Inconspicuously situated on the corner of Allen and Stanton on the LES, you might walk right past The Meatball Shop as I did. With a large community table centrally located, warm colors and wood textures, its just cozy enough and the staff are extremely friendly, stopping to say hello wearing different plaid button down shirts. The restaurant has only been open one month and it's a full house at 6:30 on a Thursday night. We dine beneath a row of “instant ancestor” turn of the century photographs hung on the wall, making it seem like these long lost grandparents, aunts and uncles could look down and approve of our dinner plans.
But what really makes this place so rocking, is it’s like a choose your own adventure of food. Use the dry erase marker at your table to mark up your laminated menu presenting a stunning array of options.
Choose your balls! Spicy pork, beef, chicken, veggie, salmon, or the weekly special. (check)
Choose your sauce! Tomato, spicy meat, mushroom gravy, parmesan cream. (check)
Eat your meatballs on a slider (check here) or maybe on a hero sandwich, (check there) or get your meatballs and sauce served with risotto, polenta, white beans, mashed potatoes, or spaghetti. (check here, here or there)
How about adding some greens? - sauteed broccoli, steamed spinach, roasted veggies, market salad. (you get the idea)
My spicy pork meatballs live up to the buzz and the crowds. While they aren’t particularly spicy, they are mighty flavorful, moist, and sized well. Served four in a bowl, they are adequately coated in my chosen classic tomato sauce, with shredded cheese and two foccacia strips. They taste like good home cooking should. Just how I would want my mom to cook meatballs (if she ever made them).
The side of risotto I randomly chose isn’t creamy like I anticipated, but it is a nice texture contrast.
Brownie cookies with vanilla ice cream
Gingersnap cookies with chocolate ice cream
For dessert, it’s another odyssey of choices to build an ice cream sandwich from a handful of home made ice creams smushed between two freshly baked cookies. All are conveniently made on site by the owner’s wife. I chose gingersnap cookies loaded with real ginger you could taste. Pairing it with chocolate ice cream that is as rich and intensely chocolate as Van Leeuwen’s, I knew I had hit pay dirt. The ice cream was actually better than the meatballs, but shhh don't tell.
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