Eataly LA Could Open By End of 2012

It's not a rumor anymore, Joe Bastianich is now openly talking about bringing Eataly to Los Angeles. HuffPo reports that the Italian mega-mart will open branches in Los Angeles and Washington DC, and both stores could launch by late 2012. Anyone that has frequented the Manhattan behemoth will note it's monstrous size, a full 40,000 square feet which encompasses both grocery shopping and mini restaurants, in addition to a newer open beer garden. With that in mind, Bastianich, a principal in Eataly along with Mario Batali, says that both new locations will be as large as the New York original and could potentially be ever bigger! And, not surprising, Bastianich also says that the biggest challenge is finding the right location, so he's not sure if LA or DC will debut first. Way back when, we heard he was looking into the Fairfax district...
·Eataly To Open DC, LA Locations As Early As 2012 [HuffPo]
·Joe Bastianich WAS in LA Scouting Eataly Spaces, "Pretty Sure" He Found A Location [~ELA~]
·Word on the Street... EATALY IS COMING TO LA! [~ELA~]

[Photo: Inside Eataly, NYC. Flickr/Italianbestshop]