Significant Eater Goes to Eataly...or Eataly Part 2

You know how it happens. You go somewhere without your favorite person and wish they could've been there with you. Then, you go back again...solo. Then, said favorite person starts to complain that they "never get to go to any of the good places." So, with all that in mind, I had to get back to Eataly quickly...and with Significant Eater. So we did just that, eating lunch at the seafood counter, where Chef David Pasternack was working the crudi station. No surprise - it was all quite good.

We started with a Pasternack classic - crudi...3 nice sized slices of pristine fish - I remember sockeye and (perhaps) bass or cod, barely dressed with citrus, olive oil, salt & pepper, alongside a tiny salad of sea beans. Crudi the way it should be.

A spiedino di mare from the appetizer portion of the menu was delicious - cooked "a la plancha" with juicy gulf shrimp, crisp bread cubes and tender squid. Actually, it was so good that Significant Eater complained loudly that I was eating more squid than she.

Finally, we shared a very good fritto misto (but would it hurt to throw a couple more pieces of scrap cod in there, please?) and a meager, yet delicious corn/cherry tomato saute.

Delicious? Undoubtedly. The best bargain in Eataly? Not really, but is great seafood ever a bargain? That lunch above, with 1 glass of rosé Bastianich, came to $85, including tip. Trust me, I could have eaten more - it goes without say that SE could've too.

If only the line for the pizza/pasta area wasn't 20 deep when we gave up our seats...