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 Olde 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.