33. Capofitto Pizzeria And Gelataria

CAPOFITTO PIZZERIA AND GELATARIA, 233 Chestnut Street, Old City

We've been to Capofitto before, enjoying the gelati sold out of the front door. Great on a summer afternoon if you're dragging tourists around Old City. And we've enjoyed the pizzas, which are pricy (around $19) and over-designed in a hipsterish way (lots of prosciutto and gorgonzola) – but fun and tasty nonetheless.

But we've never tried the meatballs at Capofitto, so on a warm April afternoon we strolled down Chestnut Street for the $9 Polpette appetizer.

You get two baseball-sized meatballs made of short rib and pork, drenched in a tomato-and-garlic Pomodoro sauce and focaccia. The smell is immediately comforting, like Sunday evening dinner. And the taste? Yum.

It's the ground short rib, the waitress told me, that makes the meatball melt in your mouth. They had a terrific, soft texture and a rich, meaty taste superior better than most I've had along the way. Intoxicatingly good.

And I could sense the freshness. The meatballs at Capofitto are rolled every day, and the Pecorino is shredded daily.

Go there, for the meatballs, the gelati and – if your wallet can stand it – the $37 bottle of Belgian farm ale advertised on the blackboard. I didn't spring for that – no way WIP would let me expense that baby.

Score: 83/100