La Pizza at Eataly

Nope, there's no sarcasm in the title of this post: the pizza station at Eataly really is called "La Pizza"; the vegetable station, "Le Verdure"; the fish station, "Il Pesce"; so on and so on, a dizzying array of Italian food in all its multifaceted possibilities for preparation. Mario Batali's wildly successful multiplex is nothing if not straightforward: come here hungry, go home full.

Craving pizza on a Sunday morning, we walked in worried that we'd have to kill time before opening. Instead, the pizza area was packed, in part because none other than the high priest himself was holding court (as well as rocking his standard green vest and orange Crocs).  When it came time to order, even he had to consult the menu.

The quattro formaggi had chunks of smoky gorgonzola and creamy cacio cavallo as well as the more typical parmigiano reggiano and mozzarella. On the downside, so much cheese overpowered the already soft dough. On the plus side, so much cheese! 

The massese had tomato sauce, mozzarella, and wedges of spicy salami. While you're essentially eating in a food court --- a very loud, very crowded food court, complete with plastic chairs --- the toppings are arranged with a far more generous hand than you'd find at the mall. Better quality too. 

 s