Straight From the Kitchen

Greetings, Dear Readers!

Recently I sat down for dinner at a local Italian restaurant, Maria's Italian Kitchen.

Now, the funny thing about this restaurant is that I have been here, or ordered food from here numerous times in the past, but having arrived for dinner I realized I had never written a review for any of their sandwiches before.

Which made me think I should change that this time around.

Of course, I usually show up and order some pasta dish, because well, that's what this place is exceptionally good at making.

So having decided to go with a sandwich this time, I picked the Hand Rolled Meatball sandwich. Made with their own house-ground pork and beef meatball, this sandwich is compact, but stuffed with the generously portioned meatballs and topped with a healthy dose of marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese.

The meatballs were absolutely delicious. Tender and filled with flavor, I could easily eat an entire plate of these alone if I was so inclined (there's an appetizer of just that, BTW).

The marinara sauce is a bit tangy and thoroughly covers the meatballs, without being overpowering or turning the crisply toasted Italian roll into mush.

The mozzarella cheese is something that could have severely affected this sandwich negatively. When you have a lot of cheese that is melted on top of a sandwich, you can easily make it too chewy, becoming a severe choking hazard.

Despite the amount of cheese topping off this sandwich though, it's easy to bite through and adds its nice baked cheese flavor to finish off the sandwich.

Even though the meatball sandwich is something that has been done at almost every Italian restaurant or shop, the one made at Maria's Italian Kitchen has a slight edge over previous ones I've tasted (even this one from Little Toni's).

Until next week, Dear Readers...


Hand Rolled Meatball Sandwich
**** Stars
Maria's Italian Kitchen
13353 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
http://www.mariasitaliankitchen.com

That's A Spicy Meat-A-Ball

Greetings, Readers!

You know, sometimes in life we are thrown curveballs. We've all faced an experience in which we've ended up with something we haven't expected.

This week provided one of those experiences for me.

I had been researching places for my sandwiching this week (and have been given excellent suggestions from reader Matty) when I came across a place called the Grilled Cheese and Cupcake Company.

Yes. I said it. That's the name.

So of course I had to check this out as that combination seems to be about as nonsensical as the numerous Chinese Food and Donuts shops I see in Los Angeles.

Arriving at the shop, which I then realized used to be only a cupcake shop for a number of years, I found it locked up earlier than the store hours stated.

Then I noticed the piles of mail just inside the front door and realized that maybe this place had been closed for slightly longer than an early day would account for.

Feeling a bit dejected about missing out on this new adventure in eating, I resigned myself to grab a slice of pizza at Danielle's Wood Fired Pizza next door. My day brightened up a bit when I saw that they also served a meatball hero.

Danielle's is a cute little mom-and-pop shop in this small shopping center where the wood fired oven (you actually see the logs burning to cook your food) is visible from your seat.

The wait seemed a bit long for the sandwich, but that's because it's made completely from scratch when you order. No re-heated meatballs topped with cheese at this place. This is one of the reasons that the sandwich was so delicious.

The meatballs were cooked through without a single scorched mark on the outside, and retained their juicy and slightly spiced centers without a single dry spot. The marinara sauce was liberally applied without drowning the sandwich and the mozzerella cheese was thick while not being a choking hazard.

Although the bread could have been a little less toasted, as it became a little too dry, this was definitely one of the best meatball subs I've had in quite a while.

So, lesson learned here that sometimes we aren't meant to go to the place we plan for, but in the end we may just end up with something even better than we hoped for.

Have you had a similar experience where you ended up going to a different eatery than expected and had a better/worse experience than expected? Sandwiches or not.

Until next week, Readers!



Meatballs Hot Hero
**** Stars
Danielle's Wood Fired Pizza
Valley Village, CA 91607
4822 Laurel Canyon Blvd. (In the shopping center with Starbucks)
http://www.daniellespizza.com/

Can The Streak Continue?

Welcome back, O Seekers of Danger!

Lately I have been on a record streak of WINNING sandwiches here (yes, I did it. Last Sheen reference for quite some time. Deal?) and this week's sandwich was no exception.

While strolling down Melrose Avenue late one Saturday afternoon I was informed that a spectacular sandwich shop was hiding a short distance away. Little did I know that this sandwich shop contained another of LA Magazine's 17 Best Sandwiches in LA.

It has been awhile since I've tackled another entry on this list of sandwich greats, but what better way to jump back into this list than to be taken by surprise?

All About The Bread is a tiny shop tucked into a strip of Melrose Ave, but what the shop lacks in size, it more than makes up for in flavor.

Every step of the way you are reminded that their Meatball Sandwich is among the city's greatest with numerous reviews posted, as well as the article from Los Angeles Magazine.

But does the Meatball Sandwich truly have what it takes to sit among the likes of Porto's Cubano or Bay Cities' Godmother?

To start, let me mention the bread.

Actually, let's just stop here before I make a fool of myself for being such a fanboy.

...No, I must continue! FOR YOU!

The bread is delicious. Readers, you all know how often I stress the importance of not only excellent taasting bread, but of the importance of pairing it with the right stuffing.

Well, this bread wins in every category. Freshly made in their ovens right before serving, this bread is a work of art. Golden and crisp with little bubbles pock marked across the outside, this bread is light, fluffy and warm on the inside. I would eat an entire roll by itself and still be incredibly happy.

But there's more.

The meatballs were so moist and savory with an amazing spicy kick to them. It didn't hit me at first, but after my second bite, i began to notice a bit of heat. They are so tender and the meat is incredibly savory, that I must say these may be the best meatballs I may have ever tasted.

The marinara sauce added its prominent flavor to the mix and contributed to the spiciness in the sandwich. There was enough of it applied to add to the flavor without drowning the meatballs in it or making the bread too soggy to eat.

Lastly, the cheese: Parmesan and Provolone melted together. At first, as you can see in the photos, it looks as if the cheese hadn't fully melted, but let me assure you all, it was a deliciously gooey companion to the rest of the sandwich. The smoky and savory flavor of the cheese perfectly combined with the zesty and spicy flavorings of the meat and sauce.

This sandwich was a true delight.

If you happen to need to settle the score with hunger while shopping along Melrose Ave, All About The Bread should be at the top of your list.

Until next week, Readers!

Meatball Sandwich

**** 1/2 Stars

All About The Bread

7111 Melrose Avenue

Los Angeles, CA 90036