Sunday’s Meatball Street Brawl (Part II) was another grand success. Who would have thought that meatballs would be such a draw? The day started off with a gaggle of judges (media types and Buffalo personalities) heading out in search of the best meatball.
Each judge was given a score card with five restaurants highlighted. Each restaurant featured a “standard” meatball and a “special” meatball. By the end of the judging, two restaurants (out of 18) walked away with top honors. Sinatra’s won best menu meatball, and This Little Pig won the freestyle and the fan favorite category.
Highlights of the day included the amazing weather, and some of the best meatballs in the land. Lowlight was The Bills game on the big screen.
The Meatball Street Brawl has proved once again, that there is room for an assortment of culinary festivals dedicated to one type of food fare. It was wild to discover that there are so many different varieties in ‘the land of meatballs’, ranging from turkey dinner meatballs to a vegetarian meatball. The great thing about eating meatballs at a festival is that they are so easy to eat! Just grab a toothpick and you’re good to go.
- Best Traditional Meatball (Judges’ Vote): Sinatra’s (repeat winner from last year)
- Best Freestyle Meatball (Judges’ Vote): This Little Pig (Smoked pork and bacon w/North Carolina BBQ sauce)
- Best Overall Meatball (Fans’ Vote): This Little Pig
Runners-up in the Fan voting were: Tempo (Thanksgiving Meatball) and Marco’s (Banana Pepper Meatball).
It is estimated that 1700 people attended this year’s festival, which bodes well for another festival to roll out in 2018.
