Some notable reservations ( not as good as it should be) but on the whole very good reviews
La Scuola di Eataly
200 5th Ave
Manhattan, NY 10010
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 229-2560
Manhattan, NY 10010
Neighborhood: Flatiron
(212) 229-2560
- Nearest Transit Station:
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23 St. (N, R)23 St. (F, M)23 St. (4, 6, 6X)
0.3 Miles
from La Scuola di Eataly
Tae E. said: "I've taken two classes at the Indian Culinary Center, and plan to take many more. Students may be as hands-on or not, participating to their comfort level. All…" read more »
9 reviews for La Scuola di Eataly
9 reviews in English
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Review from Rich T.
My entrance into La Scoula was by chance as I entered Eataly for business research on cheese products. I was greeted by a cheerful character at the front as I noted chefs gathered around a huge Jenn-Air-style stove top. He informed me of the Prix Fixe menu for lunch, so I made a point to return after gathering my samples.
While I noted the class listings with passing amusement, I went there to be served lunch and to see what they could do. The chalkboard menu I received was very informative and to the point of understanding that the menu was based upon a region of Italy and what would be served there.
The region's menu the kitchen had crafted that day was from Sicily. Starting with blanched cucumbers in chicken soup with cheese, I moved on to a black bass filet over a bed of vegetables and diced potatoes.
The food was artfully prepared and tasted very fresh. The portions were just right for lunch, instead of the excessive servings that pass for good in some places on LI under the label of "family style".
My server, Maryanne, was right on target in a cheerful and informative manner.
I look forward to returning there for other menus from Italian regions as designed by Eataly. -
Review from Jamel O.
I love cooking classes.
So when one of my Christmas gifts was a class at La Scuola di Eataly, I was excited.
Imagine my surprise when I found out, that you don't cook at La Scuola di Eataly. Nope. You do not cook. Imagine elementary school, with rows of desks. Then imagine the teacher has a stove. Imagine he also has an assistant and a camera. Imagine he does not know how to use these items. It was like paying to be in the studio audience of a cooking show that was kinda like Tool Time with Tim Taylor.
Of course, the classes are all different as to content, but the format is the same. Basically, you are sitting in a classroom setting and watching someone else cook and talk to you. You do get to eat the food. In the class I was in, there was also a wine pairing. Wine Lady, you rock. She did her job, explained the wines and really tried.
The class I took was a train wreck. They didn't even follow the recipes. They made pasta from scratch using a machine. They then told us it was a $5000 machine and that most people don't have one. In the future, they should use kitchen aide attachments or pasta makers/attachments available to people through retail stores. This isn't such a huge thing, but if you saw the problems they were having with the fancy machine, you would understand why I would make such a suggestion.
The whole class was like a commercial for the store, which is ok, except, it was extremely hands off.
AND...there were some horribly unruly people in the class. The were loud and obnoxious. The cooking staff left the room several times at the end and were clearly frustrated with the people. Yet, no one did anything. They were even messing with other people in the class, asking them their personal business, talking over the chef, etc. No one had any control over these people.
Basically, It was a $150 or so per person meal while we listened to someone talk and not follow the recipes that we were given. I got three glasses of wine, some roman gnocchi and some lasagna. I was so unhappy with the class. It could have been so much better. Not only was the format not right, the class itself was horrible because no one took control of the crazy older people in the audience. If we were all cooking, who would have cared if they were loud. But it was a classroom format.
So in the end, I give the La Scuola di Eataly three stars, and even that is with a heavy heart. I really felt horrible after the class I took. It was something I was so excited about and it was really a disappointment. I even waited a month or so to write a review because I wanted time to consider my review. But three stars it is. I am not a fan of the format, one star off for that. I also had a really bad experience. Its not like there was a survey at the end like at my Attorney CLE Classes. No one even cared what we thought about the class. It was just a "thanks for coming, time to go" type of thing. -
Review from Douglas D.
Trenton, NJCheese and Wine - Yea!
My friend attending a wine and cheese lecture with some friends from work so at her suggestion we got a group together for the same lecture. It was a great time by all. Yes, it was basically an advertisement for the wine and cheese that they sell but it was interesting and we did a lot of sampling. -
Review from Chris A.
Manhattan, NYLet me start by saying that I'm a huge fan of Eataly; I shop there weekly for meat and other provisions in addition to succumbing to coffee, gelato, their amazing prime rib sandwich, and other treats while I'm there. So I was looking forward to a class at La Scuola, an introduction to the food and wine of Calabria (the featured region at Eataly for the month).
Boy, what a disappointment. The class was led by the school chef and a young sommelier from one of the Eataly restaurants--Manzo, I think. In terms of prep, my husband said they read the Wikipedia page on Calabria 15 minutes before the event. That hits the nail on the head; the had very limited knowledge about the region and weren't particularly engaging speakers. It seemed like drudgery for them.
Regarding food, I really liked the allegedly Calabrian coppa served at this event and went to the salumi counter at Eataly to buy some. Turns out they carry no coppa from Calabria because they're not allowed to import virtually any meat from there. I think the chef should have explained this. In fact, But again, no homework here.
