Is there anything more quintessentially Italian than the meatball?
Definitely.
But for Little Italy’s annual Meatball Crawl, this tasty sphere is the star of the area’s esteemed cuisine.
The annual Taste in Little Italy Meatball Crawl & Wine Tasting, hosted by Cleveland Montessori School, is a fundraising effort to provide scholarships and other opportunities for the school’s students, while benefiting Little Italy’s small businesses. Each year, hundreds flock to the streets in a Feast-esque fashion to sample the array of restaurants’ craft meatballs.
This year, I was fortunate enough to appear at the crawl and tasting as a celebrity judge at the event on Sunday, Sept. 29. As a judge, it was literally my job to choose which meatball I thought is best. But since everyone was a winner in my eyes, I’ve decided to give them all the spotlight with a balanced and fair ranking.
Each meatball was ranked on a scale of one to five in four categories: Flavor, Texture and Appearance, plus an Overall score.
READ MORE: That’s Amore! A Guide to Cleveland’s Little Italy
Presti’s Bakery
This sauce was less of a pure red, with more of an orange tint, maintaining a very basic tomato flavor. The meatball itself lacked a dark brown color. While the soft meatball wasn’t a bad thing, a simple, spiceless flavor did not do much to supplement. The appearance was very uniform. prestisbakery.com
Flavor: 2
Texture: 1
Appearance: 2.5
Overall: 2
(Presti's Bakery, Courtesy Julia Lombardo)
The Borgata Bar
Upon reaching the serving table, where the bar showcased an award from the 2023 crawl for Best Meatball, I saw a chef at a carving station cutting pieces from a meat roll of sorts. But, like any other meatball, it was topped with a flavorful tomato sauce and grated Parmesan cheese. The roll was pinwheel-style, showcasing a strip of meat with what could have possibly been more cheese in between. The nature of the meat not being ground left something to be desired with an herb and spice flavor, and I found the texture to be stringy and slightly off-putting. The best way I could describe it was an “Italian steak," which makes it hard to try and rank among traditional meatballs. theborgatabar.com
Flavor: 2.5
Texture: 2
Appearance: 4
Overall: 2.5
Corbo’s Bakery
While known primarily for their pastries and sweets, this bakery makes a pretty solid meatball. The orange-red sauce was a bit soupy, but its warmth made that element comforting for this rainy Sunday. The meatball was soft, with no other flavors overpowering the meat. For a textbook-definition meatball, it met all the marks, but it wasn’t the best for my personal taste. corbosbakery.net
Flavor: 2.5
Texture: 2
Appearance: 3
Overall: 3
The Italian American Museum of Cleveland
This hole-in-the-wall exhibit certainly made an appearance with its meatballs. Its sauce sported the familiar orange-red color, yet it was slightly thicker than others, and slightly crispier. It was set apart, though, by a surprising fennel flavor, tasting more like sausage than beef. As a fan of Italian sausage, I enjoyed this change. A bit more moisture could have made it even better. iamcle.org
Flavor: 3.5
Texture: 4
Appearance: 3
Overall: 3.5
(Italian American Museum of Cleveland, Courtesy Julia Lombardo)
Mia Bella
I had been told in line that this was going to be my best meatball of the day, and it certainly got close. The classic Italian restaurant went as far as to serve two different kinds of meatballs. One was veal with a creamy white sauce, and the other was a traditional beef meatball with red sauce. Despite different tastes and textures, both were equal in size and thickness. For my first time trying a veal meatball, I was thoroughly impressed. The veal provided a lighter, less-filling taste, and was even a bit sweet. The white sauce was less cheesy than a typical alfredo sauce, and it didn’t overpower the veal. The beef meatball was heartier and softer. The sauce maintained a pretty neutral flavor, but I thought it could be thicker. mblittleitaly.com
Flavor: 3
Texture: 3
Appearance: 5
Overall: 4
(Mia Bella, Courtesy Julia Lombardo)
Murray Hill Market
This small-but-mighty meatball was easy to miss, found in the back of a market tucked at the tail-end of one of Little Italy’s side streets. I was lucky to find it, though, as its sauce packed with herbs, cheese and onion brought a new flavor to the day. Though small, the meatball packed a full flavor, soft on the inside while maintaining a crisp outside. murrayhillmarket.net
Flavor: 4
Texture: 4
Appearance: 3
Overall: 4
Tavern of Little Italy (TOLI)
While waiting in line for this meatball, my first impressions were simply that it smelled good, it looked big and it had a dark and crispy outside, all of which were good signs. Decorated with a bright red tomato sauce, it was a sweet, yet light addition to an otherwise heavy meatball. While the taste wasn’t anything unfamiliar, I was pleased to discover it was filled with spaghetti noodles. This maintained a neutral flavor, and contributed to the bigger size and softer texture. It was a fun twist on a traditional pasta dish. tolicleveland.com
Flavor: 3
Texture: 4
Appearance: 4
Overall: 4
(TOLI, Courtesy Julia Lombardo)
Home Bistro
This was the first meatball tried, and it honestly could have been the last. Immediately, I sensed a familiar crispiness and strong herb flavor that’s reminiscent of the meatballs my parents made for me while I grew up. It wasn’t too moist, and the sauce was only slightly sweet. Its lack of circular shape may have docked its appearance, but to me, it meant they were fresh, which translated in the taste. homebistrocle.com
Flavor: 4
Texture: 5
Appearance: 3
Overall: 4.5
(Home Bistro, Courtesy Julia Lombardo)
READ MORE: Cleveland's 24 Best Italian Food Spots: Dining Guide
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