Good Taste: Meatball Nation's hometown favorite

Gabe and Judy Marabella were ahead of the trendy meatball curve when they opened their eponymous shop three years ago, a quick-serve and takeout devoted solely to the homey balls made famous over the years at their popular Marabella's restaurants.

So it was no surprise (to us) that they should be counted among the nation's finest in Food & Wine's recent list of America's best meatballs, with a saucy beauty shot of a meatball hoagie glazed in tangy provolone.

Even so, the national nod was a fine occasion to revisit, and I was reminded just how convenient their grab-and-go meatball meal is on a busy weekday night, complete with box of pasta (you boil it at your place), a Liscio's Italian loaf (good luck waiting till dinner for that!), and a container of eight meatballs plus an extra pint of sauce that's enough for a family of four. Hand-rolled and baked every day before an hour's simmer in gravy, all of the Marabella meatball variations are very good, from the triple-meat (veal-pork-beef) to chicken and veggie versions.

My favorites for texture and flavor, though, are the beef balls, which are ground for Marabella's every morning by its purveyor, Ashley Meats.

- Craig LaBan
Grab-and-go meatball meal, $23, Marabella's Meatball Co., 1211 Walnut St., 215-238-1833; marabellameatballco.com