And we also have a bit of news on this holy day.
In honor of National Meatball Day on Saturday, Stefano Fabbri — the guy behind Pomo Restaurant Group’s Pomo Pizzeria, Luna Gelateria, and Mora Italian — is announcing a new restaurant. It's called Meat the Ball, an will feature a menu of spicy sausage, salmon, veal, and cauliflower meatballs (plus apps and other stuff). It's due to open March 21 at Biltmore Fashion Park.
However, you probably want meatballs now. So, to make it easy on you, here are five places in the Valley where you can order some interesting meatball dishes — which also saves you from a trip to IKEA.
Order meatballs a la carte, inside sliders, or atop indulgent bowls. Vegetable options include Brussels sprouts and salads.
Meagan Mastriani
7342 East Shea Boulevard, # 111, Scottsdale
Serving up gourmet scratch-made meatballs out of its Scottsdale kitchen, Meatballz Inc. is (as we've said before) pretty much what you'd expect. The likes of classic beef, spicy pork, and chicken meatballs can be paired with you choice of sauce or gravy. Interestingly, you can even create your own custom meatball. Meatballz Inc. also has a full bar in case you need to give your fork a break.
The Sicilian Butcher
15530 North Tatum Boulevard
Joey Maggiore, of Hash Kitchen and The Maggiore Group, launched this Sicilian restaurant in Scottsdale seemingly for meatball lovers. The restaurant features craft meatballs, all kinds of takes on the humble dish that come all kinds of ways. Once you've picked a meatball, you select one of nine sauces from a roster that contains the likes of vodka sauce, carbonara, and Sicilian almond pesto. Finally, you select a “bottom” to come under your meatballs: fresh pasta, risotto, gnocchi, salad, or bread (for a meatball sandwich).
Yu Tian Xia Hot Pot
1948 West Broadway Road, #106, Mesa
Chinese cooking in the Valley has come a long way, and Yu Tian Xia Hot Pot is one of our favorite Chinese restaurants in town. The name says it all — it's a hot pot place. That means you get a place of raw meatballs, and they are extra-juicy when cooked fresh right in the middle of the table.
Almondigas con Tomate, (spanish meatballs in roasted tomato sauce) at Tapas Papas Frita.
Jackie Mercandetti
7114 East Stetson Drive, #210, Scottsdale
As picturesque as they are irresistible, the Albondigas con Tomate at Tapas Papa Frita is another fun order of meatballs. They're Spanish meatballs in a roasted tomato sauce, and they are a highlight of the menu — juicy, tender, and dripping with beefy flavor.
DeFalco’s Italian Eatery
2334 North Scottsdale Road, Suite A133, Scottsdale
This boutique grocery store and deli has been around since 1972 and is known for its appetizers, pasta, and sandwiches. The hot sandwiches section of the menu features the meatball — complete with handmade meatballs, sauce, and melted cheese. Choice of bread includes a sub or wheat roll, seeded sub roll, marble rye, sourdough, nine-grain, focaccia, or crispy baguette.
