An award-winning Boston chef will host a pop-up Italian restaurant at Eataly Boston
Michael Schlow will take over Via Emilia for two months.
James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schlow will launch Via Emilia this week as the first installment in a new rotating series featuring local chefs cooking regional Italian cuisine at Eataly Boston.
Schlow’s concept will feature dishes inspired by Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, and his menu will include seven antipasti (appetizers), three pasta dishes, and three segundi (second courses featuring a protein). Via Emilia, located at the massive Italian food emporium’s rotating restaurant corner La Cucina, opens Feb. 1.
“The first thing when I think of winter and Boston’s weather—and what’s gonna resonate really well here—is food from Emilia-Romagna,” Schlow said.
The inspiration came from Schlow’s recent travels through Emilia-Romagna, where he and buddy Mario Batali explored and ate their way through the northern Italian region. Their trip served as the catalyst for Via Emilia’s menu, which includes Melanzane alla Parmigiana (eggplant Parmigiana), Tigelle with Ricotta Whipped Lardo (warmed Emilia-Romagna-style flatbread with ricotta whipped lardo), and Tagliatelle alla Bolognese (fresh pasta with hearty Bologna-style meat sauce).
Which is his favorite? “I could close my eyes and point and be happy with any of those dishes,” he said.
Schlow has 11 restaurants across the country, two of which—Doretta Taverna and Raw Bar and Tico Boston—are located in his hometown. His passion for global cuisine has earned him a slew of accolades, most notably the honor of “Best Chef in the Northeast” from the James Beard Foundation.
“Of all of the countless Bostonians for whom I have great affection, Michael Schlow is at the top of the list,” Batali, an Eataly USA partner, said in a news release. “Schlow’s approach [to] Italian cooking with Boston ingredients epitomizes how we hope people will use the Eataly marketplace.”
Schlow will also teach classes at La Scuola Di Eataly by Valcucine, Eataly’s in-house cooking school. The classes will feature the Via Emilia menu, so its students can recreate Schlow’s dishes at home.
“This is a really big opportunity, and I’m honored to be participating at this level,” Schlow said. “I’m really excited to be part of this.”
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