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Phantom Gourmet: Great 8 Meatballs

Ah, the meatball: the circle of life that makes life more delicious. Out of all the meatballs in every Italian restaurant and sub shop around, these are the 8 Greatest Phantom has ever found.

Andiamo
Newburyport

Kicking off the Great 8 is Andiamo in Newburyport. This Italian eatery is housed inside a building that dates back to the 1700's with dark wood, low ceilings, and cozy charm. Here they serve some of the best regional Italian fare on the North Shore, including authentic polpettoni made with veal, pork, and beef, topped with a caramelized tomato ragout.

Cook
Newton

Cook in Newton is the kind of comfortable, casual restaurant where the dining room is busy, the service is friendly, and the food is deliciously approachable. So there's snacks like bacon caramel popcorn, shareable flatbread, and a cast iron skillet stuffed with meatballs.

Nappi Meats
Medford

Another Great 8 winner is Nappi Meats in Medford. A meal here really is more like an affordable feast, with the kitchen cranking out plates and platters of parms, pastas and sausage. But nothing beats the
owner Anna's amazing fresh ground, homemade meatballs.

AJ's Kitchen
Wilmington

At AJ's Kitchen in Wilmington they make their meatballs by hand every single day. They're big, bold, baseball-sized beauties. They're outrageously delicious alone, and even better inside a sub, covered with tangy-sweet sauce and melted cheese and stacked on a fresh baked, braided sub roll.

Volturno
Worcester

Volturno in Worcester cooks up authentic Neapolitan pizza in wood fired Italian ovens at a blazing 900 degrees. They source nothing but top notch toppings, like in the clam and bacon pizza featuring
ricotta, mozzarella, and thyme. And while pizza is their speciality, you need to order a crock of their magnificent oven-roasted meatballs, made in the true Italian tradition.

Bistro Limoncello
Northborough

Another Great 8 winner is Bistro Limoncello in Northborough. Whether they're eating at the bar, in front of the open kitchen, or feasting with friends in the dining room, most customers come here for meatballs. These justifiably famous, hand-rolled Italian meatballs are served with a side of fresh ricotta cheese.

Fire
North Providence

Fire in North Providence is a big, casual spot serving enormous portions, including their larger-than-life one pound meatball. This grapefruit sized beauty is baked with melty mozzarella and tangy marinara,and when it arrives at the table, customers are dumbfounded.

Valentino's Kitchen
Nashua, NH

Rounding off the Great 8 is Valentino's Kitchen in Nashua, New Hampshire. This superstore is a pizzeria, wine shop, produce market, bakery, and sub shop all rolled into one. There's so much stuff on sale here, it's hard to know where to begin, but the so-called Bocce Balls are a good place to start, because they're wrapped in dough, covered in cheese, and unlike any other meatball you've ever tasted.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.

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