You don’t have to be a carnivore to appreciate the sustained buzz surrounding hipster hangout The Meatball Shop, a cheap and in-vogue late-night eatery housed on Stanton Street and a stone’s throw from Hell Square, the late-night bar-infested ring of fire on the adjacent block. The first of now six locations around the city, Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow’s brainchild centered around creating a meatball version of the city’s infamous hot dog stand, with a paint-by-numbers menu. Customers are asked to select their preferred kind of ball – beef, pork, chicken, or veggie (for the herbivores), then additional upsells, such as sauce and sliders. There’s even retro-inspired ice-cream sandwiches and soda floats for desert. While the hoards of drunken frat kids pouring out of nearby live music dive bar Piano’s at 3AM are likely to experience significant cognitive difficulty placing their order with any precision, the bustling brunch crowd is of a more civilized far, thriving with hipsters happy to pose stylishly on the sidewalk while waiting for a table amid the no-reservations policy. For those keen on a liquid lunch, there’s a revolving bespoke cocktail menu, in addition to jello shots, homemade virgin lemonade, and a whiskey grid, which allows you to check your make of choice and your model, be it Old Fashioned, Manhattan or Sazerac. On a sunny day, hustle for an outdoor table in the sun, or nab a spot at the bar to avoid overhearing your neighboring diners debating whether kale is making a comeback.
