The Meatball Stoppe

7325 Lake Underhill Rd.
Orlando, FL 32822
(407) 270-6505
View Website Here

Last year, I told you about a little spot in East Orlando called The Meatball Shoppe. I say little enthusiastically though, because the shop is small inside, but full of great flavor and great character. That great character is attributed to the owners of this establishment - Isabella Morgia di Vicaria, a first-generation American, born of Italian heritage in Brooklyn, NY. and her Husband Jeff Morgia. You can see more of that review here

The Meatball Shoppe is now called The Meatball Stoppe, and they have added a few more things to the menu then just meatballs.

The concept of The Meatball Stoppe is to bring you the classic and traditional Italian meatball and then take it in a different direction. The menu is based on tradition fused with innovation that brings new life to the ‘classic meatball’. Patrons can expect to find a combination of an old world style with a retro feel and fresh originality. Everything from classic meatballs, to mediterranean style and the all new buffalo bleu chicken meatball is on the menu.

What's new is a selection of Italian favorites recreated as only Isabella could do with a selection of entrees titled Famiglia Favorites. It is here you will find such items as Baked Ziti, Eggplant Stack and Lasagna Bolognese. Additionally a few side items or starters have been added like fried calamari, bruschetta, caponata, and The Meatball Stoppe serves beer now too.

The Caprese Salad features tomato, mozzarella and a house made pesto.

The Bruschetta with crostini was pretty fabulous in a very decadent red sauce with fresh mozzarella melted in it.

I was very impressed with the Fried Calamari at the The Meatball Stoppe. I can honestly tell you..this is some of the best I have had in Orlando. The sauce had a bit of a bite to it as well. Very tender calamari, and it was served properly with the tentacles as well as the rings.

The Eggplant Sandwich is a winner. I admit, I have to have meat everyday, but I have some vegetarian friends, and If this was all I could eat...I'd be pretty happy without meat. This sandwich is stacks of fried eggplant with mozzarella, arugula, red onions and a pesto mayo on a focaccia bun.

New to the meatball section of the menu is the Chicken Parmigiana meatball with Buffalo Bleu Cheese sauce. A very tasty addition that is gluten free also.

The Eggplant Stack is a delicious stack of breaded eggplant with a mixture of imported cheeses and a roasted tomato sauce.

Of course you can never go wrong with Nona’s Traditional Italian Meatball with a fried egg in the top.

The Meatball Stoppe has always had great cannolis, and they are the perfect size.

 

Sfogliatelle is a traditional Italian pastry that is flaky on the outside and stuffed with a lemon ricotta filling. These are served piping hot and the filling just oozes out of them once they are opened. This was a very tasty treat.

Isabella believes her meatballs are special and are a representative of the best of many cultures including the Mediterranean and Latin American Countries. Jeff says his love of meatballs comes from the nostalgia that takes him back to when he was growing up, and they’re warm, inviting and are universally loved by all. 

Whether you are in the mood for some great meatballs or some really good Italian family favorites, stop by the Meatball Stoppe and say hello.

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Primo by Melissa Kelly

JW Marriott

Orlando Grande Lakes

4040 Central Florida Parkway

Orlando FL 32837

407-393-4444

View Website Here

Primo by Melissa Kelly is another one of Orlando's great hotel restaurants. The Primo brand and name may sound familiar, because the Orlando Grande Lakes location is the second one of three locations. Chef Kelly's first restaurant in Rockland Maine, is a world class and critically acclaimed restaurant that is set in a 19th century Victorian style house.

The idea of Primo is a "home-grown" concept that emphasizes the freshest local ingredients to create imaginative and dazzling recipes that are based on contemporary Italian cuisine. Chef Kelly grew up on Long Island, and her earliest cooking lessons took place in her Italian grandmother's kitchen. In fact, she still favors Mediterranean accented foods.

Chef Kelly attended the Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York and graduated first in her class. Her post-graduate education took place in some of the top restaurant kitchens in the country with a resume that includes the posh Greenbrier Hotel, West Virginia, Bluebeards Castle, St. Thomas USVI and An American Place in New York.

Continuing to broaden her culinary skills,Chef Kelly moved west to work with Reed Heron of restaurant Lulu and the legendary Alice Waters of Chez Panisse. She is also the 2013 and 1999 James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: Northeast. She was also nominated in 1998.

In 2003 Chef Kelly partnered with JW Marriott to open a second Primo at Grande Lakes Orlando, and a third location followed in 2005 at JW Marriot Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Arizona. Primo is a licensed agreement between JW Marriott, Chef Melissa Kelly and Price Kushner with the help of Mariano Vegel who is the Chef de Cuisine at Primo Orlando.

Primo by Chef Melissa Kelly features Italian flavors using ingredients cultivated from the resort’s on-site Organic Garden. The “home-grown” Primo concept pioneered farm-to-fork dining in Orlando upon opening in 2003.

The robust flavors that guests will experience are produced through classical cooking and preparation methods with strong inspiration from cuisines off the coastal regions of Italy, France and Spain. Primo cuisine features ingredients cultivated from the resort’s on-site Primo Organic Garden as well as the resort’s 7,000-square-foot garden at Whisper Creek Farm. Other ingredients are sourced from Central Florida’s small organic farms.

The Design and Decor of Primo is a Mediterranean setting, with the earthy colors of wood, stone and copper. There is an ambiance of colors as green, gold, amber, and rust offer an elegant, but casual atmosphere through the soft textured wall coverings, carpeting, window treatments, and fabrics. Special details include Venetian light fixtures, a mosaic entry, and an exhibition kitchen that creates a warm, yet sophisticated dining experience.

Here are a few examples of Chef Kelly's master culinary skills that you will find on display at Primo, Orlando Grande Lakes.

Slow Cooked & Grilled Octopus with lima beans, artichokes, calabrian pesto, ‘nduja sausage and smoky potato chips.

Cold Smoked Tuna Tartare with tonatto sauce, confit tomatoes, mint, sesame oil, bottarga, crispbreads.

Farmer Salad primo lettuces, garlicky levain croutons, house cured bacon, soft poached whisper creek farm egg, white balsamic vinaigrette.

Squid Ink Linguini  made with“Frutti Di Mare”calamari, jonah crab, rock shrimp, clams, charred pepper, tasso ham, pimenton crumb.

Sautéed Scaloppine of Pork Saltimbocca in a sage infused mushroom-madeira jus with prosciutto, spinach and roasted garlic mashed potato.

Caramello with a caramel pate choux-caramelized hazelnut gelato and toasted caramel marshmallow.

Primo is open only for dinner 7 days a week from 6 pm to 10 pm.

Prices: Appetizers $14.00 to $18.00

Entrees $30.00 to $53.00

Desserts $10.00 to $11.00

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