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Alti Cibi
Alti Cibi. In English the direct translation of this Italian phrase is ‘High Food’. To be more linguistically correct, it probably should be interpreted as ‘gourmet food’. This is the slogan for Eataly, which is becoming one of my favorite food markets.
I finally had a chance to try it this past week. It is indeed ‘High Food’. The prices are definitely high up there. I was warned about this before I went there, though.
Upon my first visit, I was truly disoriented. The place is VAST. And the crowds of people (which is partially due to the fact that this is a tourist destination) do not help the situation. Most disorienting of all is the combination of signs that are only in Italian which hang high from vault ceilings. This presents challenges as I try to dodge the people and locate the sections I want in the short span of time called 'lunch hour'. This is mission impossible!
Thus far, I have only been able to try the following (which is not the order I tried):
· Gelato (i.e. the Tiramisu, Sweet Milk, and Hazelnut flavors) – I tried the large cup (which is the size of the medium Haagen Dazs cup), because it is not that large and it allows me to try the most number of flavors (i.e. only three out of all the ones that I really wanted to try). You are going to ask me if any of them is a winner. They are all so equally good that I am unable to pick one, or even two, as my favorites. That’s how good they are!
· Chocolate – specifically the Novi Cuadro, which is a hazelnut chocolate. It melts as soon as it is popped into the mouth, and is the creamiest smoothest chocolate I have eaten. Simply dreamy for those who are lucky not to have a nut allergy!
· Coffee – I tried the Affogato, which means 'drowned in coffee'. In this case, it is vanilla gelato (i.e. two-thirds of an eight ounce plastic cup) drowned in hot Lavazza espresso. The resulting beverage is a highly caffeinated, fragrant, creamy scintillating drink. Ahhhh… pure joy! I dare say that this is the BEST coffee drink I ever had.
· Pastry – a linzer tart like treat with raspberry filling in the center. You might wonder why I called it a linzer tart like treat. Well, it is because it does not fit into our knowledge of what a linzer tart is supposed to be (i.e. with raspberry filling filled to the edge of the cookie so that each bite is a combination of the cookie and raspberry filling). This is a purchase mainly for my mother-in-law and husband, who are huge linzer tart fans. In this case, we were disappointed. First, the cookie is not big (i.e. about three inches in diameter). Second, the bottom of the cookie center sticks to the piece of cardboard that it sits on top of. So you are immediately missing quite a piece of the cookie. Third, the raspberry filling is only in the center, and about 1.5 inches in diameter. Therefore, only when you bite the center would you get that perfect combination of cookie and filling. Individually, both the cookie and the filling are fantastic. The cookie is buttery, but no overwhelmingly so, and the filling has distinct raspberry seeds and is the right balance of tartness and sweetness. However, the true disappointment for us is that the cookie falls apart as soon as it is lifted off of the cardboard it sits on! This is one pastry where there is no repeat purchase for us. Regardless, this is not likely to deter me from trying other pastries in the future. After all, it is all about finding the one specialty item – in this case the pastry that Eataly will be known for.
· Meats – One night I bought a whole roast chicken and two prime rib sandwiches (on one seven- inch and one ten-inch store-made Italian breads). To balance out all the meat and bread, I also bought the olive oil sautéed broccoli rabe (which is not my first choice, but rather an alternative for greens since the brussel sprouts were already sold out – at 3:00 pm!!!). The prime rib is scrumptious – even when it was eaten at room temperature. The roast chicken well flavored over all, but the breast part is not tender and juicy as we would have liked… But the broccoli rabe is something else. Even for someone who does not like this vegetable, like me, they were exceptionally well made – just the right amount of flavor and crunchiness. This made me fall in love with a vegetable that I thought I wrote-off!
· Candy – I tried the Nocciole sicoperte di Meringa, which is inspired by my mother-in-law who likes a good meringue. This wonderful treat is a bag filled with hazelnuts covered with meringue. Even for a huge sweets person (or so I thought) those confections are on the sweet side. I could not have more than three in one setting, and have to eat them one at a time followed by lots of water or tea.
One other thing that presents a challenge is the fact that not all counters have shopping bags. For example, there are none at the gelato counter. If one bought a container to go, one will have to go to another counter to get a shopping bag. Also, when I bought a bag of the candy (mentioned above) I had to go to a designated counter to pay and to get a shopping bag (to transport my goodies).
Overall, I love Eataly. Despite the high prices and the crowds, I will likely return. As a matter of fact, I am looking forward to finding some nice sauces (to save me time in making meatballs or pizza) on my future visits. Even after three visits this week, I still have not found the sauces… The quest continues!
