Eataly

[itsstillmatt]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

B/c all you do is segment whatever citrus fruit it is, drop it in liquid nitro, and then smash it with a hammer. It all separates into this tiny little frozen chunks of individual fruit cells.
Is this theory, or experience?

 

[Rambo]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

B/c all you do is segment whatever citrus fruit it is, drop it in liquid nitro, and then smash it with a hammer. It all separates into this tiny little frozen chunks of individual fruit cells.
Somebody go into the store and inform the veggie lady that this is how you'd like her to prepare your citrus. Bring a video camera.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by iammatt

Is this theory, or experience?

Experience. We had meyer lemon cells on the caviar station at Cyrus, so I had to do them everyday. It is fun to do.

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

B/c all you do is segment whatever citrus fruit it is, drop it in liquid nitro, and then smash it with a hammer. It all separates into this tiny little frozen chunks of individual fruit cells.

that will then break apart into mush when they finally defrost. I think it's because the ice tears at the cell walls of some fruit.

And besides, if it worked for grapefruit, Blumenthal would have used this long ago. He has somebody do it by hand and discusses his trials in the Fat Duck cookbook.

 

[foodguy]

the trick is using a pummelo, not a grapefruit. they are usually drier and have a natural separation between the cells. used in thai cooking all the time.

 

[gomestar]

Conclusion:
- Use the nitro method for pumelo.
- And a vegetable butcher for the grapefruit.

 

[foodguy]

seriously, one of the cool things about cooking in italy is that you can get lots of prepped fresh veggies at the market. trimmed artichoke hearts, already cooked and peeled beets, balls of blanched spinach. none of those things are that difficult, but they are an extra step and it's nice not to have to hassle with it.

 

[crazyquik]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

It seems very strange to me that people would get so excited over a grocery store.
DOES YOUR GROCERY STORE HAVE AN ITALIAN BANK ATM?!?!?!!??!!?!?!?!?!? Seriously, an ATM from an Italian bank

Are there that many random, malnourished Eyetalians who will go into Eataly without a Visa, Mastercard, AMEX, or dollars? The rest of us can't even use the ATM for amusement; it's not like I could put in $1 dollar and get out 2000 lira.

 

[Britalian]

Originally Posted by kwilkinson

It seems very strange to me that people would get so excited over a grocery store.

I often think the same about jeans.

 

[kwilkinson]

Originally Posted by Britalian

I often think the same about jeans.

No doubt. We are on the same page there.

 

[gomestar]

I went. Ehh. I imagine a lot more for 50,000 feet.

pros: cheap but high qualty produce. Big bunches of parsley, thyme, rosemary, and basil cost me less than $5 total. And unlike the suggestion from Matt's link, most produce was not by the pound but rather by the bunch (carrots were $1 for a half dozen, celery was the same, as was a bunch of other stuff). The exception was mushrooms where I piked up a big pile of Chanterelle's for $20 a pound (even Whole Foods is $30-40 a pound, D&D is $45 a pound). For the most part, meat was the same - pork belly was like $4 a pound, and 4 good sized sausage links were about $1 each. The sheer selection of dry pastas (and yes, the Barillo was the Italian version) and olive oils was very impressive. The import list of other items was also quite nice.

Cons: the produce selection is really tiny. A fraction the size of WF tiny. Why they needed a vegetable butcher is beyond me. The only chicken I saw was alread roasted, nothing whole but uncooked (or anything at all, actually. I only saw some duck). The fresh pasta station couldn't give me much more beyond linguine, spaghetti, and some flat shapes, they wouldn't make anything else I requested even though the machines were right there at Batali suggested in an article that they could. A big selection of beef (it was at least 80% of the meat counter), terrible selection of lamb and pork. The cured meats selection was standard, I could easily get the same at any decent Italian market in my neighborhood. The fish counter is tiny, too. And the wine store sucked unless you have a really heavy wallet and an insatiable itching for prime aged Barolo.

