A First Look at the Food and Beer From Eataly's La Birreria

Grid View

• Left to right: Sam Calagione, Teo Musso and Leonardo Di Vincenzo.
• Some of the bottled beers.
• bottled beers.
• Potatoes w/bacon and mustarda.
• Meat plate.
• Mushroom plate.

Today Eater got a sneak peek at the food and the beer from Eataly's massive new rooftop beer garden, La Birreria. Sadly, the space itself is still under heavy construction up there, but the project's main players offered a glimpse at what diners can expect from the food, booze and overall vibe of the place. The cask beers are being crafted by Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head Brewery in Milton, DE and two Italian brewmasters: Teo Musso of Birra Baladin in Turin, and Leonardo Di Vincenzo of Birra Del Borgo in Rome. All three are collaborating with Eataly's house brewmaster Brook Carretta on three original ales, which will all be made in a copper clad brewing system on the roof. As Calagione noted, its elevation on top of the building makes La Birreria the highest brewery in America.

There will also be six draft ales; a combination of Baladin, Calagione and Di Vincenzo's stuff, plus one or two rotating selections of things that the brewmasters like. There will also be about 30 different bottles of beer from around the world, picked to pair with the food that will be served from the rooftop kitchen.

The space will feature formal table seating with servers, as well as a bar with stools, and an open space for drinking and relaxing, like your typical German beer garden. And about that food: Mario Batali is currently working on the menu with his team. There will be no formal courses, just rustic, lightly composed plates for sharing, with things like salumi, fritti, vegetables, grilled meats and sausages. Today we got a sample of some fairly awesome new potatoes with mustard and guanciale, mushrooms both fried and doused in a balsamic dressing, and lightly sauteed and plated over a nice creamy burrata, and a massive meat plate with blood sausage, braised pork and some other charcuterie. Basically, it's just the kind of stuff you want to eat after knocking back a few fine Italian beers.

La Birreria is on track for a mid-May opening — the outdoor drinking scene in New York may never be the same again.
· All Coverage of La Birreria [~ENY~]
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