We first gave Eataly a shout out in our district profile of the Flatiron district earlier this month. I wanted to add in my experience here – Eataly holds the title of  the largest artisanal Italian food and wine marketplace in the world, and absolutely deserves some attention.  Whether you are running in to grab your morning ice coffee, shopping for fresh groceries and produce, or enjoying dinner and drinks with the girls, Eataly is your one-stop market for Italian fare.

The Eataly market has fresh meats, cheeses, pasta, olive oil, and fine gourmet ingredients strewn across the vast 50,000 square foot space. Since the marketplace is  the brain child of some culinary heavy weights (like Mario Batali), it is only fitting that the Eataly would rival any master chef’s pantry. Among the market sections, you can sit and relax at one for the four restaurants for dinner, or linger among the marble counter islands scattered within the market to sample meats, cheese and glasses of wine.

If you do anything at Eataly though, I would recommend stopping at the roof top beer garden, Birreria, which just opened this summer.  In this hot New York City season, who can turn down a rooftop bar with homemade brews, complemented by skyline views?

Have you experienced Eataly yet?

images via Eataly

This week I was delighted to discover an adorably yummy Popsicle bar in the West Village. Popsicles are summer on a stick and during this heat wave are a delicious way to cool off. Popbar is a gourmet take on the popsicle, offering handcrafted gelato on a stick, which can be customized to your liking.

Located on Carmine St at 6th Ave, Popbar uses all natural ingredients and also offers Froyo and sorbetto in popsicle form. You can choose from one of the many delicious popsicles they have available, or create your own picking your desired dessert option (gelato, sorbetto or froyo) on a stick then add toppings and finally dip in a dark, milk or white chocolate.

I had the mixed berry gelato and it was both sumptuous and a helped me beat the city heat. I’ll be back to try the Froyo and sorbetto before the summer is through.

What are your favorite summer city eats?

Nothing is more American than a tasty burger and fries. With Memorial Day weekend upon us, households across the country will be firing up their grills for summer. Manhattan living means having to trade in your backyard patio for Central Park (I can live with that), therefore the closest thing I have to a grill is my  (roommate’s) George Foreman. So when you are craving a taste of summer, well done, head to Shake Shack  in Madison Square Park.

Shake Shack opened their original location in Madison Square Park (East 23rd and Madison Avenue) back in 2004 and have been a household name ever since. Now with multiple locations throughout the city, Shake Shack is known for their frozen custard and for being one of the best burger joints in the city. The burgers are delicious, but the pièce de resistance for me is the Frozen Custard. Shake Shack posts a monthly custard calendar on their website and features such delectable flavors as Red Velvet Custard (Sundays in May) and Mud Pie (Fridays in May).

We may not have that back yard but Madison Square Park, with its majestic view of the Empire State Building, is an adequate substitute.  True to the name, the restaurant is literally a small shack in the park surrounded by picnic benches. On a pleasant day the wait in line could stretch as long as an hour wait! Shake Shack’s website hosts a Shake Cam with live feed of the line to help you plan for your feast accordingly.

The best time to visit is on a dreary day or better yet, take advantage of the prime location and stroll through Madison Square Park prior to indulging hence skipping the lunch or dinner time crowd. Either way, it is worth the wait.

images via Guest of a Guest and Shake Shack