And the "Calabrian" pasta served, large rigatoni with sausage, although tasty, could have been a dish from almost anywhere in Italy. And it didn't match the recipe in the handout! Not that it matters but it was just another aspect of the sloppiness of the thing--which was $60 apiece (and one of the school's least expensive offerings).
The space itself is set up like a classroom and not conducive to interacting with Eataly staff or other participants. We literally watched a pot of water boil onstage, and the seating is such that you can't even laugh with others about it.
I love Eataly, but if you want to learn, or just have fun, I'm not sure a class at La Scuola is a good idea. -
Review from Erin W.
Philadelphia, PAThis afternoon I had the pleasure of attending a cooking lesson with wine pairings by none other than Lidia Bastianich herself. The class was originally scheduled for the Monday after Hurricane Irene, but was obviously rescheduled due to weather. Through the entire process, from initially booking the class to having it moved, everyone at La Scuola could not have been more helpful and nice (shout out to Emily, who I must have called 15 times trying to reconfirm everything!).
La Scuola is a small, private kitchen with about 10, 2-seater tables for guests, located at the back of Eataly, behind Manzo. The setting is intimate and beautifully and thoughtfully decorated. For this particular class, Lidia prepared a 4 course seasonal meal with the help of the executive chef of Eataly, and the head sommelier, who provided us with wine pairings as well as some background on each of the wines. Lidia talked us through each step of the course preparations and encouraged us to ask out questions if we had any (about anything related to cooking). For an hour and a half, it felt like we were dining in Lidia's own house. She was relaxed and genuinely enjoyed cooking for us.
It goes without saying that her cooking is out-of-this-world, makes-you-weak-in-the-knees, want-to-lick-your-plate-clean good. But I'm going to reiterate it anyway: this was some of the best food I've ever had. Not just Italian, not just seasonal food, I mean ever. It was worth every penny to learn a few tips and skills from such a renowned chef, but that we got to eat with her? It was surreal and amazing.
Afterwards, she signed cookbooks (boyfriend and I schlepped ours around the entire day hoping this would be the case) and took pictures with everyone and was just so wonderfully sweet and adorable I had to resist the urge to give her a great big hug.
La Scuola offers tons of different types of classes at all different price points. I will definitely be attending more in the future. -
Review from A Y.
Manhattan, NYLike an earlier reviewer, I was thoroughly disappointed with my La Scuola experience. I was also surprised that there was no actual cooking involved in this "cooking" class. The camera over the stove was a joke, especially as it was not zoomed in enough to really show you anything more than the boiling pot of pasta water.
I took the "Winter Pasta" class and the instructor would demonstrate a few of the steps, then pass around a plate of the raw pasta dough so we could feel the consistency, then he would open a package of a similar pasta that is sold in the store and cook and serve that.
We also went out of order of their prepared menu so the wines were not served with the courses they were intended to go with, and in fact, the wine guy left before the red wine was served and it wasn't until we were served our last mini plate of pasta that the red wine was finally poured.
Also, the portions that were served were very small tasting plates. So, needless to say, we had to eat dinner at one of the restaurants at Eataly after the course was finished.
Bottom line, don't waste your $100+ dollars on this "demonstration" class. -
Review from Diosel R.
Claremont Village, Bronx, NYLamb chops were amazing, def. will go back for them. Price is def. high for such a small portion. Overall good quality food. Service was excellent no complaints.-
Lamb chops. In La Scuola at Eataly were amazing. Can't wait…
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Review from Hannah L.
Ottawa, CanadaWe recently spent a lovely Saturday evening at the Summer Risotto workshop. There were about twenty of us watching and listening to the presentations by two charming and enthusiastic young chefs, Ali and ?
Unlike a former reviewer, I found that they took great pains to explain the flow of the evening. In fact, all their explanations were clear and interesting. The food, which of course we got to eat, was really delicious and I feel confident that I will be able to approximate, if not duplicate, their results. We were shown an old classic film clip on rice, which added some context to the evening, as did the mini presentation on the geography of various regions of Italy. Both chefs were engaging and very accessible. Money well spent in terms of a yummy meal (excellent wine included), and an interesting and educational presentation. Afterwards, it was convenient to walk around Eataly, although full from our risottos,etc., we couldn't take advantage of even the ice cream.
Highly recommended! -
Review from Julia S.
Manhattan, NYMy boyfriend took me here as a birthday present, soooo gooooood. I hear what people are saying about it not being a class - that is certainly true. If you want to go to a cooking class and cook, this is not what you're looking for. BUT, if what you're looking for is an incredibly nice meal, made by some stellar chefs, with some also stellar wine pairings, and a new cook book, then this is DEFINITELY worth it. Seriously - four amazing wines paired with four different courses from a cook book where the author is there, telling you interesting stories about each dish and how it made it into the book. The chefs who actually cooked the dishes were amazing (especially Alicia - such a sweetheart!) - avocado crab salad, butternut squash and bean soup, rack of lamb and caramel tiramisu. AND, the author signed my copy of the book at the end! On top of that, you're with a bunch of other people so it's fun to just hang out and chat. Totally worth it.
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