Balls for All: The Meatball Shop

Mr. Monkey's favorite meal during our cheap eats weekend in New York City was lunch at The Meatball Shop.

This cozy Lower East Side eatery kept up with the steady stream of customers like clockwork yet managed to maintain its warmth and friendliness.

The ordering system is fun.

Mark your choices on the laminated menu.

Our beverages.

Root beer ($2) and lemonade ($3).

Naked balls -- four meatballs served with focaccia ($7).

These were classic beef meatballs in classic tomato sauce. They were heavenly. Like a big hug from an Italian grandma in a bowl.

Side of simple salad ($4).

Arugula and apples. Nothing terribly exciting, but we wanted something green.

Sliders ($3 each) -- spicy pork meatball + spicy meat sauce, chicken meatball + Parmesan cream sauce, vegetable meatball + pesto sauce, jambalaya meatball + classic tomato sauce.

Our favorite meatball was the beef, so we were lucky to have ordered a bowl of four of them. Actually, we pretty much loved all of the balls except for the veggie ball. Poor veggie ball. Even pesto couldn't save you.

Nearly two months later, Mr. Monkey still can't stop raving about this place.