Follow the bouncing meatball …
The beauty of meatballs — like pizza or hot dogs or many other foods — is very much in the eye of the beholder, so it’s not surprising that readers were enthusiastic in their recommendations for Frank James.
“New York Pizza &Pasta has The Absolute Best Meatballs in Las Vegas,” emailed Claudia Pollard, adding that the restaurant, run by an Italian family from New York, is at 2400 S. Jones Blvd. For meals at home, she recommended Trader Giotto’s frozen Italian meatballs, available at Trader Joe’s, adding that despite the package instructions they shouldn’t be microwaved; she simmers them in marinara sauce for about 20 minutes in a covered saucepan, stirring occasionally. Trader Joe’s has five stores in the valley.
Ann Brown recommended Capo’s Italian Restaurant at 5675 W. Sahara Ave., adding, “they have a meatball Caesar salad that’s to die for!” Marlene Drozd recommended The Meat Ball Spot at 3663 Las Vegas Blvd. South, and Nadia Herrera recommended Andiamo’s Italian Steakhouse at the D, 301 Fremont St. …
For Margie Van der Leest, Dave Reynard emailed that XLNT chili bricks can be found at Albertsons; Betty Smith emailed that she found them at Albertsons until about a year ago, so it appears it depends on which store you check. …
For Laura Loughran, who asked about the availability of fastnachts, doughnut-type pastries that she said were traditionally sold in New York during the Lenten season, Doris Lewis wrote in to say they’re also popular in Pennsylvania Dutch country, where they’re usually made by churches as a fundraiser, but that she’d never found them here. Angelica Orme suggested trying German and Polish bakeries shortly before Lent next year. …
For Al de la Cruz, Sandy Britt emailed that she recently bought raw peanuts in the shell at Sprouts Farmers Market in Henderson; there are five Sprouts stores in the valley, including two in Henderson. And Jacquelyne Wilson reported spotting them at the Wal-Mart Supercenter at 7200 Arroyo Crossing Parkway, near Rainbow Boulevard and the 215 Beltway. …
And for Bob Ranfone, who’s looking for hot Italian finger peppers, Kara Hierro at Glazier’s Food Marketplace, 8525 W. Warm Springs Blvd., said they carry the Pastene brand.
MORE READER REQUESTS
Smith is looking for a local source for XLNT tamales, preferably in the Henderson area. …
Pat Quinn is looking for a restaurant that serves minced pork pie, or a recipe for this traditional New England dish. …
Jean Friss is looking for places to buy challah bread, preferably in the Henderson area. …
Rick Rosen is looking for Slovakian blood sausage, “and if you can find a wheel or two of salted goat cheese, my bucket list of foods that I miss from Colorado would be complete.”…
Ken Anderson is looking for Carnegie Deli kosher spear pickles in a jar, which he used to get at Costco. He’s also looking for reader suggestions for the best Italian fennel sausage sold in Las Vegas.
Readers?
Submit information to Heidi Knapp Rinella, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas, NV 89125-0070. You also can send faxes to 702-383-4676 or email her at Hrinella@reviewjournal.com. Find more of her stories at bestoflasvegas.com, and follow @HKRinella on Twitter.
