Welcome to the Vancouver Foodster Meatball Challenge. Restaurants from all over the city were invited to enter their meatball dishes into this challenge, some of the restaurants have created a special meatball creation just for this challenge and others have entered their top choice off their existing menu. Each restaurant will be featuring their meatball creation on their menu from April 6-30, 2016.

How Does this all Work? For the public challenge, you are invited to go out and order any or all of the meatball creations in this challenge, then you decide who you think has the best meatball creation for the People’s Choice award winners. 

Share your experiences: Tweet (and don’t forget to tweet or instagram your photos) throughout the challenge, our twitter and instagram address is @vanfoodster and the hashtag is #MeatballChallengeYVR please include this hashtag in all your tweets during the challenge.

Voting criteria –  some things to help you judge your favourite meatball creations – keep these things in mind: originality, creativity, uniqueness, traditional, non-traditional, price, value and most importantly taste.

Get some friends together and make a night of it, visit 2 restaurants or more to share and taste the different meatball creations or go solo or with a friend – just remember to VOTE for your favourites between April 6-30, 2016. 

Watch  last years challenge– – > The Vancouver Meatball Challenge on the Global TV Saturday Morning News “Saturday Chef”  with hosts Leigh Kjekstad and Jay Janower

Here are the 7 Meatball creations in this challenge, listed in no particular order other than when they were received by us.

Bodega on Main

Albondigas

Price: $9 ($6 Happy Hour M-F, 3-6pm)

Description: Tender meatballs made from a mixture of beef, pork and veal, topped with grated Manchego Cheese and garnished with small fried potatoes and a pinch of micro greens.

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef, pork and veal

Created by: Paul Rivas

Available:  Lunch and Dinner

Bodega on Main

1014 Main Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-565-8815

Web: http://www.bodegaonmain.ca/

Twitter @bodegaonmain

 

Cabrito Tapas

Albondigas

Price: $10

Description: 5 Beef and Chorizo meatballs cooked in a flavourful spiced tomato sauce. Served in a cast iron skillet.

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef and pork

Created by: Alexandre Carriere.

Available:  regular dinner business hours only.

Cabrito Tapas

2270 Commercial Drive, Vancouver

Tel: 604-620-7636

Web: http://www.cabrito.ca/

Twitter: @cabritotapas

 

The Meatery

The Cheesey Big Bite

Price: $10

Created by: Jonathan Plaza

Description: made of all natural pork and beef with italian herbs and spices. It is stuffed with Canadian smoked mozzarella and braise in a tomato and fresh herb marinara. We use a white ciabatta or whole grain bun that are slathered with a roasted garlic butter and is topped with fresh arugula.

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef and pork

Offered: 11 am to 6 pm (7 days a week)

The Meatery

3108 Edgemont Blvd, North Vancouver

Tel: 604-980-1125

Web: http://themeatery.ca/

Twitter: @MeateryB2B

 

DD Mau

Spicy Lamb Meatball Banh Mi

Price: $ 10.50

Created by: Kim Tran

Description: Lemongrass and thai chili meatballs with papaya salad and spicy mayo in a Vietnamese style baguette.

Main Protein Ingredient: Lamb and beef

Offered: All the time

DD Mau

1239 Pacific Blvd, Vancouver

Tel: 604-684-4446

Web: http://ddmau.ca/

Twitter: @ddmau

 

The Copper Chimney

CC’s Lamb Meatball Sliders

Price: $12

Created by: Executive Chef Jaroslaw Faryna

Description: served with avocado mint salsa

Main Protein Ingredient: Lamb

Offered: Lunch and dinner daily

The Copper Chimney

567 Hornby Street, Vancouver

Tel: 604-689-8862

Web: http://www.copperchimney.ca/

Twitter: @CopperChimney_1

 

Novo Pizzeria & Wine Bar

Sicilian Meatballs

Price: $11

Description: currants, pine nuts, Parmigiano Reggiano, tomato sugo, fresh mint

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef, pork and veal

Created by:  Novo kitchen team

Offered:  All the time

Novo Pizzeria & Wine Bar

2118 Burrard Street, Vancouver

Tel:    (604) 736-2220

Web:  http://www.novopizzeria.com/

Twitter:   @NOVOPizzeria

 

Mario’s Meatballs at Baccano Restaurante & Lounge

Mario’s “Old School”

Price: $9

Description:  Mario’s “Old School” Tuscan Grilled Meatballs.   Beef, Pork and Veal polpette with hand crushed San Marzano tomatoes.  Finished with Baccano Parmigiano cheese sauce.

Main Protein Ingredient: Beef, pork and veal

Created by:  Chef Canale from Mario’s Meatballs and Chef Zack Steele from Baccano

Offered:  12pm – 10pm daily

Baccano Restaurante & Lounge

1889 W 1st Ave, Vancouver

Tel: 778-379-6920

Web: http://www.baccanovancouver.com/ and http://mariosmeatballs.com/

Twitter: @MariosMeatballs

 

Make sure you pick up one of the Meatball Challenge postcards available at each of the participating restaurants and keep a record of your favourite Meatball creations. Remember to Vote for your favourites daily, all the voting details are here.

Our Media judges for this challenge are:

 

Tara Lee

Freelance journalist and broadcaster. Writer for Georgia Straight

Twitter: @VanGlutton

 

Joe Leary

Freelance writer/broadcaster and host of Shaw TV’s Craft Beer series ‘BC Brew On Tap’ and the long-running radio show, ‘Just Here for the Beer’ that airs bi-weekly on Saturday’s at noon on TSN 1410.

Twitter: @reallyjoeleary

 

Ed Lau

Writer and Photographer for Eds Eats and Vancity Buzz.

Twitter: @edlau