I finally had a chance to try it this past week. It is indeed ‘High Food’. The prices are definitely high up there. I was warned about this before I went there, though.
Upon my first visit, I was truly disoriented. The place is VAST. And the crowds of people (which is partially due to the fact that this is a tourist destination) do not help the situation. Most disorienting of all is the combination of signs that are only in Italian which hang high from vault ceilings. This presents challenges as I try to dodge the people and locate the sections I want in the short span of time called 'lunch hour'. This is mission impossible!
Thus far, I have only been able to try the following (which is not the order I tried):
· Gelato (i.e. the Tiramisu, Sweet Milk, and Hazelnut flavors) – I tried the large cup (which is the size of the medium Haagen Dazs cup), because it is not that large and it allows me to try the most number of flavors (i.e. only three out of all the ones that I really wanted to try). You are going to ask me if any of them is a winner. They are all so equally good that I am unable to pick one, or even two, as my favorites. That’s how good they are!
· Chocolate – specifically the Novi Cuadro, which is a hazelnut chocolate. It melts as soon as it is popped into the mouth, and is the creamiest smoothest chocolate I have eaten. Simply dreamy for those who are lucky not to have a nut allergy!
· Coffee – I tried the Affogato, which means 'drowned in coffee'. In this case, it is vanilla gelato (i.e. two-thirds of an eight ounce plastic cup) drowned in hot Lavazza espresso. The resulting beverage is a highly caffeinated, fragrant, creamy scintillating drink. Ahhhh… pure joy! I dare say that this is the BEST coffee drink I ever had.
· Pastry – a linzer tart like treat with raspberry filling in the center. You might wonder why I called it a linzer tart like treat. Well, it is because it does not fit into our knowledge of what a linzer tart is supposed to be (i.e. with raspberry filling filled to the edge of the cookie so that each bite is a combination of the cookie and raspberry filling). This is a purchase mainly for my mother-in-law and husband, who are huge linzer tart fans. In this case, we were disappointed. First, the cookie is not big (i.e. about three inches in diameter). Second, the bottom of the cookie center sticks to the piece of cardboard that it sits on top of. So you are immediately missing quite a piece of the cookie. Third, the raspberry filling is only in the center, and about 1.5 inches in diameter. Therefore, only when you bite the center would you get that perfect combination of cookie and filling. Individually, both the cookie and the filling are fantastic. The cookie is buttery, but no overwhelmingly so, and the filling has distinct raspberry seeds and is the right balance of tartness and sweetness. However, the true disappointment for us is that the cookie falls apart as soon as it is lifted off of the cardboard it sits on! This is one pastry where there is no repeat purchase for us. Regardless, this is not likely to deter me from trying other pastries in the future. After all, it is all about finding the one specialty item – in this case the pastry that Eataly will be known for.
· Meats – One night I bought a whole roast chicken and two prime rib sandwiches (on one seven- inch and one ten-inch store-made Italian breads). To balance out all the meat and bread, I also bought the olive oil sautéed broccoli rabe (which is not my first choice, but rather an alternative for greens since the brussel sprouts were already sold out – at 3:00 pm!!!). The prime rib is scrumptious – even when it was eaten at room temperature. The roast chicken well flavored over all, but the breast part is not tender and juicy as we would have liked… But the broccoli rabe is something else. Even for someone who does not like this vegetable, like me, they were exceptionally well made – just the right amount of flavor and crunchiness. This made me fall in love with a vegetable that I thought I wrote-off!
· Candy – I tried the Nocciole sicoperte di Meringa, which is inspired by my mother-in-law who likes a good meringue. This wonderful treat is a bag filled with hazelnuts covered with meringue. Even for a huge sweets person (or so I thought) those confections are on the sweet side. I could not have more than three in one setting, and have to eat them one at a time followed by lots of water or tea.
One other thing that presents a challenge is the fact that not all counters have shopping bags. For example, there are none at the gelato counter. If one bought a container to go, one will have to go to another counter to get a shopping bag. Also, when I bought a bag of the candy (mentioned above) I had to go to a designated counter to pay and to get a shopping bag (to transport my goodies).
Overall, I love Eataly. Despite the high prices and the crowds, I will likely return. As a matter of fact, I am looking forward to finding some nice sauces (to save me time in making meatballs or pizza) on my future visits. Even after three visits this week, I still have not found the sauces… The quest continues!