Phantom Gourmet: Touring Eataly Boston
BOSTON - If you like Italian food, be prepared to be blown away by Eataly Boston. There are multiple restaurants, eateries, wine bars, bakeries, pastries, pizza and everything you love about Italian food inside of one massive 45,000 square foot space.
"Eataly is a very simple concept overall. It's an eat, shop, and learn three-step environment. All things Italian food," said Eataly CEO Nicola Farinetti. "The idea is come in here, decide whether you want to shop, whether you want to eat in one of our restaurants or quick service counter, or if you want to take a class. But the best would be to do all three experiences in order to learn, get stuck, and never leave."
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If you've never experienced Eataly before, it can be a bit overwhelming. There are so many sights and sounds and smells and flavors in every single direction, your head will be spinning. To help make it simple, Phantom Gourmet's Dan Andelman is giving you a tour of the eateries and restaurants you need to visit, and the dishes you have to try.
First up is La Focaccaria, which has a dozen different kinds of real Italian focaccia every single day, always made from scratch. This is also where you can get the Pizza all Palla, a Roman style pizza. It is thick, doughy, soft and creamy. It is everything you love about pizza in one rectangular piece of deliciousness.
Next stop is La Rosticceria, the grab and go sandwich shop. They slow roast meats all day, right on the spit. You can get prime rib, chicken, brisket and lamb, but the prime rib is definitely the signature. It's slow roasted, juicy, and porcini rubbed, served on a nice crusty roll.
The tour stops next at La Pizza, La Pasta. No surprises what's on the menu here: pizza and pasta, and really good ones at that.
The pasta is handmade from scratch, literally feet away from the kitchen. So, you know it is insanely fresh. If you want a nice bowl of pasta with a glass of wine, this is the place to do it.
Phantom Gourmet's Dan Andelman is kind of obsessed with pizza, and he sings the praises of the authentic Neapolitan pizza served here. Rosso Pomodoro is where they fire up the golden, wood-fired pizza ovens - real Neapolitan volcanic rock pizza ovens.
Between meals and snacks you can do some shopping. There is fresh produce, olive oils, maybe a million different pastas, and of course – the Italian cookies. There is a fresh fish market featuring local seafood purveyors like Red's Best and Island Creek Oysters. There is a mozzarella bar where they make fresh mozzarella every day, with local curd.
Got a sweet tooth? La Pasticceria is the place to go. You'll find all of your favorite Italian pastries, bite sized and ready to go. Of course they have traditional tiramisu, but they also have salted peanut tiramisu - a fluffy, sticky, creamy dessert. Move on to the gelato, where there are a dozen different flavors, and don't forget to stop at the Cannoli Cart. They fill them fresh to order, right in front of your eyes, just like in Sicliy.
You can literally eat the day away at Eataly Boston. It's inside the Prudential Center, and online at Eataly.com.
Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.
