Meatball Spot – Spotty at Best

I had high hopes for Town Square’s newest culinary addition, Meatball Spot, headed by Chef Carla Pellegrino and located directly

Meatball Spot interior with its beautiful bar.

across from Yard House and just below the entrance to the AMC Theatre. My first dining experience, three days after their soft opening, was brilliant. Our waiter was attentive, his runner expeditious, the food superb. Though we were seated on the patio, the well lit interior was inviting (still is) with its wide oak bar surrounded with cafe tables at the entrance, bench seating along the side wall, and cozy wooden tables in the back. Because the front façade is glass, each passerby has a clear view of the bustle within and during the evening, the place is packed. However, I caution you not to let the full house fool you into thinking you have hit upon a brilliant local place for dinner. You have not.

Since their opening a little over three months ago, I have returned eight times, hoping for the same excellent food and service I received on the first night. Unfortunately, both have plummeted. I have been sat at a table topped with crumbs that spilled onto the seat and served wine in a sticky glass. I have had cappuccino served in an espresso cup replete with lipstick marks (not smudges, full lip prints), a

Would you like lipstick with that?

martini served in an old fashion glass, pizza that a tom cat wouldn’t touch, and servers who clearly communicate that my presence is an imposition. The caprese salad has been served with and without garlic in the dressing; the single scoop of salted caramel gelato, with one scoop or two and with or without a caramel drizzle; the side of bread dressed in myriad ways; and every espresso drink served with burnt shots. Additionally, the lack of detail extends to their menu, one that touts the sangrias as their house drink yet mispunctuated the special as “Sangria’s.” Since this has remained unchanged since the opening, the only conclusions to draw are that no one is attentive to detail or there are too many people attending to detail and nothing gets done – too many cooks in the kitchen, you might say.

The chief cook in the kitchen, Carla Pellegrino, has produced some delectable morsels, but you need to know what to order. Whereas the vegetarian meatball is mushy and the beef meatball a bit dry, the turkey meatball and the chicken meatball are worth the price of a slider. Refrain from the buffalo sauce – the almost constant special – and try the chipotle-jalepeno if you happen to arrive on the odd day that it is the special. The parmasean-garlic is a watered down alfredo sauce, but the spicy meat sauce is on point – and value for money.

However, if you are looking for a guaranteed all around brilliant dining experience and you want a taste of Italy, try Brio across from the Apple Store, or, if you’re craving a bit of pizza, brave The Strip and slip up to the Cosmopolitan’s third floor to find, hiding just left of Jaleo’s, pizza by the slice or pie that can contend for the pride of New York.

Single lamb slider – tasty and filling.

If desert is what you want, do not seek it here. The gelato, though good, is simply scooped onto a too large plate. The cookies for the ice-cream sandwiches are clearly not baked on premises and taste of deep freeze; however, the milkshakes are good, but big, and if you ask them to split them in two, they will not because, as I have been informed, of “aesthetic purposes.” The aesthetic purpose is a bit of syrup down the side of an oversized beer mug, a mountain of whipped cream and two black straws. Instead, I recommend Yogurtland just around the corner.

My last visit was on a Saturday night. The manager was working behind the bar and wearing a “Happy Birthday” crown. She spent most of the time talking to two patrons and leaving the other bartender to handle the rest of the bar and the table orders. The espresso martini arrived naked its martini glass, my pinot in a dirty glass,

Espresso martini a bit under dressed.

and the waters well clothed in jar glasses. The table was clean and our server, who I have had several times before, was efficient and attentive and friendly as the consistently is. However, as much as I would like to keep him gainfully employed by sending people to his restaurant, I cannot. He is the exception, not the rule.

If you want to gamble your dining experience, then spend your money here. But be warned: you may find yourself seated at a table attended by waitstaff who don’t really want to be there, who forget to bring you water, and who sashay about with cleaning towels on their shoulders or receipt books stuffed three deep in their back pocket. Rest assured, though, when the bill is due, they will be quick to serve that up.

Though it holds the potential for after work gatherings and weekend meetings, Meatball Spot will need a complete in-house restructuring for that to occur. And, based on the self-congratulatory conversations I have had the pleasure of overhearing from the owners’ table, I highly doubt that any restructuring will occur. Unfortunate, because they have a few good people working for them, but too few to make me able to recommend their employer.