When I heard about a new place opening in NYC featuring 50,000 square feet of Italian food madness: gelato, cafe, pizza, pasta, fish and more all under one roof brought by a triumvirate of Batali, Joe and Lidia Bastianich...I wanted to eat there. Naturally.
But apparently everyone and their mom, both New Yorkers and tourists alike also wanted to eat there. It appears the place is mobbed all the time (does anyone work around here?!), waits were over an hour in the maze-like warehouse of mayhem. Luckily, Thanan and I found a pair of seats at the bar of Eataly's fish restaurant, Il Pesce, and we settled in for our first try at this Eatalian Empire.
The menu is modest and simple, with a few specials, and whole fish served a variety of ways: fried, roasted, pan seared, etc. I wanted just a light snack and had a hard time selecting, so the waiter clued me in on his favorite:
A grilled skewer of whole shrimp, calamari and toasted bread croutons. Ohhh.
The waiter was spot on. The skewer looked *so* simple, but it was so fresh, the calamari so tender and juicy, and those bits of bread doused with olive oil and grilled? OHMIGOD. I am pretty sure my eyes rolled to the back of my head. I was possessed with deliciousness.
Thanan ordered this:
It was okay. By no means ecstasy-inducing. He was way jealous. (He's always way jealous.) We noted that one of their specials that day included a whole plate of just grilled calamari. I say just like it's a casual thing. We know it's not. We know it's something I lust for, and hopefully it's still a special the next time I come. I could eat their calamari by the fistfuls!
For dessert, we visited the gelato counter for a quick scoop. I got chocolate.
We enjoyed our short visit, but it's just the tip of the 50,000 square foot iceberg! Until next time!
Il Pesce at Eataly
200 5th Ave, New York 10010
But apparently everyone and their mom, both New Yorkers and tourists alike also wanted to eat there. It appears the place is mobbed all the time (does anyone work around here?!), waits were over an hour in the maze-like warehouse of mayhem. Luckily, Thanan and I found a pair of seats at the bar of Eataly's fish restaurant, Il Pesce, and we settled in for our first try at this Eatalian Empire.
The menu is modest and simple, with a few specials, and whole fish served a variety of ways: fried, roasted, pan seared, etc. I wanted just a light snack and had a hard time selecting, so the waiter clued me in on his favorite:
A grilled skewer of whole shrimp, calamari and toasted bread croutons. Ohhh.
 |
| The skewer. |
 |
| The whole calamari. |
 |
| More skewer. |
Thanan ordered this:
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| Marinated anchovies with sweet peppers. |
It was okay. By no means ecstasy-inducing. He was way jealous. (He's always way jealous.) We noted that one of their specials that day included a whole plate of just grilled calamari. I say just like it's a casual thing. We know it's not. We know it's something I lust for, and hopefully it's still a special the next time I come. I could eat their calamari by the fistfuls!
For dessert, we visited the gelato counter for a quick scoop. I got chocolate.
 |
| Hello, chocolate, you are like velvety cocoa-butter. |
We enjoyed our short visit, but it's just the tip of the 50,000 square foot iceberg! Until next time!
Il Pesce at Eataly
200 5th Ave, New York 10010
those calamari tentacles are calling out to me! i need to eat them.
ReplyDeleteThose skewers look amazing. Reminds me of a dish I had once that was grilled swordfish and bread on a skewer. It was amazing, and by the looks of it the calamari and shrimp were also awesome.
ReplyDelete