smashes & ships

i adore when many things i love come together in one, swirling evening adventure...and such is the case with my trip to the meatball shop with elizabeth.

it was time for the thursday night dinner ritual once again...a night dedicated to expelling weekly whining, sharing anecdotes, eating well and laughing.

...and to add to the usual joys, we were given a beautiful night in the mid-70's, filled with balmy breezes and the smell of the summer to come...a little nostalgic...and a little dreamy...and 100% enjoyable.

now, first things first. see that first photo? (apparently, i love the word "first") my dearest elizabeth was kind enough to gift me a beautiful ivory necklace (yes, that's a photo of it...and, yes, i had goosebumps...i get cold easily. stop judging me.) what can i say? i love it...and i never wear jewelry...and i've never really owned a necklace i've liked until this one.

i even got compliments from co-workers today about it...and i just beamed. "it's made of ivory!"..."it's a ship!"...i loves it...so, very big thanks to elizabeth for such a thoughtful gift. you're tops!

...and now the food.

i'm salivating while recalling it.

we've been attempting to get a seat at the meatball shop for a few weeks...and, for some reason, on the most beautiful night i've experienced in the last several months, there was a seat right by the open shop-front...perfect for us.

so, yes, we took it and we ordered the most delicious meatballs i've ever tasted. i ordered the daily special meatball smash.

let me explain something to you...you can get a hero (4 meatballs on focaccia bread), a smash (2 meatballs on a brioche bun) or a slider (1 meatball on a mini burger bun)...

the daily special yesterday was a bolognese meatball. i chose to combine it with mushroom sauce and mozzarella cheese.

i had another almost-weepy moment the minute i took a bite of this little package of heaven. all the flavors melted into a large ball of YES and came crashing down on my tastebuds like a meteor shower of sparkling, crackling flavor ecstasy. the market salad, side salad and risotto also hit just the right spots and i felt human again.

a smash in my mouth, a ship on my neck, a summer breeze on my back, and a song in my heart...rarely do i feel nights are perfect...and combining this with exceptional company, good laughs (we always have good laughs) and prowling around the late-night boutiques of the lower east side...how does this not spell out a perfect thursday night adventure?

that's the thing, dear readers. it does.

it does spell a perfect night.

'nuff said.