An Upper East Side Community Board wants to put Meatball Shop's boozy balls in a vice, so to speak. The expanding chain appealed to Community Board 8's Street Life Subcommittee this week for approval to serve their savory balls and accompanying alcoholic beverages until 4 a.m. But they were met with contention from local residents who claim the late hours would lead to drunken carousing, disturbing the tranquil thoroughfare that is Second Avenue.
Proclaimed meatball lover and UES resident Steve Harris told DNAinfo he was "okay" with the restaurant opening but "the only thing that sent shock waves was [the serving time]." "Four a.m., for a meatball shop?" questioned another local. But Michael Chernow, co-owner of Meatball Shop, explained that "people tend to eat meatballs at 12 p.m. and at 3 a.m." and stressed that Meatball Shop is first and foremost a restaurant, not a bar or nightclub. In the end, the subcommittee approved a 2 a.m. cut-off. Baltz & Co., the publicist for The Meatball Shop, did not respond to our request for comment.
Residents point to nearby booze hall The Stumble Inn as the culprit for the neighborhood's late night shenanigans, but the nearby Brother Jimmy's BBQ up the block probably doesn't help either. Really, though, the neighborhood should be excited to welcome more refined eateries like The Meatball Shop and similar gastropubs like The Penrose and Jones Wood Foundry. If the Upper East Side is ever going to (bar) crawl its way out from underneath its image of frat boys and preppy douches—and as a longtime resident, I would just like to say that the UES has plenty of non-pod people, too—it's paramount to welcome new businesses like these into the area. And remember, it could always be worse.
