Eataly is Mario Batali's latest entry into Italian cuisine. It's an interesting mix between a specialty Italian grocer, and Italian restaurants. Different dining sections are dispersed between the aisles of great food. Choosing among the pork, fish, vegetable, pasta and pizza, coffee, panino, pastry, and gelato bars was one of the toughest decisions of the night, but in the end, we went with the panino bar. We had a pressed soppressata and provolone panino, which had a satisfying spice from the soppressata. The panino was pressed to perfection, and worked well with the fresh ingredients.
The grocery items were high quality, but be prepared to pay accordingly. Eataly has drawn crowds since its opening earlier this year, so be prepared to hunt for a table and go elbow to elbow while you search for the perfect taleggio or caffe.
Next stop: Hill Country Chicken, the brain child of Hill Country BBQ. We didn't try the chicken, but we did fill up on three mini, 3 inch pies; banana cream, cowboy pie, and apple and cheddar pie. The banana cream pie was fantastic and had a good banana base with a mountain of whipped cream. Out of the three pies, it was definitely our favorite because it carried just the right balance of decadence.
The cowboy pie was a mess of caramel chipschocolate chips, held together by caramel in a graham cracker crust. It was a rich mixture that melted in your mouth. It would have been great served warm with a scoop of ice cream. The apple and cheddar pie only offered a hint of the savory cheddar, but the apples were sweet and perfect for the buttery crust. Hill Country Chicken recreated a 1950s style diner on the upper level, while the lower level was a freakishly amazing replication of a basement you would find in any home in America in the '50s. It was complete with vinyl chairs, Lite Brites, and faux wood paneling. Overall a pretty enjoyable experience.
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