Our New York-based Food Awards judges Krystal Chong and Lasse Hamre share culinary tales from high up in the ‘Alps’.

Eataly is a legend amongst foodies and New Yorkers. As the name suggests, it’s everything edible and Italian. It’s like the Chinatown of Italy, but gourmet, world-class, refined and upscale. So, nothing like Chinatown, except for the nationality theme. Good job, me with the failed analogy. Moving right along…

Eataly is a legend amongst foodies and New Yorkers. As the name suggests, it’s everything edible and Italian. It’s like the Chinatown of Italy, but gourmet, world-class, refined and upscale. So, nothing like Chinatown, except for the nationality theme. Good job, me with the failed analogy. Moving right along…

In one giant store that feels more like a fine culinary marketplace, they house the best and freshest from all over Italy. from raw ingredients, like prosciutto, burrata and fresh truffles, to great Italian wines, gelato, espresso, gourmet condiments and various Italian restaurants, it’s basically a finely curated collection of the best of Italy in food. oh, be still my heart! How do I love this place? Let me count the ways!

We heard that they were putting up a pop-up restaurant, from December to March, on their rooftop. They called it baita because this is the Piemontese word for small ski lodge in the Italian Alps and the theme for said pop-up. They illustrated these lodges for you, describing them as ‘made of wooden walls and topped with a stone-slab roof, usually very cosy, where locals in these cold regions would usually gather to enjoy some rustic food and drinks such as polenta and mulled wine’.

This really set the scene. Their proposition was that the food and drinks there “will make you feel like you’re in the Italian Alps”. We ate this all up, hook, line and sinker. Reso for two, please!

On the car ride there it occurred to me how nice a concept a ‘pop-up’ restaurant is. You have the opportunity to capitalise on the newness of a seasonal menu, add uniqueness to an existing restaurant and use your strengths (in this case Italian food) to create a whole new experience (in this case the Italian Alps) for your usual customer.

This thought was immediately followed by how difficult and expensive such a concept must be to execute. so I tempered my expectations; after all, new restaurants go through a learning curve. This wouldn’t be any different.

As we arrived, we walked through the store to get to the elevator. We were very hungry and I wanted to grab everything in sight (especially in the cheese aisle)! As we waited in the elevator to get to the top floor, the anticipation for this Italian-style Alps experience grew and grew! I mean, I have to give it to them, in a place like New York where everything has been done, this sure had some novelty to it!

So let’s hear about the review, shall we?

Ambience/Atmosphere: 3.5 Stars.

Ambience/Atmosphere: 3.5 Stars.

Well, I must say I was a bit disappointed, but only because they painted such a lovely picture of what a typical baita usually looks like. Oversold and under-delivered, in short. Of course, this is in the middle of Manhattan and not in the mountains in Northern Italy, so I should have adjusted those expectations. They did, however, manage to capture the very cosy feel I imagine there is in an actual Italian ski lodge. And the skylights and hanging lanterns made it feel very Chirstmassy, and who doesn’t love a good Christmas vibe to make bearing the winter weather worthwhile?

Creativity: 3.5 stars:

Creativity: 3.5 stars:

The menu matched the theme, that’s for sure! It was very mountain man meets Italy. I suppose that’s what I signed on for, but I think there was room to impress.

Presentation: 3.5 Stars.

Presentation: 3.5 Stars.

Again, the theme is very rustic, archaic, traditional mountaineer food. The presentation matched that vibe. It was a noted change from their usually very elegant plating. So it was interesting to see them do something more raw and real and basic. While not particularly beautiful, you definitely felt like you were in a baita!

Food: 4 Stars.

We thought the food was good, especially for the price! They adjusted each dish to fit the theme more so than to fit a traditional New Yorker’s palate. It was heavy, meaty, and quite simply prepared. It was interesting, and quite yummy!

Service: 4 Stars.

Friendly, down-to-earth and they got the job done.

PRICE: 4.5 Stars. I thought they were very, very reasonably priced. Appetisers ranged from $8 to $12. Salads and entrées ranged from $14 to $32. I had the Tagliati De Manzo, grilled Bohemian Snake River Wagyu Steak with arugula, trentingrana and horseradish which was $32.00. I have never in my life had such a large portion of wagyu for this price. I was actually concerned before ordering, concerns calmed by Eataly’s goodwill. And in the end it was decent!

Overall: 3.5 Stars.

I like the seasonality of what they did. I thought it was creative, unique and I enjoyed being transported to the Italian Alps, while right there in Manhattan. If you want something down-to-earth, hearty, and different, I’d say it’s worth a try. Otherwise, it’s not for you.