You might call me a glutton for gluten punishment, but I love going to Eataly. It’s right by my office, and it’s such a unique place. But, the majority of their food is bread-based (pizza, pasta, bread, pastries). Until this weekend, I hadn’t actually eaten at Eataly, only picked up some of Mario Batali’s pizza sauce and gotten gelato. This time, I was determined to have something at one of their restaurant stations with the gorgeous marble bars. I obviously nixed the meat station, and since I was planning on eating later, the Verdure vegetable bar seemed to be the right choice.
On the recommendation of the friendly waiter, we got the acorn squash with black lentils and pearl onions ($12), as well as the salad of the day, which had artichokes, green olives, and roasted red peppers ($18). The acorn squash was definitely the star of the show, and the black lentils were really well seasoned (?), well I don’t know if it was seasoning but they were really flavorful. Plus, I love adorable pearl onions and I’m committing myself to putting them in a dish at some point. While both dishes were totally overpriced, you can’t beat the lively yet homey atmosphere. Plus, the waiter filled my two glasses of pinot grigio almost to the brim, so I was happy as a clam.
Since I didn’t want to chug my second glass of wine, but wanted to go exploring the marketplace – I took advantage of their open-drinking policy and took my glass of wine with me for the walk.
Along the way I was surprised to see a few labeled gluten free options! Like this farinata! Also, what the heck is farintata!? It looked to me like polenta, with rosemary in it. You just add water and bake it in a pan. Mayyybe I’ll try it one day.
Since almost everything in Eataly is pure Italian and not labeled in English, I was surprised to see this giant sign above their chocolate bar. Which, by the way, features a chocolate fountain! They either dip biscotti in it, or just put some of it in a little cup and you can drink it (sinful). I’ve been surprised sometimes that chocolate truffles contain wheat, so it’s great to know that this whole stand is gf. Pick up a cappucino and you’re all set for dessert. I didn’t want to spoil my dinner though.
See at the bottom? "All of our products are gluten free." 🙂
I picked up something for my dad, some spinach for my Mario Batali pizza, and more sauce. Finished my wine on the way to the checkout, and headed home relaxed and rejuvenated (and slightly tipsy) after a long work week.
Even though Eataly can seem like a big tease with all of it’s authentic gluten-filled wares, it was delicious and fun and surprisingly Celiac friendly.
P.S. – They’re opening a rooftop beer garden this summer. Woot!
200 5th Avenue
N/R to 23rd Street
Gluten Free? Gimme Three! 