Meatball Obsession

Went to get some food from this place this morning at 10:25 and the guy said that they were still cooking the meatballs. The place was supposed to have been open at 10:00. And I compared the menu from the one in NYC to this one and the one in NYC has more toppings to choose from like fried pasta. I’m gonna give them one more chance, but if their meatballs aren’t ready next time, then no more.

Love this place. Owner is real nice and I guess I come enough he remembers my kids and me.

Something new (for me) to try! I had the beef meatball in a cup with mozzarella pearls and a piece of focaccia bread for $ 4. There are four choices for meatballs: beef, turkey, chicken and pork sausage, which can be mixed and matched. You get your choice of a few cheeses and you can also put gnocchi on as a topping. I thought it was pretty good and I appreciated the portability of the meal. Plus I love all those different colored pots on the burners.

I had the beef, pork sausage and turkey meatballs. Mediocre at best. Sauce is not great and the meatballs are a little rubbery. Not too good. Wouldn’t go here again.

Moist & Delicious Great Marinara Sauce Three Stars Plus One For The Portability
My friend Liz M got this one right, «pretty damn good» after reading her review I decided this was worth a try. This is a seemingly simple affair but the execution and creativity of meatballs in a cup could go wrong in a instant, not the case here. The meatball was seasoned and cooked perfectly, drenched in a nice tomato sauce w/​mozzarella cheese pearls and accompanied by a wedge of what they call «parmesan dipping bread» for four bucks, nice! They had many other options and items but I’ll just stick to the namesake.
The meatball mix for the beef is simply ground beef, pecorino romano, parsley, onion, eggs, bread crumbs and herbs, a classic recipe. I found the sauce tasty with a bright-​fresh acidic tone (San Marzano Tomatoes?) that countered the savory element nicely. The meatballs were easily sectioned with a plastic fork allowing the sauce to coat the entire piece, this fork tender classic comfort food had me at first bite.
Great alternative at the mall

The meatballs were lacking in taste but the bread was surprisingly fresh. It is worth a try. I mean who doesn’t get a kick out of a meatball in a cup?

If you live anywhere near NJ you MUST MUST MUST make your way to the Garden State Plaza ASAP… there is a new kiosk in town that you can NOT MISS!!! Meatball fanatics … this will not disappoint… it will rival (and probably trump even your grandmother’s Sunday sauce) The toppings available are unreal. The authenticity the people… I can not say or rave ENOUGH!!! Not only has the owner Daniel done a spectacular job of making everyone he meets feel like family… he just keeps adding little touches that through you back into another time… Cannoli’s, Egg Creams… WOW WOW WOW !!! I will be your new best friend after you experience the experience. it is unimaginable that you can grab a meatball on the go and get the feeling of being a kid all over again. RUN RUN RUN!!!

This is my second visit & I have to say I really do like these balls. I had the turkey meatballs with Parmesan both times so I can’t really say how the others are.
I’m in the malls daily for work so I was anxiously awaiting the opening of Meatball Obsession as the food court is a big negative for me & sitting down at one of the run of the mill chains is too time consuming.
Now, down to the balls. I actually didn’t find the balls to be all that bland (again, they were turkey), I did find them to be moist & light, which is rare I turkey balls.
The sauce was ok.
The service was super sucky.
I ordered the turkey meatballs with Parmesan & mini ravioli topping & a bottle of water. 3 minutes later the girl came back & said they didn’t have any Meiji raviolis ready & asked if I wanted to wait while they cooked… umm no. She then proceeded to stare at the register for approx. 5 minutes trying to mentally figure out how to refund my $ 2.14.
Finally got my balls but had to ask for my bottle of water. Sat down at one of the 8 crumb ridden tables & enjoyed by hot, moist balls.
Would I consider this a meal I’d serve for a Sunday dinner? No, but c’mon people it’s the freakin’ Garden State Plaza & considering the malls other fast food alternatives I’d say it was pretty damn good.

I will readily admit that I know nothing about Turkish food. If I were leaving a Unilocal review about a Turkish restaurant, my 5 star review may be laughed at by someone who has a true appreciation for the cuisine. With that being said, I know meatballs. I love meatballs. They may be one of my favorite foods on earth… spiked with garlic, breadcrumbs, freshly grated cheese and then browned in olive oil and braised in homemade San Marzano gravy. I learned to cook them from my Mom’s best friend, a 5 foot tall Italian named, of course, Marie.
I have had Meatball Obsession and The Meatball Shop bookmarked on Unilocal for quite a while and I was so excited to see that Meatball Obsession had ventured over to NJ from Manhattan. Located in the lower level of the GSP adjacent to Cinnabon. They offer 4 types of meatballs: beef, chicken, turkey & pork sausage. You can get them in a cup or in a sandwich and also with a variety of toppings. I opted for the beef and pork in a cup with their marinara sauce and freshly grated pecorino romano. Ordered it to go and brought it home for myself and the Italian husband to try.
After one bite, we were both bummed out. Maybe my standards are too high, but they don’t taste homemade at all. They kinda remind me of frozen Costco meatballs that people throw in Ragu spaghetti sauce when they have spaghetti and meatballs for dinner. I know, I’m a meatball snob. I can’t help it. I wanted to love Meatball Obsession, I really did… but the balls were bland, they weren’t browned, the «homemade» Sunday sauce didn’t taste homemade at all.
It’s a great concept. I hope they succeed… but in the land of Tony Soprano, Italian mobsters and guidos who really know what good Italian food tastes like, I have my doubts.