Eataly. NYC. An appraisal.

Eataly, New York City

"Is Eataly a menace (so big and corporate) or an answered prayer (OMG, they sell Barilla bucatini)? Does it represent a step forward for Italian food at the upper end of the economic spectrum of New York, or is it simply a mass-market retail play that capitalizes on the fame of its most visible partners, Mario Batali . . .?"

That's how New York Time's reviewer, Sam Sifton, begins his appraisal of New York's new Italian food market. For me, I don't care if it's a food lover's step forward or a corporate move backwards, I just want to go.

For food and market lovers it's an article worth reading. Great pictures, too.

Eataly Offers Italy by the Ounce
New York Times
Sam Sifton
October 19, 2010

Share:

5 things I don't understand that others do understand. Or seem to.

Weddings. I definitely do not understand the modern wedding with its event-like atmosphere. And I wonder,   "Is the male a necessary or accidental component in a wedding? I mean if the girls could have a wedding without the guy, would they?

NASCAR. I like cars and I like driving fast, but I do not get the interest in this particular event. There's a big concrete circle, cars that look all the same except the color, and hairy man-fans with a man-crush on a driver. No thanks. 

Chicken and dumplings. It's bland, it's gooey, it doesn't smell very good, it looks worse, and it would taste a lot better if the components were left separate.

Chewing tobacco. How does this habit start?

Hair frosting for men. Look, if you're a guy and you've had your hair frosted, it's nothing personal, but is it really worth sitting in one of those beauty parlors with aluminum foil on your head to get the hair you want? I mean . . . dude, man-up a little.

That's it. You can go back to what you were doing . . .

Share:

University Park's Barnes & Noble Closing? Say it ain't so . . .

The Agora in Athens.

Athens had its Agora, Rome its Forum, London its markets and pubs. And South Philly ... the corner deli. They are all much the same. A place to meet, shop, eat & drink, gossip, and let the kids run around a little with friends. Now, air-conditioning and automobiles later, we have malls, plazas, and stores the size of the Colosseum, but our places are not so much different than the places of ancient Greece.

Which brings me to the not so happy point ---

On December 31, we will lose a big part of the unofficial meeting place for many Fort Worthians, the Barnes & Noble in University Village Park. And everyone I talk to has the same reaction to its closing, something like, "Now where are we going to go?"

It has become, in the ten years at that location, a "get-a-way" from the job or the kids, a meeting place for joggers, bikers, dog-walkers, and cigar smokers. It is our "public house," as it were, where we grab a cup of coffee, meet a friend to chat, or just sit down with a book and a cappuccino. Couples like it, shoppers like it, husbands like it, children like it. It's the starting point for walking, talking, shopping, and coffee drinking, and it just kind of works.

And we all hate to hear it's going away.

There are the stated or public reasons for the closing. The lease is up and Barnes and Noble doesn't want to pay the high rates of that commercial space. The shopping center people can't be blamed for asking the rate the market will bear. And B&N is looking to cut costs. The company itself is up for sale. It's share of the book business is steadily declining, suffering from a two sided attack: Amazon and online sales of printed books, and the new e-book sales for readers like the Kindle, Nook, and iPad. That doesn't leave much room for growth for the old bookstore.

Well, chin up. Something will take its place. I hear the Starbucks' Store is staying, which is some consolation.

But to the Barnes & Noble folks. Thank you. You have a great store, friendly staff, and you make everyone feel welcome. It won't be the same without you.

Share