Frederick Wildman 2010 Fall Event

For the third consecutive year Wildman held their event at Gustavino's, tucked away under the Queensboro Bridge at 59th Street. I like Gustavino's for its spaciousness. Sometimes these events can get quite crowded and one can end up jostling for position. Not here.

Wildman's portfolio is diverse with a little bit of everything from everywhere. The highlights for me were the quality Austrian selections from import partner Monika Caha. Every session she seems to add something exciting and new. While the Austrian grape, gruner veltliner, has made its way into American retailers and onto better wine lists, they are still unrecognizable to most. Too bad. Gruner has become one of my favorite white wines and easily one of the most adaptable to dining and social situations and Monika has a bunch of exceptional ones at popular prices.

At table 34, I revisited the unique wines of Cleto Chiarli. This is an old family name of producers of real lambrusco in Emilia-Romagna, not to be confused with the cheap sweet lambrusco's popular in this country. While not classic wines, in that they are not made from vitis vinifera grapes, but they are indeed classic in that they are remarkable pairings with food and the sparkling rose is spectacular.

A pleasant surprise were the Champagnes from Besserat de Bellefon situated in Epernay. I know I've seen this label before, but during this tasting I came away very impressed.

After the tasting I zipped south on the 6 train to the funky Lower East Side. I went to check out  a new place called The Meatball Shop. All meatballs, all day. Typical of many places in this part of town the space is small with only thirty-nine seats including the modest bar where I am. It has a retro look harkening back to pre-WWII with old photos and a collection of meatgrinders on the wall. The open windows in the front gave it a more open, breezy atmosphere with a view of the sidewalk tables and the street scene. If I turn to the left I have a grand view of the open kitchen which seems to have more staff than necessary in a symphony of organized chaos.

The bar/counter at The Meatball Shop.

The basic formula is to order a type of meatball (beef, spicy pork, chicken, fish or special) paired with a sauce then the option of either on the side of or on top of a starch (mashers, risotto, polenta, spaghetti or rigatoni). There are also subs and single sliders or just plain naked. I selected the special meatball, jambalaya, four balls made of pork, shrimp and speckled with rice placed on top of risotto and lightly sprinkled with aged cheese. I also selected a side garden salad and a draught Pironi for a total pre-tax bill of $20. While I didn't order a classic dish, these balls were right on. Good flavor and texture. The risotto was acceptable, but can be hard to pull off in this kind of setting. Better off with mashers or a pasta, though the creamy polenta sounds good for next time.

The Meatball Shop menu.

The staff was helpful and reasonably attentive though the place doesn't develop a queue until about seven o'clock, about two hours later than my arrival. They stay open until 2am and to 4am Thursday-Saturday. The menu is covered in plastic with a glass of marker pens to check off your selections. The classic green rimmed diner plates and vintage mis-matched silverware are all in line with the cuisine and decor style. Well thought out I thought. Aside from the Pironi there are two other draught spigots, a well thought out bottled beer selection and a tidy, yet solid wine list.