NYC Wine & Food Festival 2011: Meatball Madness

Earlier this evening, I ventured down to 82 Mercer for Meatball Madness hosted by Giada De Laurentiis. Now while heading over, I found myself wondering why I was even going because, well, I don't really like meatballs (or tomato sauce. or spaghetti. or even pizza.). But oh well, I already bought the ticket, so off I went!

Because I purchased my deal through Gilt City, I was granted early access (30 mins early) and was swiftly whisked into the room. Upon entering, obviously the room was still rather empty and most of the restaurants looked like they were still setting up and trying to find their groove, so I hesitated before diving in. But as soon as I saw someone eating a meatball, I knew it was time...

An inside glimpse of the venue prior to the official start

Diet Pepsi Skinny Bar

My first stop was Osteria Morini for their Prosciutto and Mortadella Meatballs topped with Swiss Chard and Parmigiano Creme. And boy, was it good. I started to get excited...maybe an evening of meatballs wouldn't be so bad!

Prosciutto and Mortadella Meatballs with Swiss Chard and Parmigiano Crema

But by my second meatball, I started to realize what a big problem eating my way through meatballs over 35 different restaurants would be, particularly given that for a normal meal, I can probably eat 6 meatballs. Max. And many of these meatballs seemed to be served alongside carbs, which, if I learned anything from doing the South Beach and Atkins diets, fill you up. So after my fifth meatball or so, I found myself avoiding any meatballs served with bread - and this turned out to be a big mistake. But more to come on that.

The Meatball Shop served Steak n' Bacon Cheddar Balls on a Buttermilk Biscuit with Mushroom Gravy. In retrospect, this sounds quite delicious. But at the time, I don't recall it being very special; perhaps my expectations were too high...

Steak n' Bacon Cheddar Balls on a Buttermilk Biscuit with Mushroom Gravy

After 30 mins, the event officially began and the crowds started to trickle in, forming long lines at certain stations. Word of advice: if you can buy a ticket that grants you early access, DO IT - not having lines will really give you a great opportunity to try whatever you want to try and as a bonus, if you want to chat with a chef, no one's there to disrupt you!

When I found Ed's Lobster Bar, I half expected them to be serving a lobster roll...just because. But staying true to the theme, we were served delicious lobster meatballs. Honestly, you just can't go wrong with lobster!

Dirt Candy

One of my most pleasant surprises of the evening was the AllBalls with Labneh, Preserved Lemon and Kale from Dirt Candy. I am clearly not a vegetarian and when growing up, if I ever ate a dinner without meat, I usually felt like I was on the verge of passing out. But this dish was pleasantly delicious, providing a nice contrast from all of the typical meatballs laden with marinara (or some form of tomato) sauce.

AllBalls with Labneh, Preserved Lemon and Kale from Dirt Candy

Another pleasant surprise was found on a trip to the ilili table. We were served Smoked Veal & Beef Meatballs (coated with some sort of fig? date? sauce). The sweetness of the sauce really blended beautifully with the meatballs, providing pleasant and delicious relief from, again, all of the tomato-based sauces I had been consuming. Later, I went back for their Chocolate Puddin' Balls and I have to say, these were quite good as well!

Smoked Veal & Beef Meatballs from ilili

As with any large tasting event like this one, there were some major letdowns. Le Cirque served a Tuscan Meatball with Red Onion Mostarda on top of polenta and...well, it was really salty.

Tuscan Meatball with Red Onion Mostarda from Le Cirque

Another big letdown? Donatella. Perhaps it was meant to be very basic and a true classic, but frankly, I just wasn't impressed. But honestly, it could have been that I was extremely full because by that point in the evening, I felt like I was pregnant - my stomach was extremely tight, my back hurt, and my feet ached. Thank goodness for all the water from San Pellegrino!

Donatella Arpaia from Donatella

Visiting Giada's booth, we were greeted with an interesting Smoked Mozzarella and Fig Meatball, which was in fact, not a meatball at all. Upon first bite, I was a little confused because I half-expected for some meat to be living in the middle of the cheese, but nope - just sweet cheese. I should probably also mention right now that...I don't really like cheese. It weirds me out. So naturally, I was not a huge lover of this "meatball," though after a few bites, I found that it was starting to grow on me...

A Voce served an interesting Chocolate Cannoli with Roasted Cherries. The filling was actually quite nice, but the Cannoli shell kind of confused me. It had the texture of...well sheets of melted sugar, but was not as sweet as sugar. Oh well, it was still relatively pleasant!

Chocolate Cannoli with Roasted Cherries from A Voce

At this point I gave up on eating. And resorted to walking around, searching for new drinks (and any meatballs that I hadn't eaten and just HAD to try).

Grandaisy Bakery

Around 9 PM, finally the judges had finished deliberating and had settled on a winner. Judges Choice: Gravy Meatball Slider from the little owl. Shame on me for not eating this, just because it was served on bread! It sounds delicious! But runner-up? Meatballs with Pinenuts, Currants and Basil served with Spicy Burnt Garlic Broccoli Rabe from Pulino. I am happy to say that I actually did eat Pulino's dish and it really was quite good.

Judges hard at work

The popular vote went to The Meatball Shop. I clearly just don't understand meatballs...

And that ended my intense evening of meatballs. Honestly, I don't think this event was really meant for me, as I clearly have poor appreciation for and understanding of meatballs. But it really was great to see and try such a large variety of meatballs from around the city and catch a brief glimpse of many, many "food celebs" throughout the night. But my biggest worry? Tomorrow evening, not only am I attending Burger Bash, but I will be following that up with Fried (the fried chicken event hosted by Gilt City)...immediately after. On the bright side, I am a huge lover of burgers and fried chicken and I would actually go to the restaurants participating in these events to eat their burgers and fried chicken! But at the same time...how am I possibly going to be able to enjoy all this food???