"Sietsema’s colleague Tim Carman fared worse at the Meatball Shop, but at least he got to compare living in Washington to being extruded through a meat grinder. (We are all meatballs in 2018). Carman calls the crab balls from the New York chain “forgettable,” writing the potato chip crust is “thick as a bank vault.” The lobster ball melt is a “crime against crustaceans.” Mainly, Carman thinks the fast-casual, sit-down place leads diners astray because the gamut of options can create combinations that don’t work. He recommends keeping it simple, like he did when he ate the classic beef-and-pork meatballs with tomato sauce, braised kale, and rigatoni." - Gabe Hiatt
