Mr. Cutlets on the Meatball Melee Aftermath--The Wrong Ball Won

We brought you event emcee Josh Ozersky's handicapping in advance, in which The Feedbag writer bet on Carmine's to win it all. Now we bring you his debriefing on the proceedings--and why the Greek meatballs were doomed from the start.

Which meatball should have won?

I thought that Jim Botsacos' cumin-powered Greek number from Molyvos was best in class. the judges were all Italians though, so I knew it wasn't in the cards.

Most bizarre meatball?

I think the one that won was bizarre. It was deep fried and had way too much heat in it. There was a very unconventional Turkish meatball that I thought was fantastic, but it was too far-out for the judges.

Any fatal mistakes made by good contenders?

I think any meatball that was a classic, standard, beef / pork / veal meatball was handicapped. There were too many just like it.

What did the judges like about the winning meatball?

I have no idea. That meatball was one of the least likable I have ever encountered. It was as dry as an emery board.

What's your choice for top meatball in the city, even if not represented at the contest?

Off the top of my head, I would single out for praise Kefi and Molyvos's Greek meatballs; the purple Vietnamese ones at the Sau Voi Corp; the "Lion's Head" meatballs at Spicy and Tasty in Flushing; the Japanese chicken meatballs at Yakitori Totto; and, until I can find a better version, the Swedish meatballs at IKEA. I love those things. I keep a bag of them in my refrigerator at all times and eat them throughout the day.