By Deborah Pankey

To answer the question that has been asked of me most often recently ... Yes, I, finally, have been to Eataly. And it was awesome. On a frigid Friday afternoon, a curt breeze blew me and a few friends into chef Mario Batali's temple to Italian culinary arts at 43 W. Ohio St. just steps off Chicago's Magnificent Mile. Carts of sun-ripened citrus welcomed me and the throngs of other shoppers.

While the orange-clogged celebrity chef certainly is the most recognizable of the partners, New York restaurateurs Joe Bastianich and Lydia Bastianich are part of the group that brought this culinary concept — originally opened in Turin, Italy — to New York and now to the Windy City.

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Source: http://www.dailyherald.com/