Profile

Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow's early plan to serve meatballs out of a takeout window evolved into an obsession to focus on meatballs exclusively. And thus was born the idea for the Meatball Shop: a counter-service operation with a build-your-own-meal menu, featuring five kinds of two-ounce, house-ground balls (plus a weekly special), various sauces, and a range of options (slider flights, heroes, pastas, and sides). As befits Holzman, a chef who’s worked at San Francisco’s Campton Place and SPQR (whose sister restaurant, A16, is known for its Meatball Mondays, incidentally), ingredients are well sourced, including beef from Creekstone Farms and prosciutto from La Quercia. The look is Old New York, with reclaimed wood and antique milk bottles. For dessert, Chernow’s wife makes ice cream sandwiches. The cumulative effect: a retro vibe for a thoroughly modern meatball.