Photos.... Cuisine of Queens 2009 & The Best Meatball of the Boroughs Contest

 Mr. Cutlets on the Meatball Melee Aftermath--The Wrong Ball Won
By Sarah DiGregorio - Village Voice - Fork in the Road....

Last night, Dish du Jour hosted the Meatball Melee of the Boroughs, and Bello Giardino's Nicky's Famous Meatballs were crowned best ball of all.

We brought you event emcee Josh Ozersky's handicapping in advance, in which The Feedbag writer bet on Carmine's to win it all. Now we bring you his debriefing on the proceedings--and why the Greek meatballs were doomed from the start.

Which meatball should have won?

I thought that Jim Botsacos' cumin-powered Greek number from Molyvos was best in class. the judges were all Italians though, so I knew it wasn't in the cards.

Read the full article from Fork in the Road

Citywide Meatball Contest Won By Obscure Upper West Side Upstart  
The-Feedbag.com

Last night I emceed the meatball contest at the Cuisine of Queens tasting event, and was I ever shocked! Bello Giardino’s deep-fried meatball won, defeating some superb spherical competition. Sarah DiGregorio over at the Voice had some questions about the stunning upset, which I did my best to answer. Personally, I would have awarded the laurels to Molyvos, but that’s just me. I wasn't a judge.

Read the full article The-Feedbag.com...

Scenes from the Meatball Melee of the Boroughs
Posted by Joe DiStepfano  - Seriouseats.com

"It's like meatball speed dating."

As an Italian-American, I'm no stranger to meatballs or garish wedding halls, but nothing could have prepared me for Dish Du Jour’s 8th Annual food and wine tasting and the accompanying Best Meatballs of the Boroughs contest. The event was held last night, with its crowd of ravenous Queens locals, at the glittering Astoria World Manor. Dozens of restaurants offered everything from sushi and steak to Cypriot Greek cuisine, and of course, meatballs.

Councilman Peter F. Vallone, Jr. kicked off the contest. “In Astoria you can get every kind of food in a one-block radius. Everybody mangia!” The judges included chef Michael Psilakis of Anthos and Frank Pellegrino, co-owner of Rao's.

Pellegrino made an excellent point: "The problem with meatballs is that everybody thinks their mother's are the best."

READ -   Story and photos 

Meatball Melee of the Boroughs Recap 

Last night I attended a fierce meatball competition at the Astoria World Manor called the Meatball Melee of the Boroughs organized by Dish du Jour magazine. In addition to the meatballs, the event was also part of the 8th annual Cuisine of Queens and Beyond showcase, where various neighborhood eateries

The following 10 finalists from four boroughs (the Bronx was missing) made it to the competition.

The Judges
An impressive panel of acclaimed culinary geniuses judged the competition:

- Tony Tantillo, CBS2 HD food expert
- Frank Pellegrino, actor/co-owner of Rao's restaurant
- Chef Michael Psilakis, Executive Chef and co-owner of Kefi, Anthos and Mia Dona restaurants
- Michael Maroni, owner of Maroni cuisine and winner of the Food Network's Meatball Throwdown with Bobby Flay
- Joseph Risi, co-creator of the meatball contest

Chef Psilakis was my favorite and it was exciting to listen to his commentary about meatballs, the best way to cook them and even some fun history facts behind them. He revealed why meatballs are typically round in shape - to ensure even cooking, browning and flavor.

Frank Pellegrino was also vocal and offered his two cents about why Italian meatballs rule "they're not meatballs unless they have red sauce." Also celebrating his birthday, Dish du Jour stopped the meatball judging to bring out an impressive, personalized birthday cake for Frank. The entire room sang Happy Birthday and it appeared that Frank was very touched.

Read the full article:  http://www.foodistanyc.com/