Eataly Downtown Truffle Festa

Shore Tastes Great headed to Gotham on the weekend of November 21 for the annual Eataly Downtown Truffle Festa, located in the 4 World Trade Center complex in Manhattan. They welcomed us with popcorn al tartufo and a stem of Ferrari Brut Prosecco and the truffle tasting adventure began!

The $85 entry fee included a wine glass for tastings and two tickets for the specialty pasta: cavatelli cacio e pepe with shaved black and white truffles, which Ricardi spooned out of a huge wheel of pecorino. It was creamy, earthy, and good, but still somehow not quite as tasty as the un-ticketed pasta next to it—a toothsome rigatoni carbonara in truffle sauce with salty and crispy guanciale. This was my top pick of the night. It hit all the right notes.

A band played standards in the corner of the store while Gabby offered pours of Colterenzio Pinot Nero with a taste of fresh mozzarella with poached figs and truffle basil pesto, available for sale throughout the store. Another station offered Adriatico Amaretto drinks, and Altamura Vodka Negronis across the way. At a cart, Harrison served up pieces of panettone we watched him slice earlier from a massive round, with a side of warm chocolate dip. It was good, but no comparison to Eataly’s own house made panettone, which peels apart into luscious strips that are impossible to stop eating. I have already put in my order for the holidays.

On a table by the fish counter, cheese monger Richard walked guests through a tasting of three cheeses from Italy: a batched Asiago Vezzena, a single-farm, aged Asiago della Montagna, and an even older Fioretto al Tartufo. It was a delicious and informative presentation. We washed it down with wines by the Bastianich label, and Produttori Del Barbaresco Langhe Nebbiolo.

Across from the cheese tasting area was a hot lamp counter offering cones of truffle fries with parmigiana fondue, and tiny boats of crispy polenta croccante with prosciutto and onion jam, available in-store. This was another top dish of the Festa. They also served Uova Tartufate, a deviled egg with pesto from the tubes of Tartuf Langhe available at every register. I have this tubed truffle pesto in my fridge right now; it’s a simple way to add great flavor to your favorite dishes.

Savory bites were available by the bakery and pizza area. Roger served up two flatbreads: one with tasty sauteed mushrooms, whipped porcini ricotta, and micro basil; and another with truffle prosciutto cotto, with whipped stracciatella and amarant sprouts. Both were tasty but would have been better served hot, which is admittedly difficult in a festival setting. These flatbread pizzas are a great choice to purchase and warm up at home for your dinner.

Around the corner, the deli section offered crostini with (too much) butter, anchovy perlage, and parsley. There was also a rare roast beef Tartufato sammie on a pumpernickel bun with lettuce and truffle aioli. It was all fresh and nice, but still too much bun for my personal taste; it swallowed up the truffle aioli.

We ate all we could and sampled various wines, then walked around the store until we worked enough off to think about dessert. Over at the gelato counter, Valentina sated our sweet tooth with hand scooped vanilla fior de latte, topped with truffle honey. It was such an amazing play of flavors! I think it could be equally good topped with truffle olive oil: gelato con olio e sale.

While the staff was ultra-professional and everything was well prepared, the setup this year seemed a bit crowded and less conducive to the impulse buying Eataly surely relies upon. And after a few tastings of wine, guests tend to forget exactly which dishes they loved in the moment. The store could move more product if the ingredients used were available for sale right by the station where the food was prepared. Someone, make a note.

In past years, guests have enjoyed the full run of the sprawling Downtown Eataly to enjoy their tastings. This year, management went for a more centralized setup with a band by the corner windows, and while that encouraged mingling, it made tasting (and talking) a bit difficult. But guests and employees alike seemed to be having a good time at Eataly’s annual Truffle Festa. It’s also a great place to make connections (or find love) with other foodies!

For more information, visit https://www.eataly.com/us_en/classes-and-events/nyc-downtown/truffle-festa-tickets-1815916106959