Evan Sung
By separating a meatball from its spaghetti base and serving it in a cup, Meatball Obsession turns a staple of Italian Sunday dinner into portable snack food. The stand at Boston College — which is about to get a second location at Fenway Park — offers a beef, pork, or turkey meatball in a paper cup as a single ($3.99), double ($6.99), or triple ($9.99) portion. The little rounds are served hot doused in hearty red sauce with a slice of bread and Parmesan on the side. Toppings ($1 each) include mini ravioli or gnocchi, toasted pine nuts, or vegetables such as sauteed red peppers. Founder Daniel Mancini sold packaged MamaMancini’s meatballs, made from his grandmother’s recipe, to supermarkets before branching into Meatball Obsession. “My grandmother used to serve me a leftover meatball in a coffee cup as a snack,” says Mancini. He started the company in New York, and branched out to Boston College last year. The refrain of “One Meat Ball,” the 1944 folk song, laments a serving of one meatball as too skimpy. But at Meatball Obsession, you can order as many as you want. Just don’t expect any spaghetti. Meatball Obsession, Conte Forum (open during basketball and hockey games), Boston College, 2601 Beacon St., Chestnut Hill, 973-768-5646, www.meatballobsession.com.
Outdoor kiosk at Corcoran Commons Plaza, Boston College, opens April 20. Fenway Park concession opens April 13.
CLARA SILVERSTEIN
