One day over the summer my best friend from college and I decided to pick a "start" location and an "end" location, and just stop anywhere our hearts desired in between. This actually resulted in some pretty great finds, including Eataly and Murray's Wine and Cheese Bar. We'll start with Eataly....
This place is a palace for the Gods. It has a room for every staple-meats, fish, three rows dedicated to pasta and a fresh pasta counter, three-four full service bar/restaurants, fresh fruits and vegetables...anything and everything you can imagine. My friend and I stumbled into this wonderful establishment by chance (we were looking for a bathroom) and ended up spending three hours inside drinking white wine, eating berrata, and shopping for fresh pasta and charcuterie.
The wines were delicious, and the charcuterie and cheese really top notch. Everything super fresh, you could tell as soon as you got a whiff of it from across the room. There were multiple wine tastings going on at different spots in the shop, and you could purchase a glass to shop with on the spot if you wished.
The venue is spectacular as well, sporting high and large vaulted ceilings and beautiful displays of everything they have to offer.
This is also a great place to get things that might be harder to find. I've recently been trying to get a hold of sea urchin, which apparently they get in twice a week, and if you call ahead, they will hold it for you. And if you have never had fresh of the press pasta....they have an ENTIRE counter devoted to it.
Tomorrow I am going into the city to grocery shop for the big Friday night feast I have planned, and this will definitely be one of my stops. You can check out their website here: http://www.eataly.com/
Another great spot is Aria, in West Village, which is a great little closet of a spot where the sparkling rose is just wonderful and the small plates are DIVINE (and super interesting!). My friend and I went and indulged on two dozen oysters, octopus carpaccio, and the best berratta I have EVER had. In case you don't know what berratta is, it is buffalo mozzarella with a stick outer shell and a gooey center. The berratta came with a generous serving of proscuitto, all extremely reasonably priced. We finished our meal off with a walnut based dessert liquor which was outstanding, both on the rocks and neat. Service was quick and excellent, nothing over the top which I love.
The last place I'll review in this post is Murray's Wine and Cheese Bar, and they are my, hands-down, favorite spot in the city. It is owned and operated by the famous New York institution Murray's Cheese Shop on Bleecker Street. In the HEART of West Village, this bar is located in the small lot right next to the cheese shop, and specializes in wine and cheese flights. The menu is reasonable for the quality of the food and wine, but you do need to be ready to drop some change. This place is ALWAYS packed. You have to go super early to grab a spot either at the bar or one of 8 or 9 tables.
The cheeses rotate out seasonally or based on what the store is stocking. You don't have to go with the menu pairings, as I just requested 5-8 cheeses and wines that they thought were interesting and that they liked personally, not necessarily in any particular theme.
They pair each cheese with a spread or topping of some sort which they think will complement it. Rather than the "standard" chutneys or preserved figs, they have a designated pairing for EACH cheese they serve, which shows a great attention to detail that I appreciate.
The service is exceptional, and the staff are so knowledgeable and friendly. You really get the impression that they love their jobs and are there because they want to be, which makes a huge difference in service.
Can't wait to hit it up Saturday, I can't go to New York and NOT stop here!
Finally the snow stopped but it is colder than a witch's *kjfads! outside so time to bundle up and drink something warm.
Adieu from the Vermonter!
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