Little Nonna's in philly
It appears that stuffed meatballs are becoming a little mini trend. I've seen them pop up on my Twitter feed a few times in the past month, whether filled with oozy mozzarella cheese, basil pesto or meatloaf-sized and stuffed with cooked spaghetti. That last iteration is a little overboard, even for me, but I am very interested in the cheese-stuffed variety, especially since I tasted them at Little Nonna's in Philadelphia a few weeks ago. It also helps that I'm pretty sure Little Nonna's incredible meatballs are not only stuffed with melted cheese, but also tasted-- and I could be wrong-- like they were maybe deep-fried. Incredible...like meaty arancini.
The "Sunday Gravy," stuffed squash blossoms, negroni, and calamarata were all incredible too; the kind of food that you crave after a long day spent exhausting yourself while exploring a new (to you) city. It didn't hurt, either, that I was a handful of my oldest friends. It's weird to think how so many of my dearest friends, I've only really known in adulthood, whether I met them at college or in the workplace. But this night at dinner, I was surrounded by people who've known me since at least my teens, which makes for some impassioned and honest conversation (as you can see by James's lawerly expression in photo #2, ha!).
We were lucky enough to get a last-minute reservation at the red sauce joint. We sat in their back patio, which, strung with simple lights and garden accents, felt more like a backyard get together at Taylor Swift's house than an uptight dining experience, in all of the best ways. At moments, the service got slow and the water was a bit too warm for the likewise hot space, but the cheesy meatballs and overall charm of the restaurant left me with a happy, glowing memory of the evening!
