Sooo..... I just met Mario Batali

This post is a bit different because I'm not blogging about food or talking about some delicious fusion of flavors.... But I had to share this....

I JUST MET MARIO BATALI!!!!!

While in NY for a friends wedding, we had a little extra time to walk around the city. I had heard about Mario's new Italian grocery store from a friend's mom (and one of my Blog followers :) ) and had to see it for myself. The shop is amazing!!! As soon as you walk in the doors of Eataly you are met with the aroma that only exists in really good markets..... sweet, salty, earthy and just plain wonderful. Eataly has a small, but well stocked produce section, a fantastic seafood counter, beautiful fresh pasta and more cuts of meats and delicious cheeses than you could ever hope to see. The gelato is pure heaven and the smell of the espresso bar transports you to a small cafe in Florence. To top it all off, Eataly has tons of counters and tables scattered throughout the market where people are welcome to eat and enjoy all of the goodies that this place has to offer.

So, as I'm walking through this magical place, I notice a man (sitting at one of the counters) enjoying a bowl piled high with mussels in some type of a garlic/white wine sauce. Because I was staring at this man's food, I wasn't watching where I was going and knocked over a box of crackers. As I  bent down to pick them up I froze.... right there, right in front of me.... were an unmistakeable pair of orange crocks. After about 5 seconds of looking like a total idiot, I slowly looked up and found myself standing 4 feet away from MARIO FREAKING BATALI. At first I thought he was a statue, but it turns out he was just listening to the man eating the mussels.... who coincidentally was Emeril Lagasse. I honest to god almost had an aneurism.

After running over to my husband and hyperventilating like a teenager at a Twilight movie premiere (and eating some really good prosciutto which he had lovingly ordered) I worked up the courage to introduce myself to Mario. It was quick, perfect, and best of all... he didn't have me arrested for being a creepy stalker.
I decided against bothering Emeril because he was enjoying a lovely lunch with a lady (maybe his wife?) and I didn't want to interrupt.

All in all my day at Eataly ranks as one of the best I've had..... honestly what could be better than a day full of prosciutto, fresh ricotta and Mario Batali?