Martha’s Pick:
The Blackstone Meatball
3910 Harney Street
Fare: Italian/American restaurant and bar specializing in meatballs
Cost: $50 for drinks, shared appetizer, dinner and shared dessert
Reservations: Not needed, seat yourself

SPOILER ALERT: Ball jokes ahead.

I did it again. Monday DAY is when Jaclyn texted and emailed “Where are we going?” for our impending Tuesday-night version of New Food Friday – due to both of us being busy on the usual Friday slot.  Monday NIGHT is when I scrambled and searched and scoured for my pick. With nothing in mind nor my heart set on any place in particular, I started by zeroing in on a neighborhood we didn’t know much about.

Blackstone.

And after reading quick blurbs about their current offerings, I landed on The Blackstone Meatball. I remembered reading about its opening and wanting to check it out at that time. Never mind that it took me/us about a year.

Turns out, the Blackstone district is working hard at revitalizing their historical neighborhood. The portion of Farnam that Meatball sits on already has a handful of walk-able destinations that would keep gathered friends fed and hydrated and entertained with options to spare.

The seating options were aplenty. You could belly up to the bar, look out at Farnam through the roll-up garage windows or plop down at a booble like we did.

boo·ble /bōō-bull/ 1. Half booth, half table.

A cross between rustic and modern, the Meatball was adorned with fun wallpaper, dark wood elements and lighting that was a tad-too-dim — which affected our picture quality. (Sorry)

The special drink menu consisted of mostly gin, whiskey and vodka-based cocktails. But neither of us were feeling those on a Tuesday. I got a glass of the house white ($6.50) and Jaclyn chose the featured rotating beer, which was a just-tapped Island lager ($5.50).

Jaclyn graciously yielded to me on the appetizer choice this time after ruthlessly bullying me the last few trips out. Bypassing the onion rings, house mozzarella cheese sticks and bruschetta – I went with the garlic cheese bread ($5) and – even though it sounds boring-run-of-the-mill for a meal starter – we were quite pleased. It came out perfectly toasty – not too hard or crunchy – with a warm serving of the house marinara for dipping.

Ordering. This part was fun. Let us give you a quick rundown on how to order at Meatball:

Step 1: Pick a Meatball

• Classic Beef – certified Angus beef, roasted garlic, onion, ricotta
• Romesco Pork – ground pork, romesco, romano
• Provincial Chicken – Red Bird Farms Chicken, thyme, parsley, white wine, ricotta
• Mushroom and White Bean (Vegan) – mushroom, white beans, roasted carrot, chili flake
• Special (rotating) – corned beef meatball

“I wanted you to tell me about your balls. But I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about that.”