41. Mama's Meatballs Food Truck

Mama's Meatballs food truck

I've been doing these food hunts for a dozen years, and only a handful of places have ever qualified for more than one finals. None has made it in back-to-back contests – until now.

So I'll start by repeating what I wrote a year ago about Mama's Meatballs: "It takes balls in this town to get into the business of selling a product that 200 restaurants can serve up deliciously. So give credit to Michael Antinore for creating one terrific meatball that sells out of the back of this red truck whose exterior has a picture of his Italian grandmom looking down."

A year later, they're just as terrific. Anitore has a creative eye and a chef's touch in putting together some tasty meatballs. There's the "Rocky Ball-boa," a mix of sweet sausage, sautéed pepper and onions, stuffed with mild provolone and topped with arugula, parmesan, peppers, onions and marinara.

Equally fun was the "Rabe Father," a mix of ground turkey and broccoli rabe, stuffed with asiago cheese and topped with the same mouth-watering mix. Or, if you've got guts and a cast-iron belly, try the "Dat-za Spicey Ball," which includes hot sausage mixed with long hots and stuffed with jalapeno cheddar.

The fun part is that you can mix-and-match among the four or five daily offerings. They're $13 for a three-ball sandwich.

Mama's Meatballs nearly stole first place last year in my Food Truck Frenzy. Can they show as well this year in a contest dedicated to meatballs? Can they compete against some of the classic Italian restaurants and some of the greatest chefs in town? We'll find out on May 7 when they're the seventh to be invited to the Meatball Madness Finals at the Delaware Park Racetrack and Casino. I'll let you be the judge.

Score 87/100