“A 1/2 pound of prosciutto di Palma – sliced super thin please!” is something one might request in a cheery way at the deli. You get home and unwrap the wax paper hoping to see almost translucent slices of perfectly cured prosciutto but instead you find thick, leathery pieces of meat with a thickness closer to American cheese slices.

You’re so angry because you just spent $13 on too-thick slices of cured ham that smell/taste like wet dog because they’re so thickly sliced. Simultaneously, you feel guilty and shameful that you’re angry about your $13 of incorrectly sliced meat. You want to post about it somewhere, anywhere, probably with the hashtag #firstworldproblems which lets everyone know you’re being IRONIC right?!?!

And ^^^ is why I’m beyond excited that Eataly is coming to New England, Boston specifically. A few weeks ago I flew to NYC for work and while I was there I stopped in at Eataly. It was kind of torture to not be able to buy EVERYTHING in the store but I didn’t have a cooler or time to shop so I settled for a glass of wine and a little crudo instead.

What is Eataly?

The official description: Eataly is a retail and restaurant hybrid of fresh produce and grocery stands, food counters, and restaurants designed to recreate the high-energy feeling of an Italian piazza. The concept was introduced in Turin, Italy, in 2007 by businessman Oscar Farinetti, who partnered with famed chef Mario Batali and others to bring the megastore stateside to Manhattan in 2010.

My description: An Italian version of heaven on earth. Imagine a crazy-high end food court where you can choose from small-plate crudo to a salami tasting or perhaps a selection of cheeses, all paired with great wine and THEN you can go grocery shopping for the perfect cut of meat, fresh fish, just-baked loaf of bread and so much more.

Like this is maybe 50% of the mushrooms they had on sale that day: 

When is Eataly coming to Boston? 

The 44,000-square-foot food market will take over the existing food court at The Shops at Prudential Center. The market is expected to feature 15,000 products!!! A rooftop restaurant will be built above the market and a new entrance will be constructed along Boylston Street. Eataly Boston is expected to open in September 2016 and I can’t WAIT!!!!

It’s not just food – you can also find kitchen gadgets and cookbooks and more: 

I was happy to see Maine Pemaquid oysters! I think I’m going to have to limit myself to visiting no more than once a month otherwise my grocery budget will go through the roof! 

I’ve never seen so many rounds of Parmigiano Reggiano along with every other Italian cheese: 

Are you excited about Eataly?I can’t wait, I’ll still be shopping locally for delicious cheeses and meats in the meantime. Some of my favorites:
The Cheese Iron in Scarborough, Maine
Joppa Fine Foods in Newburyport, MA
Formaggio Kitchen in Cambridge, MA