Love for Food

I would never wait an hour and a half for meatballs. The first time. The second trip I made to the Meatball Shop (MBS), I sucked up my pride. The MBS was featured on Unique Eats, a cooking channel show, about well, unique eats. The first episode I ever saw, on the newly christened channel featured The MBS. The little lower east side restaurant was very alluring. The decor was simple but cozy, the item personalization great for my diet, and who doesn't love a good meatball. I should have known better than to try to get a table on a Saturday night. I was so hungry I ended up going to the noodle shop next door.
It seems that comfort food kicked up a notch is the new trend these days. Bark Hot Dogs, serves gourmet hot dogs (no fillers here) served with home made condiments. 5 Napkin Burger's original, served with gruyere cheese, caramelized onions and rosemary aioli. And the list goes on. The Meatball Shop is just another notch in this trend's belt.

A few months later, on a Sunday, I made another trek to the lower east side. It didn't matter that is was a Sunday, or on the late side (8:30pm) the host informed of another hour and a half wait. I had to see what all the hype was about, so I stuck it out. Finally my name was called. After the long wait, it felt like I won a prize. The menu is basic, yet extensive at the same time. You are given a dry erase pen and a laminated menu. Check off what you want and hand it to the waitress. You have an option of type of ball, over or under sides, or heroes. The wait staff is compensating maybe a bit too much, as if they are trying to turn over your table. The meatballs (average size) were delicious. You have a choice of spicy pork, beef, veggie, and special of the day. The special of the day was a jambalaya meatball made with pork, beef and shrimp. I tried both the spicy pork with pesto and the classic beef with tomato sauce. I asked the waitress if it was really wise to mix pesto with pork. She assured me that they were all created to be mixed and matched. From what I remember the restaurant grinds it's own high quality meat. You can even find out the sources of the farms if you wish. The sides were kinda eh. I blame only myself for trying to get a few veggie servings from a trip to a restaurant that specializes in meat. I ordered string beans (veggie of the day) and salad. The string beans came with chick peas and a hint of saffron. I had a hard time finding any string beans among my chickpeas. I think I counted four. The taste was OK but nothing worth the $4.00 charge. My second veggie was a butter salad. The salad was served with cilantro, corn, and avocado and had a light cream dressing. The salad was OK, but nothing special. I probably should have added some salt, it was missing that certain something. Is it worth it? You can always grab a drink nearby. The bar around the block serves happy hour till nine. I got a strawberry margarita which came in a pint size glass. You may forget that you are even waiting for something. MBS is worth the trip, just don't come hungry.