Eataly

Eataly, the Italian food emporium backed by Mario Batali, made a splash last Summer when it opened in Manhattan's Madison Square Park. One year later, it's still surpassed all expectations, even doubling financial projections. And that's just the beginning: today, Eataly co-owner Joe Bastianich announced plans to roll out Eataly in Los Angeles and Washington DC, with the next opening coming as soon as the end of 2012.

Meanwhile, others have caught on to the success of the 60,000-square-foot public food market, which includes, among other shops, a fish restaurant, a pasta and pizza joint, a panini bar, and a brewpub. Top Cheffer Bryan Voltaggio has admitted to modeling his upcoming Frederick, MD, venture, North Market Kitchen, on Eataly. The San Francisco International Airport's shiny new terminal includes Napa Farms Market, a food emporium that features locally produced foods, a dining court, and takeout meals to go. And Oakland's up-and-coming Jack London Square has long had a public market in the works.

With its manifold shopping and dining options, is the all-encompassing specialty "public foods market" the food scene of the future? What do you think of the concept of one-stop shops for culinary education, browsing, shopping, and dining?

Source: Flickr User Carl MiKoy

• Gwyneth Paltrow is rumored to be starting up her own food magazine. — New York Post
• A first look at Denny's seven-item Baconalia menu. — Serious Eats
• Create a lavish royal wedding party with these 22 canapés. — Daily Dish
• The Starbucks CEO's new memoir stinks with the "smell of self-congratulation." — Wall Street Journal
• Nothing's certain, but Eataly could expand to Los Angeles. — Grub Street LA
• Make your own strawberry milk. — The Kitchn
• Bizarre food, indeed: Andrew Zimmern won't eat walnuts. — Eater
• Ina Garten won't be visiting that child with cancer after all. — TMZ

• Inside Eataly, Mario Batali's massive new Italian market in New York City. — Eater NY
• Top Chef's Amanda shares her dreams of bringing beautiful people food. — Feast
• McDonald's hamburgers are almost entirely indestructible. — Grub Street NY
• Chatting with one of the contestants on Top Chef: Just Desserts. — The Epi-Log
• Chef Charles Phan shares his go-to dish. — Chow
• Do "better" eggs really taste better? — Serious Eats
• Meet the world's most expensive cookbooks. — Huffington Post Food
• Genius! How to poach an egg in the microwave. — The Kitchn

With 15 restaurants, eight cookbooks, a travel food show, and a silver screen debut under his belt, world-renowned Italian chef Mario Batali is making a return to the kitchen. This Summer, Batali will open the first US location of Eataly, a colossal food emporium based in Turin, Italy. The 60,000 square foot greenmarket and food center, which will be near Manhattan's Madison Square Park, will have a meat restaurant, a fish restaurant, a pasta and pizza eatery, a vegetable-driven restaurant, a panino bar, and a brewpub on the roofdeck. The most significant point to note, aside from the project's sheer scope, is the fact that, for the first time since he opened Otto, Batali will design the menus for all six restaurants.

Much like Tom Colicchio, who has spent more time cooking in the last year with Tom Tuesday Dinner and Colicchio & Sons Tap Room, Molto Mario admitted he's missing the time spent in the kitchen. I love the idea of a celebrated chef coming full circle and embracing the sheer joy of cooking. Do you think Batali and other celebrity chefs can still cut it in the kitchen?