Winsted meatball lovers have a ball

WINSTED — Local foodies and music fans got a double dose of entertainment Thursday, Aug. 19, when Friends of Main Street hosted its first-ever meatball contest and concert in East End Park.

The filling culinary competition, which hosted a dozen entries from Laurel City restaurants, provided a tasty accompaniment to the acoustic-rock sounds of the Kenn Morr Band, which performed the final concert of the season on the Rotary Park Stage. Lead singer/guitarist Kenn Morr of Colebrook delivered crisp, Americana-flavored acoustic rock songs with fiddle and mandolin accents while a panel of judges sank its teeth into the zesty offerings.

Heated trays of meatballs ranging in size from golf ball to tennis ball and bigger were presented to the panel — which included myself,  Town Manager Wayne Dove, Selectman Lisa Smith, state Rep. John Rigby (R-63), Northwest Community Bank Assistant Branch Manager Sandi Scaviola and Northwestern Connecticut Community College President Barbara Douglass.

Prior to diving into the evening’s fare, Selectman Smith made it known that she had reserved gastric space for the contest.

“I didn’t eat any lunch today,� she announced.

“Neither did I,� said Douglass.

Though both women sport petite frames, they acknowledged strong abilities in the meatball-eating department.

Town Manager Dove said he was hungry and ready to eat, as did the rest of the male contingent. As the contest got underway, judges split off in different directions, as Friends of Main Street Executive Director Helen Bunnell and board members Pam Banks and Cathy Coursen ladeled meatballs into small styrofoam bowls.

Judges gave between one and three points in three categories: appearance, texture and taste.

“I really liked the one with the hot sauce and the gorgonzola cheese,� enthused Rigby. Others gravitated to more traditional blends, bathed in red Italian sauce, as a meaty, aromatic essence wafted through the park.

It took about 20 minutes for the judges to down more than a dozen meatballs each, as some went back for seconds to certify their results. The collective feeling at the end of the tasting appeared to be one of slight discomfort.

“My wife asked me if she should make dinner tonight and I told her, ‘Of course, we’re only going to be eating a few meatballs,’� Dove said as he wiped his mustache. “That was a mistake.�

Judges made small talk as they sat back and waited for the scores to be tallied. When it was all said and done, Coursen’s pencil scored Kent Pizza first in the traditional meatball department and first overall in points, with a savory, Italian-themed meatball in a bright red tomato sauce. A very close second was Mario’s Tuscany Grill, located just a few steps away on Main Street, which served up a rougher blend with more bread crumbs and a chunkier sauce, sprinkled with scallions.

For nontraditional meatballs, which included samples in various colored gravies, the Swinging Parrot won for a the spicy gorgonzola number complimented by Rigby, and Savory Thymes shared honors for an appropriately savory ball surrounded by a dark red sauce infused with herbs.

An honorable mention went to the Winsted Diner for meatballs in a biscuits ’n gravy-style sauce.

“They were all delicious,� said Douglass.

Following the contest, members of the public were invited to taste the leftovers.

The meatball contest closed out a successful concert season for Friends of Main Street, which drew hundreds of music fans to the park to hear concerts ranging from Irish bagpipe ballads and Native American flute songs to dance music and classic rock. The series will return next summer.

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