Has anyone had luck in finding puntarelle (a kind of chicory, popular in Italy) here in the US? Is there a season for it?

Alma Gourmet on line is where I get mine.

Eataly in Manhattan is an amazing place (the original is in Torino). There are about four aisles of pasta alone. One variety was as big as broomsticks. It's a surreal experience in its layout. You will see Manhattanite women in the service areas behaving like they are at the perfume counter at Saks. Checkout can be very confusing.

Thank you for that suggestion, civ. Yes, I am a gardener, and I will plan on having a little patch of puntarelle this summer. From what you say, it should be an early-greens-kind-of-vegetable. And pierino, I hope to get to Eataly sometime (I live in New Jersey). But I bet they don't prep the vegetables the same way that the Italian greengrocers do! I thought that was so nice and convenient - I mean, artichokes already prepared for making carciofi alla romana??????!!!!!!!

When I lived in NYC, I could sometimes find puntarelle at the Union Square Greenmarket in the early summer. Are you a gardener at all? I am going to try my hand at growing some puntarelle this summer. Just last week I bought some puntarelle seeds from an Italian company (Franchi) whose seeds are now available in the U.S. and Canada. http://growitalian.com/Qstore/Qstore.cgi?CMD=011&PROD=000034&BACK=A0004A1

Further clarification. "Puntarelle" is the Roman name for the central buds of "cicoria catalogna". Odds of finding it in an Asian market are zilch. Chicory is as close as you will get, and sometimes restaurants here will serve the leaves of chicory with the same dressing and call it puntarelle. I'm a hard core devotee of the real thing. With regard to Eataly, I love that place. But they don't need clerks they need docents.

Thanks for the responses! And after reading violist's post, I did find out that Eataly in New York does sell puntarelle right now (...and just three days ago I ate it in Rome...sigh!). But that is too far from me to go on the spur of the moment. I am wondering if some Asian markets might have it.

Dammit T I wish I could offer a yes on that. You can't find em here and even if you could they are really high maintenance. As Farro10 noted the season ended two months ago'

I would go to gustiamo.com and ask them. This is a group of people that celebrate everything from Italy, and import some of the best products that are available, and though they are importers, they have a vast amount of knowledge of what is grown and produced in this country. My last thought is to go to Mario Batali's website. I support many of his foundation efforts, and I believe he has more knowledge about Italian food possibly then any chef in this country. He also loves to help people with this kind of question!

I really wish I had an answer to that question -- I adore puntarelle and, frankly, the season in Rome is barely a month anyway. I have never found it in the US, but tend to treat other wild greens or chicories in a similar manner -- with an emulsified anchovy vinaigrette.