Eataly Chicago opens, and I was there!

The day finally came, Eataly Chicago opened the doors to its 60,000 sq. foot Italian foodie paradise yesterday, and I was there to eat and drink my way through it! Simply put, the place is incredible. Any Italian food, ingredient, produce, etc you can imagine is there, and when you combine that with numerous restaurants, tasting stations, and wine by the glass while you shop, how can you go wrong?

I first headed to the gelato area and asked how it's possible they have soft serve gelato. They said after the the gelato is slowly churned, it's moved to a machine that whips it and gives it that light, soft serve texture, and oh man does it feel incredibly silky smooth on the tongue!

After having some sweet it was time to go upstairs where the real food action is. There are numerous tiny food stands with seats around them selling "Salumi & Cheese", "Fried bar", "Raw & Fish Bar". I stopped for some fritto misto and prosciutto di parma. Even though the fritto misto was $21, the seafood was incredibly fresh, tender, and flavorful.

The crowds and lines got bigger as the evening went on, but I still managed some Farro(winter wheat berry) with butternut squash cooked risotto style and some lentil soup, both were spot on tasty. A little tiramisu for dessert really hit the spot, even though it was $6 for a tiny amount.

Eataly Chicago is truly a one of a kind place, and I will have to go back multiple times to fully appreciate and discover everything it has to offer.