Eataly Showcases Dishes at Life Is Beautiful

Those who spent big bucks to sit in the exclusive VVIP section of Life Is Beautiful landed a three-course meal from Eataly while sitting on a second-level deck overlooking the Downtown Stage.

Nicole Brisson, the executive chef of Eataly, prepped and dished the coursed meal while Cold War Kids and Foster the People held court on the stage. During the event, she hinted at a Dec. 27 opening of the 75,901-square-foot, two-level elaborate Italian marketplace at the front of the Park MGM. While the market will be smaller than other U.S. locations that stretch from Boston to soon in Los Angeles, Brisson says pasta, seafood, and cheese sections should be popular with shoppers. “How many times have you wanted razorneck clams or a nice piece of cheese?” she asks, hinting the locals may be able to valet for free while they stock up on groceries.

Like other Eataly locations, this will include a roster of restaurants, some small, others large, all focusing on the Mediterranean diet. Boston only has three restaurants, while Chicago boasts 23.

Created in 2007 by founder Oscar Farinetti in Torino, Italy, and later becoming a stateside sensation, Eataly will be the centerpiece of the Park MGM, which just announced that celebrity chef Richard Blais’ The Crack Shack plans to locate next to the market.

The two-story venture will also feature outdoor food carts to help create a magnet for diners looking for quick and easy options and help lead shoppers toward more elaborate dishes inside.

Already promised, the environment will offer a “vibrant marketplace with cafes, to-go counters, and sit-down restaurants interspersed with high-quality products from sustainable Italian and local producers,” plus pasta dishes, pizza and a bakery.

Amelinda B Lee

Amelinda B Lee

Amelinda B Lee

Amelinda B Lee

Amelinda B Lee

• All Coverage of Eataly [ELV]

• Tracking the Restaurants Headed to the Park MGM and NoMad This Fall [ELV]