Eataly On A Budget

"Can you believe these prices?" an incredulous tourist asked her friend while perusing the compotes and jams at Eataly. "I'll see you outside..."

I really wanted to take the woman aside and tell her where the deals at Eataly were, but I'm sometimes wary of talking to strangers. So, since I wasn't able to impart this information to her, I will lay it out here. It's true that many of the prices at Eataly are not for the faint of heart, but there are some reasonably-priced gems amid all of the luxury. First of all, the thick slices of mozzarella and tomato focaccia at the bakery can be enjoyed for only $2.80. One piece is easily enough for lunch, and if you feel like splurging, you can add some meat for a dollar. For other bread-based items, the mais bread is around $3, and you can also check out the half-priced day-old bakery bin.

For chocoholics who blanch at the thought of spending almost $18 for a bag of gianduja, the Venchi stand sells a line of delicious little Unico bars for $1.80. (There used to be a lot more varieties; I think the only two left are coconut cream and a bar for those who are reducing the amount of sugar in their diets. I hope they get the cuor di cacao bar back.)

The sandwich bar is always a deal, with all hot and cold panini going for around $7-$8. Vegetarians who miss the hot pressed taleggio and mushroom sandwich will be glad to know that it is making a reappearance next week. By the way, the sandwich bar also offers arancini (stuffed rice balls) with ragu for $3.20 each.

If you get to the cappuccino bar around lunchtime and have a hankering for something savory, you can buy a couple salty prosciutto croissants, which should fill you up. Finally, if you want to sit down to enjoy the Eataly experience but don't have the wallet for Manzo, go to the cheese and charcuterie bar and order yourself a generous caprese salad with bread for $11. (As a side note, I was checking out the new La Birreria menu and there were several items under $20.)

See, you can enjoy Eataly without spending a million dollars!

Eataly: 200 Fifth Avenue: (212) 229-2560.

Breakfast Pizza at Farinella

When I think of breakfast pizza, I usually picture being at the airport before 8 a.m. and dejectedly looking at the unappetizing slices under the heat lamp. But there is one place in the city that makes a truly delicious breakfast pizza: Farinella Italian Bakery Pizza & Panini. This pizzeria, which specializes in paper-thin crust pizza, makes a delectable morning slice which is dotted with salty little bites of pancetta. On top there are half-done sunny-side-up eggs and a drizzle of caramelly balsamic vinegar. In case you are not a fan of the unorthodox pizza, Farinella is happy to provide you with traditional marinara, margherita and pepperoni slices. It's all good.

(ETA: For another breakfast pizza option, try the organic scrambled egg and Fontina baked between two slices of thin, crispy focaccia at Gina La Fornarina, just a few blocks away on 2nd Ave. between 81st and 82nd.)

Farinella Italian Bakery Pizza & Panini: 1132 Lexington Ave. (212) 327-2702.

A Tony Awards Dinner

This Sunday, Fairway’s Café and Steakhouse (2127 Broadway, 212-595-1888) will be celebrating the 2011 Tony Awards with a three-course prix fixe menu and lots of champagne. If you are especially knowledgeable about the theater, you might win a $100 Fairway gift card, as there's going to be a contest to see who chooses the most Tony winners. As for the menu, it will dishes like jumbo lump crab cakes, filet mignon, and peach-blueberry pie. Act now and make a reservation.

David Burke Kitchen

The latest gem in David Burke's empire is four-month-old David Burke Kitchen. Located at the edge of Chinatown, it features its proprietor's emphasis on farm-to-table food. The restaurant's atmosphere is rather incongruous; a loud techno soundtrack provides a jarring backdrop to a rustic room decorated with photos of farmhands. As the volume escalates, it becomes difficult to concentrate on how delicious the food is, but this seems to be an increasingly common complaint.

The menu features comfort food with a twist. It's impossible not to order at least five appetizers, which also include the lighter "snacks" and "jars." For jars, our table ordered a basil-accented tomato, ricotta and eggplant jar which reminded me of a deconstructed eggplant parmigiana and the ocean cocktail, which was a spicy ceviche of shrimp, scallops and lobster served with refreshing endive leaves. We then progressed to snacks of salmon pastrami rolled around pretzel sticks and skewers of decadent date and peanut butter croquettes wrapped with slices of maple bacon.

The next dish was one of my favorites of the night. A bowl of mellow tomato gazpacho featured a dainty round napoleon based on a thin disk of watermelon, which was layered with sweet lobster meat and a layer of chive and salt-sprinkled lemon creme fraiche. For main courses, the tuna was a study in crimson: crispy sushi-grade slices were accompanied by a tart plum sauce and roasted beets. If I had it to do over again, I would not have ordered the short ribs and cavatelli with truffle cream and dried wild mushroom chips. Although this dish was delicious, it was probably the heaviest on the menu, and was reminiscent of beef stroganoff. Next time, I will take advantage of all the line-caught fish and local produce on the menu.

Desserts were predictably cute and comforting. Sugar-dusted fried donuts were served with fun tubes of caramel, chocolate and raspberry, as well as a selection of ice cream sandwiches. The peach cobbler could have been served warmer and was rather plain Jane, but this was forgotten when complimentary little packages of crunchy chocolates were brought by.

If you've ever seen the show "Portlandia," you may have been amused by an episode where two diners obsess over the origin of the chicken at a restaurant. They keep asking, "But is it local?" The waiter presents them with a certificate showing the chicken's given name, biography, and the farm where he lived. I will be moving to Portland at the end of the summer, so I guess it's time for me to start taking advantage of the farm-to-table movement!

David Burke Kitchen: James Hotel, 23 Grand St., (212) 201-9119.