Eataly. That fun Italian transplant of everything yummy from Italy, has a new store in Dallas, the 8th store in America! While Gina was visiting Mary last month, we decided to check it out and had such fun, we thought we would share our visit with you!
Normally, we prefer to do our Italian food shopping in Italy and have been known to carry home in our suitcases more food than clothes. But this dang virus has shut us out of our favorite country for over a year now. Eataly does a wonderful job promoting the best foods and wines of Italy, and we really enjoyed the quick immersion into what we love best!
The original Eataly was opened in 2007 in an abandoned vermouth factory in Torino, Piedmont, by local millionaire Oscar Farinetti. Signor Farinetti’s original goal was to showcase the best ingredients Italy has to offer, exposing Italians to the amazing diversity of their country’s cuisine, from farm to table. This concept has grown from a few stores in major Italian cities, to dozens of mall-like retail and restaurant venues world-wide. Italian goodness meets American marketing. Great products in a beautiful environment, it transports you back to your best vacation and makes you long to immediately fly back to Italia!
Most every June sees us leading tours through Piedmont, and we always make a stop at the original Torino Eataly. Naturally, we felt the need to compare that experience with the Dallas store. Aside from the fact the Torino store is much bigger, Mary says the biggest difference is the wine, as Torino offers excellent local wines “sfuso”, which means you bring a big bottle or demi-john and they’ll fill it with local wine from a stainless vat. Gina says the biggest difference is the pricing. Food is so much less expensive in Italy, but then again, they don’t have to pay import taxes and shipping!
We saw lots of big wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano with signs that read “Don’t sit on the wheels of cheese.” That came as a surprise; we didn’t know people had to be told not to put their butts on other people’s food.
The produce was beautiful; we saw the best selection of radicchio and winter chicory we've seen in a long time!
The cheese selection was excellent with so many cheeses from Piedmont! We couldn’t resist a soft, rind-washed cheese from the Alta Langa, even though it cost three times what we pay in Alba! Many of our friends' products were there, from Beppino’s butter to Sabato’s tomatoes, to the sweet salt of Cervia and a huge selection of Venchi chocolates… it was a lovely visit with old friends.
The wine selection is incredible with every region well represented. We went home with a Lagrien from the Alto Adige, said to be the red wine with the highest level of heart-healthy resveratrol. Figured it counteracted the cholesterol in the cheese!
We both hope that you will get a chance to visit an Eataly in America sometime soon and splurge on special Italian products or enjoy a delicious meal at one of their restaurants. So, until we can get together in Piedmont or any other region of Italy you’d like us to share with you, we wish you a...
Buon Appetito and Buona Pasqua -- Happy Easter!
Gina and Mary
