EATALY

The other night, Caitlin and I met at Eataly for a few glasses of wine in the belly of the octopus.  At a marble, elbow height table, we stood amongst shoppers, imbibers, and consumers of cheese and charcuterie, talking a thousand words a minute because there was much catching up.  At the crossroads of 23rd and 5th, Eataly is an Italian haven for all things delectable–a one-stop spot where one can shop and drink!  A welcome upgrade to the likes of Whole Foods and Fairway, where shopping always drives me to drink (never mind the Fine Fare downstairs, which is enough to drive your mother to a life of crime).  And since Eataly is such a visual delight, I thought it best to share the experience with a bit of imagery…

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Wined Up

Last night I met Priya, for her bi-monthly dose of wine, at Wined Up on Broadway, blocks from the Flatiron.  Puzzled by the blaring music on the stairs, we climbed hesitantly to the second floor and found the bar packed like a jar of anchovies, and to our right, a dining area with tables and chairs.  Passing hanging gnarled vines, we sat and opened the menu to look for a wine.  I looked and looked and looked some more; the list is long.  There are one hundred offerings of Old World Reds by the bottle, and fifty New.  White varieties, including Sparkling Wine and Champagne (Old World and New), totaled nearly one hundred too.  Needless to say, it took some time before deciding upon a bottle of Crozes Hermitage Yann Chave, 2006 ($60), a lovely soft, ruby red Northern Rhone that developed in complexity as it aired.

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