How do you like your meatballs? the waitress innocently asked the guy sitting at the table next to me. Theyre pissing me off, he growled. Theyre better than my grandmothers. Then he stabbed his fork into one of the three tennis-ballsized orbs in front of him, and silently ate on. I did the same, because, like most everyone who eats here, I had come specifically for the balls, doused in a richly tomatoey sauce with pine nuts, and so good, they dont need spaghetti. But meatballs are not the end-all of the menu, which does extremely well by other classic Italian-American dishes (like the sausage and peppers), as well as by the items that wouldnt be considered part of this cuisine (like a luscious kale crostini, with a generous helping of siracha aioli). All is served up by a friendly staff, in a cozy, brick-walled, pressed-tin ceiling joint with few pretensions and even less elbow room. Two notes: Choose seats in the garden out back when the weathers nice; it has a much less crowded feeling than the interior of the restaurant. And if youre a light eater, know that they will serve a one-meatball portion, even though its not on the menu.