Overall, it was a ton of hype for the eventual result. Most of the place appeared to be for the "restaurants" inside, we had some very good raw fish and cured meats with a bottle from a very affordable wine list. I will go back, yes, but I doubt I'll make an effort to go out of my way every week.

 

[Johnny_5]

Originally Posted by MetroStyles

Not snooty enough for the foodies in this thread.

See below for answer.

Originally Posted by gomestar

I'm excited because it's a single spot with a huge number of (supposedly) top-quality items. Unlike everywhere else it seems, NYC doesn't have massive grocery stores that are consistently full with great items. Currently, I get most produce at the farmer's market. And basic meat at Whole Foods. And less common meats at another specialty store that is insanely overpriced. And cured meats at a whole different place. And coffee beans from Stumptown. And pastries and cakes from a certain bakery that isn't plonk like most. And I haven't found a good enough of a gelato place to return. And wine is from a mix of stores that I consistently pillage for new Eye-tie wines.

The idea of getting vegetables at one place and everything else I could possibly need at another is very exciting indeed.

Originally Posted by gomestar

I went. Ehh. I imagine a lot more for 50,000 feet.

pros: cheap but high qualty produce. Big bunches of parsley, thyme, rosemary, and basil cost me less than $5 total. And unlike the suggestion from Matt's link, most produce was not by the pound but rather by the bunch (carrots were $1 for a half dozen, celery was the same, as was a bunch of other stuff). The exception was mushrooms where I piked up a big pile of Chanterelle's for $20 a pound (even Whole Foods is $30-40 a pound, D&D is $45 a pound). For the most part, meat was the same - pork belly was like $4 a pound, and 4 good sized sausage links were about $1 each. The sheer selection of dry pastas (and yes, the Barillo was the Italian version) and olive oils was very impressive. The import list of other items was also quite nice.

Cons: the produce selection is really tiny. A fraction the size of WF tiny. Why they needed a vegetable butcher is beyond me. The only chicken I saw was alread roasted, nothing whole but uncooked (or anything at all, actually. I only saw some duck). The fresh pasta station couldn't give me much more beyond linguine, spaghetti, and some flat shapes, they wouldn't make anything else I requested even though the machines were right there at Batali suggested in an article that they could. A big selection of beef (it was at least 80% of the meat counter), terrible selection of lamb and pork. The cured meats selection was standard, I could easily get the same at any decent Italian market in my neighborhood. The fish counter is tiny, too. And the wine store sucked unless you have a really heavy wallet and an insatiable itching for prime aged Barolo.

Overall, it was a ton of hype for the eventual result. Most of the place appeared to be for the "restaurants" inside, we had some very good raw fish and cured meats with a bottle from a very affordable wine list. I will go back, yes, but I doubt I'll make an effort to go out of my way every week.

Damn, I had high expectations for this place but should have expected to be disappointed after all the hype. Passed by it today and all of these food nerds were outside snapping pictures (was it you gomey?). The wine shop looked stocked and promising from the outside, but I had a feeling that it would cater more to the fat wallet crowed for some reason (like that is really difficult).

 

[Dragon]

I go to the one in Tokyo every once in a while, but it's not like they have an awesome selection. We usually end up not buying anything, and grabbing a quick pizza, as they make Napoli style pizza in store.

Maybe the one in NYC will be better, but the wine department in Tokyo was not THAT great either.

 

[acidboy]

and the only espresso they'll serve is lavazza? ugh.

 

[gomestar]

Originally Posted by Johnny_5

Damn, I had high expectations for this place but should have expected to be disappointed after all the hype. Passed by it today and all of these food nerds were outside snapping pictures (was it you gomey?). The wine shop looked stocked and promising from the outside, but I had a feeling that it would cater more to the fat wallet crowed for some reason (like that is really difficult).

that was not me taking pictures, there is really only one restaurant I've never done this at (quietly too).

There were a lot of Italian tourists inside. Surely they could have gone to a place like EMP (right across the street) for a NYC "experience".

I'd be interested in eating at more of the restaurants inside, some of them looked really good and they appear to be more of the focus of Eataly rather than the groceries. The gelato was quite good, too.