Monday, February 16, 2015

Eataly Il Pesce for Great Seafood sans Fanfare

Eataly Il Pesce for Great Seafood sans Fanfare

Eataly Chicago Shown Above
On our getaway weekend in NYC, for lunch, we dined at Il Pesce at Eataly on 23rd St across from the spectacular picturesque historic Flatiron building, just a short walk from the Path.

Eataly, with locations beyond Italy and New York in Chicago, Dubai, Turkey and Japan, is a sensation - a conglomeration of all things Italian food and drink - wine, cheese, gellato, pasta, bread, meats, fish, and did I say pasta? ... all in one bustling location.

Each location features several restaurants, a wine bar, an expresso bar, gellato counter, cheese station, breads, fresh meat and fresh fish counters... like being in an Italian Village in a high energy bustling city setting. Its not intimate or conducive to conversation, but the food is good and the service rapid and past paced, friendly and responsive.

Flatiron Building, New York
One of the daily feature specials posted on the chalkboard was pan seared Flounder with roasted potatoes and cucumber salad. It was spectacular.  

From the menu we also had the Capesante con Indivia e Arance - Pan Seared Scallops with Orange Braised Endive, Thyme and Breadcrumbs. It was equally delectable.

To accompany lunch we order two wines (Italian, naturally) BTG (by the glass), Mirafiore Langhe Nebbiolo 2011, and Le Vigne di Zamò Friulano, 2013.



Mirafiore Langhe Nebbiolo 2011

According to Eataly, this wine has antique origins dating back to Emanuele Alberto, Count of Mirafiore, a legitimate son of King Vittorio Emanuele II and Rosa Vercellana. The Count of Mirafiore was the first to have the idea of transforming his farm into a winemaking house. The result was a line of extremely high quality wines that are inspired by the great tradition of Piedmontese wines, and which today still have the original historical label of  “Casa E. di Mirafiore”.

Dark purple garnet colored, medium to full bodied, ripe plum and blackberry fruits were accented by tones of mocha, hint of licorice with spicy nutmeg and tobacco turning to soft smooth tannins on a long lingering finish.

RM 90 points.

https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=1930723

Le Vigne di Zamò Friulano 2013

Straw colored, light bodied, green apples, hints of citrus and pear on a crisp clean acidic finish.
RM 88 points.

https://eataly.com/resources/eataly/files/Pesce%2002-09-2015.pdf