Mangia Memoirs has transferred to the Big Apple and our first stop was to The Meatball Shop in Williamsburg. A restaurant where the meatball is King. Different meat / non-meat varieties, as well as a spectrum of sauces, make this joint a place that all can enjoy. Meatballs make people happy.
Our Mangia Memoir (what we’ll remember):
After a whirlwind week of moving from Miami to NYC (like some real crazy fast shit), Weber and I took a break from the cardboard box graveyard known as our apartment, and ventured to Williamsburg for a St. Patty’s day celebration at the apartment of a friend of a friend (Have we lost you yet?).
Anyways, after knocking back a couple of green beers, meeting some new folks and dealing with the shocked expressions of everyone as we explained “Oh, we just moved here….Ummm, yea about 3 days ago”, we could use a little comfort food. And what better comfort food than rolled up balls of meat? Clearly, nothing. As we walked back to the subway stop, The Meatball Shop lured us in. I have a feeling it won’t be the last time we go there!
My personal decor favorites:
- Meat grinders as wall art = legit
- Dry-erase menus that let you check the box to build your feast. Brilliant.
- T-shirts with a giant cow/bull looking thing that says “We Make Balls” –classy and sassy
- FOOD: overall, the food was pretty good. The Meatball Shop let’s the meatball be king, where in most other restaurants they play a supporting role, usually to pasta. The meatballs could have been a little warmer, but all of the flavors were good and the presentation was unpretentious.
- SERVICE: They were definitely busy, but our server was friendly and on top of her stuff. Waters right away, answered questions, order in, bada-bing, bada-boom.
- AMBIANCE: surprisingly pretty cool, in spite of an unassuming name like The Meatball Shop. Meat grinders, old photos and warm lighting make the restaurant have a “feel”.
- Chicken Meatball Smash with Mushroom sauce: a solid choice. Good texture on the chicken meatball, even though that’s not always the case and a flavorful robust mushroom sauce that can stand up to the meat. Balls could have been warmer.
- Spicy Pork Meatball Hero with Classic tomato sauce: not as spicy as I thought or hoped it would be, but still pretty darn good. Could also have been warmer.
- Collard greens: no frou frou stuff here, just some good ‘ol collard greens. Delicious. Could have eaten another plate.
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