in this fabulously unique place!

and then it was time…pizza was calling!  lucky us, we got a table right in the middle where we could still watch all the shoppers, diners, and those who did both!  but for a moment…decisions, decisions…

mangiamo!

i’ll be back with my regular friday posts after Labor Day…unless i can’t help myself!  until then, i hope you enjoyed our taste of Eataly…check out the link in the top of the post to find one that may be near you and see much better images of this wonderful place!  if you’re traveling near one…DEFINITELY go!  have a great weekend everyone!