At first, I thought name was a little strange, but then I gave it a try and was pleasantly surprised. The outside of That Meetball Place looks like it was cut out of a New York City street and plopped in the center of Main Street in Patchogue, N.Y. Then, you go inside and you feel like you are in downtown Manhattan and not in downtown Patchogue. One night, we went out to “meet” our friends and enjoy a nice meal together.
We started off by ordering our drinks because the menu took a little getting used to. You pick the type of ball you want, then you pick the sauce and then you pick the way you want it. You can also add some extras, like Dynamite Fries and Macaroni and Cheese, or even a dollup of Ricotta. Yum!
I ordered the Vegetarian Risotto Balls with Pancetta Cream Sauce. They were very good. The creamy sauce was a nice pairing with the seasoned rice balls. Interestingly enough, TK ordered the Balls of Fire with Spicy Marinara Sauce over some Rigatoni. His mouth was on fire (hence the name), but he enjoyed them. He also ordered Ricotta to put over the top. Maybe he thought that the Ricotta would save his taste buds from the heat. They didn’t.
I had visited That Meetball Place once before for a business lunch, so we were able to sample the dessert menu. At that time, I loved the PBNJ Sandwich, but on this night, it wasn’t warm enough, so I was kind of disappointed. Usually, the deep-fried peanut butter, Nutella and jelly sandwich is nice and warm and the whipped cream is a cooling and sweet accompaniment. Unfortunately, that was not the case on this night, but I am not one to ever turn away Nutella, so I partook in dessert.
This meal was yummy and the beer selection was pretty good too. If you are looking for somewhere to “meet” friends and have a few bites, this is a pretty good spot. Just try to not get too carried away with ordering extras because your eyes can easily become larger than your stomach.
Yumness 