30 places to celebrate National Meatball Day

Welcome to National Meatball Day, one of the most familiar — if not jubilant — of all the newfangled food-themed holidays, especially for lovers of Italian-American flavors. Here’s a heaping platter of places to enjoy the savory (and usually saucy) morsels in Southern Nevada.

90 Ninety Bar + Grill in the Suncoast Hotel & Casino features an order of five meatballs with San Marzano tomato sauce, whipped ricotta, fresh basil and croutons on its “Shareables” menu.

Alder & Birch in the Orleans brings a bit of Japanese cattle expertise to the game with Kobe meatballs coupled with ricotta, tomato sauce and grilled baguette.

Allegro at Wynn Las Vegas brings choice to the table: Chef Febrraro’s Signature Meatballs made with burrata cream, garlic butter, toasted focaccia, beef and pork, or a plant-based alternative featuring Impossible Meatballs with almond ricotta, tomato sauce and basil. Why not try both?

Al Solito Posto in Tivoli Village, 420 S. Rampart Blvd. No. 180, simmers its Nonna’s Meatballs antipasto — a blend of ground veal and beef, ricotta and fennel seed — in tomato sauce and plates them with polenta garnished with basil leaves and fresh-shaved Parmesan.

Andiamo Italian Steakhouse in the D Las Vegas highlights All-American beefiness with the premium Stock Yards-brand cattle in their hefty Grande Meatballs and accentuates it with tomato sauce and ricotta cheese.

Beauty & Essex in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas takes a break from beef with its oven-braised chicken meatballs made with sheep’s milk ricotta and wild mushrooms.

Bella Vita at The District, 2225 Village Walk Drive No. 181, and Bella Vita at Blue Diamond, 4965 Blue Diamond Road No. 130, keep the meatball fun going weekly with Martini Mondays, when each bracing cocktail is sided with two complimentary tidbits.

Bottiglia Cucina & Enoteca at Green Valley Ranch is celebrating Wednesday by serving free meatballs with the purchase of an entrée.

Brera Osteria at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino whips up a meatball appetizer made with beef, pork, San Marzano tomatoes, mozzarella and grilled bread.

Buddy V’s Ristorante at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino imports New Jersey flavors to Southern Nevada with Grandma’s Meatballs, a meeting of beef, veal, pork, marinara and Parmesan cheese.

Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop, multiple locations, handcrafts its meatballs and slathers them with marinara sauce, provolone and grated Romano cheese in submarine-style rolls.

Carmine’s Italian at the Forum Shops, 500 Las Vegas Blvd. S., is donating proceeds from sales of all its meatball dishes on National Meatball Day to Three Square, a nonprofit that provides wholesome food to people in need.

Don Vito’s at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa serves baked ziti, a homestyle pasta casserole that includes marinara sauce, meatballs, Italian sausage, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses.

Du-par’s Restaurant & Bakery in the Suncoast shows how Italian-American cuisine is done in the diner tradition with its spaghetti and meatballs with a side of garlic bread.

Esther’s Kitchen in the Arts District, 1130 S. Casino Center Blvd., No. 110, goes zesty with its polpette; they’re hand-rolled ground pork, beef, eggs, chili flakes, milk, parsley, basil, Parmesan, and Pecorino cheese covered in tomato sugo and served with whipped basil ricotta and sourdough toast.

Grimaldi’s Coal Brick-Oven Pizzeria, multiple locations, fires up the Don, a brawny pie filled with meatballs plus Italian sausage and pepperoni.

Hearthstone Kitchen & Cellar at Red Rock Casino Resort & Spa gets serious in Summerlin with its meatball pizza, featuring beef-pork spheres, whipped ricotta, mozzarella and marinara sauce.

Kassi Beach House at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas goes green with Wagyu meatballs in a piquant bread and caper salsa.

Lavo Italian Restaurant in the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino never disappoints with its famed — and always eye-popping — one-pound meatballs made with fresh-ground Wagyu beef, Italian sausage and veal.

Luciano’s Bistro, 6658 Boulder Highway No. 9, deftly weaves pizza crust about a filling of meatballs, mozzarella and meatballs and bakes it into formidable strombolis.

Metro Pizza, multiple locations, has long delivered the meatball goods in Southern Nevada with its Spring Street, featuring ricotta and roasted peppers.

Monzủ Italian Oven + Bar, 6020 W. Flamingo Road No. 10, not only serves round meatballs, but it also specializes in fragrant grilled lemon leaves wrapped around ovalish blends of lamb, beef and pork.

North Italia, 1069 South Rampart Blvd., gets the dinner party rolling with its spicy meatball pizza topped with provolone picante, ricotta, mozzarella, Pecorino, Romano and red sauce.

Pizza Rock Las Vegas at Downtown Grand Hotel and at Green Valley Ranch Resort & Spa has one of the valley’s best happy hour snack deals: $6 for three saucy globes.

Piero’s Italian Cuisine, 355 Convention Center Drive, turns 40 this month. Join in the birthday festivities with an order of two of Pat’s Meatballs complete with grated Parmesan, parsley, garlic, whipped ricotta and basil.

Proper Sandwich Co., 6181 S. Rainbow Blvd. No. 106, is a new local nook that takes a break from tomato sauce on its spicy meatball sub. Instead, it highlights cherry peppers, garlicky broccoli rabe, Calabrian chili-infused mayo and a gooey drape of Provolone Valpadana.

Siegel’s 1941 inside El Cortez Hotel & Casino plates up spaghetti marinara with meatballs in a historic downtown space — just like the Rat Pack would want.

Superfrico in the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas performs outrageously with Meatballs Sicilianu — a medley of dry-aged beef, saffron, garlic, pine nuts, golden raisins, mint, pistachios and honey.

Todd English’s Olives in Virgin Hotels Las Vegas rocks the Paradise block with veal and pork meatballs topped with Sunday gravy and herbed ricotta.

Trattoria Reggiano in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian and in Downtown Summerlin at 2020 Park Centre Drive, specializes in Sicilian meatballs made with pork, veal, beef, garlic, Italian parsley and Reggiano-Parmigiano cheese.

Reach Greg Thilmont at gthilmont@reviewjournal.com. Follow @gregthilmont on Instagram.