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For some, the meatball is an obligatory pairing with spaghetti. For others, it’s the contents of a sandwich you get when in an unadventurous mood. For the folks at the new Mass Ave restaurant Mimi Blue Meatballs (874 Massachusetts Ave., 737-2625), it’s an orb on which an entire business is based.
Named for the owner’s mother, Mildred (Mimi) Bluestein Kosene, Mimi Blue Meatballs has a limited menu that one might find in a quick-service eatery, but Mimi Blue’s has all the trappings of a neighborhood Italian joint (of which we have far too few in Indy).
Ready for your entree options? Here they are: meatballs.
That’s pretty much it, although you do have choices to make. There’s Classic (a mix of pork and beef), Turkey, Veggie, Beef and Special (the last not being available on our visit). Then there are sauces: Marinara, Garlic Cream, Spicy Bolognese, Mushroom Gravy and Spicy Cilantro.
Once you’ve decided, you use the dry-erase menu to check off a three-ball combo ($8), where the trio and sauce must be the same, a 4-Baller ($11) where you can mix and match balls and sauces, Sliders ($3 each) served on brioche buns, or Sandwiches ($10), which include three balls served on either a baguette or a pretzel bun with either white cheddar or parmesan cheese.
With literally no other entree choices (well, I suppose you could combine a few sides), that’s putting a lot of confidence in one item and its variants. And while Mimi Blue’s aren’t the best examples of the genre I’ve tried, they confidently make a case for themselves. Moist without being mealy, firm without offering much resistance, the Classic felt neither too heavy nor too light.
I’d pass on the Turkey version next time, but the Veggie proved to be the surprising favorite on our visit. Carnivores shouldn’t ignore it because of the sins of its inedible peers served elsewhere. With a decidedly falafel taste, accented but not overwhelmed by spicy cilantro sauce, it’s likely to become my default for future visits.
For sides (each $5), the Mac & Queso—sorry, spaghetti and meatball fans, the closest you’ll find here is linguini and meatballs—was better once we mixed it ourselves to put more of the sauce to use. Creamy Polenta was, indeed, creamy—but forgettable. Brussels Sprouts, which come with carrots, might not convert those resistant to the rising star vegetable, but with a light tossing of butter and honey, did their job.
Careful not to overload your table, though. Seating in the intimate space is a bit tight for dinner, particularly when sides are presented each on its own plate. A few seats at the small bar might appeal to solo diners—especially if it looks like there are kids in the dining room.•
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