Meatballs!

 

On Saturday, RQS found ourselves with not much to do save relax.  By the time we got moving, it was getting late and it was time to go and get something to eat.  So, I remembered a place that once had a Westport, CT outpost and figured that its Williamsburg site would be a perfect place to have a bite to eat. And RQS liked my idea....

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One of the things we have to deal with every week is choosing what and where to eat.  Since I was at RQS's place this weekend, we'd have the whole city from which to choose a restaurant to eat at.  Given that good "traditional" Italian restaurants seem to be a dime a dozen in NYC, it made sense to choose something a little different - such as The Meatball Shop.  

Williamsburg, Brooklyn is a great place to visit.  There are quite a few funky shops in this area of NYC that are well worth exploring.  And if this restaurant is a good example of what's in this part of town, it would be a crime for any tourist to miss going here.  As for me, I'm lucky that RQS and I can reach this part of town via a $2.75 subway ride, because we intend to explore it more often when the weather gets cooler.  The Meatball Shop (TMS) will be one of our go-to places in this exploration.

Now, I should say a little about TMS.  It does not look like a typical Italian restaurant - because it isn't.  Many types of meatballs are on the menu, and pasta can be served with them.  But the menu is not "Italian".  We had the pork meatballs, but could just as easily chosen, beef, chicken, or some other type on the menu.  If the other types are half as tasty as the meatballs we ate, we'll each gain a dress size or two by the time New Year comes along.

After dinner, we walked along Bedford avenue and found a cute little book store to explore - Spoonbill and Sugartown Books.  Sadly the store was closing at 9:00 pm - not giving us enough time to browse.  However, we will be back there again, as it had books that I will never find at your local neighborhood chain bookstore.

All too early, it was time to go back to RQS's place.  But one last place beckoned us - 16 Handles ice cream shop.  The ice cream was good, but expensive.  Don't go there if you are expecting Carvel.  Although everything is soft serve, it is yummy, but a little too expensive for my taste.  (We spent $32 for 2 medium/large cups, and RQS said - OUCH!)  I can only imagine how my sugar levels must have spiked after that dessert!

Once we finished our ice cream, it was time to return to RQS's place for the evening.  We were both glad that there was no repair work scheduled for the subway line we used to get back home....

A trip into NYC

 

When I first worked in NYC many years ago, my friend WDS and I used to frequent this joint.  The food was always good, and the prices were always reasonable.  Today was my first chance to visit this place in years, and it didn't bring back any good (or bad) memories.  It was just another New York City restaurant that has weathered the pandemic, and has found a way to stay alive until things return to a new "Normal".

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FH and I had planned to visit Manhattan's Chinatown or Williamsburgh, Brooklyn today, and Manhattan won out.  So it was off to the core of the Big Apple, hitting every traffic jam along the way.  Once we reached Manhattan, FH's GI Tract started acting up, and we ended up in the West Village.  This is we found an on-street parking spot nearby several open restaurants.  And it was just in time, as FH had to take care of some urgent business.  With that out of the way, we sat down to enjoy a nice late lunch or early dinner.  

Considering that it was starting to get a little bit cooler after we ate, FH suggested that we head over to the Brooklyn Wegmans, so that she could pick up some food before going home. Unlike our previous visits, we had no problems finding a parking spot - Passover was starting, and most Jews were likely to be at home celebrating the holiday with family.  And then, FH's GI Tract acted up again.  So we cut our shopping run short, and went back to her place.   Unfortunately, there were no spaces available near her apartment, so I ended up going home earlier than either of us wanted.