New York's a Meatball Paradise

505 Columbus Ave, New York, NY 10023 (map)

Michael Psilakis's casual Upper West Side Greek eatery prepares 100 pounds of meatballs each night, and it still can't keep up with the demand. Coarse, loose and succulent, Kefi's beef, pork and lamb meatballs are infused with a rich tomato sauce larded with big pieces of garlic and halved olives. The resulting mixture is a cocktail of potent, countrified peasant flavors that are really more soul food than Greek, per se. Try getting them to go: they keep really well, and can even be frozen. The only real problem with Kefi's meatballs is that there are never enough of them.

101 Lafayette St , New York, NY 10013 (map)

This tiny Chinatown banh mi shop produces some of the tastiest Vietnamese meatballs (xiau mai) this side of Saigon. The presence of Vietnamese caramel sauce (nuac mau) and a potent helping of fish sauce, soy and spices give them a unique sweet and spicy kick. The crisp, delicate baguette and the fresh cilantro, carrots and cucumber provide a burst of coldness and freshness that are a perfect complement to these tasty treats.

39-07 Prince St, Flushing, NY 11354 (map)

As the name suggest, spicy is usually the way to go at this citadel of Szechuan cookery in Queens, but the restaurant's giant "lion's head" meatballs are actually the least spicy (and most tasty) thing on the menu. They're incredibly springy and bouncy; they've been emulsified to the nth degree--almost like Spam--and are served in a little clay pot filled with brown gravy. They're good enough to make you forget all about Italian meatballs (at least for a while, anyway).