Eggplant Parm at Piazza Italian Market
Piazza Italian Market is a thriving community hub in the heart of Easton. Visit during lunchtime on any given day, and you’ll see, firsthand, the specialty grocer/eatery buzzing with activity. I took a drive into town on a sunny Monday to visit Piazza, grab a bite for lunch, and take home a few options for dinner. I was greeted by happy staff and happier customers that were either enjoying their lunch in the bright sit-down dining area or perusing imported foods from the market side. The energy was positive.
Walking through the main doorway and into the market, it’s hard to resist all the goodies within—select wines, pastas, sauces, vinegars, and oils for sale; the delicatessen of fine cheeses and cured meats, cold cases of prepared Italian entrees, antipasti, desserts; plus, collections of cottage industry wares and local books. I worked my way past all of this toward the rear counter and large, chalkboard menus to order a couple panini.
There are hot and cold options, about 15 unique panini in all. My selections: the Compania, with layers of prosciutto de Parma, fresh mozzarella, basil leaves, and tomato slices, and the Pesto Chicken Salad Panino, with the distinct salad, bibs of lettuce, and tomato. Both were sandwiched into freshly-baked rolls and made-to-order, which afforded me time to select several family-size entrees from the cold case to enjoy for dinner later that evening: the Calabrese Pork Lasagna, Handmade Gnocchi Calabrese, a small serving of Grilled Shrimp, and Tiramisu. All paid for at the counter; tipping optional but appreciated.
The panini—meaning “small bread” in Italian—were well-made versions of what I would call a sub, though certainly not as monstrous in size that some of the chain-name shops pitch. Think of Piazza’s offerings as finer fare that’s filling but won’t overfill you. The salty prosciutto on the Compania was balanced by the mild mozzarella. Of course, the basil punctuated the sandwich. The bread was perfectly pleasing, easy to bite through, and held the ordeal together first bite to last. Same for the Chicken Pesto Salad with its shredded chicken and whole pine nuts enveloped in pesto-mayo binder.
I took the other dishes to-go, with their instructions for heating and serving at home. I also appreciate the full list of fresh ingredients on the label of each—you know exactly what you’re getting. The Lasagna took about 1 hour to heat through in the oven; the Gnocchi, about five minutes in the microwave. Together, I had plenty to serve my family of four. We raved about each dish. The pillowy gnocchi were hard not to love—the mouthfeel was heavenly, the taste simple, but very accepting of the Calabrese pork sauce. Similarly, the lasagna layers of flat egg pasta, cheeses (ricotta, mozzarella), pork sauce, and finely minced veggies (a soffritto of onion, carrots, celery) were harmonious in each bite. And was that a pinch of fennel seed or oregano that I detected. A glance at the ingredient list and…check that, it was both. The grilled shrimp offered refreshing bites between the heavier pasta dishes.
The tiramisu was a legendary capstone to the meal. I say legendary because it lived up to the dish’s fame as an exquisite dessert with layers of sugar-sweetened mascarpone, liquor-soaked ladyfingers (in this case with Lyon Distilling rum and Rise Up Coffee Roasters’ espresso), and cocoa. Each deep-dive spoonful from the container was awesome.
And there you have it—lunch and dinner, both prepared by the Piazza Italian Market team. All made fresh with local or fine, imported ingredients and wonderfully delicious.
Piazza Italian Market | 218 N. Washington Street, Ste. 23, Easton; 410-820-8281; piazzaitalianmarket.com
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