The Rice Ball (Arancini) seems to be derived of a Sicilian descent and creation propagating from the 10th century and is Eaten to commemorate the Feast of Saint Lucia which is held on December 13th when there is a fasting from Bread and Pasta.
I also just plain eat them.
The only criteria for this entry will be Rice Balls that I come across in my neighborhood or during my workday at various Pizzerias. So far Manhattan island appears to be bereft of The Rice Ball but this could all change very swiftly and at the drop of a Pizza cutter of course. The Rice Ball Special is an entity on its own so we will stick mainly to the plain variety.
I am finding that the Rice Ball does not appear to be outsourced from a central location as they differ from every Pizzeria so far.
Mr. Phil's Pizzeria ($3.75) - A little on the Salty side, Meat and Peas in the center.
Papa Pasquale ($3.00) - I have already voted this my favorite Rice Ball off the top of my head but there is certainly room for more contenders this early in the game. Does not have the Marinara Sauce dispersed throughout the Rice which is what I had expected since this is a Sicilian Rice Ball but what it makes up for in Sauce is with plenty of Mozzarella, just the right amount. Of course there could always be more Meat and perhaps some Peas (I did spot one) but Papa Pasquale's simply can not be bettered is the opinion I still hold, simply Delicious and destroys Mr. Phil's for seventy five cents cheaper. Anyway too early on the list to pick a victor but this is Damn Good.
Pastosa Ravioli ($4.99) - A few short days after bragging about how Papa Pasquale's Rice Ball pretty much can not get beat it goes ahead and gets beat (if only just slightly). The Pastosa Rice Ball which is rather Huge by the way is not as heavy on the Mozzarella but even though it is not seen visually represented in the photo there is Chop Meat (Ground Beef) in every Bite and just the right amount of Green Peas, also the Rice has been tossed with some Marinara Sauce giving it the red hue that I have come to expect from a Sicilian Rice Ball.
Key Food ($2.99) - O.K. I am not holding out too much hope for this, it being a supermarket Deli Rice Ball, here goes.
Not Awful, Rice is slightly discernible as the granules are slightly mushed together probably since it has been in storage fresh though it is. Its meaty center is a bit oily but alright. I see a pea but all in all this is a failure, edible but a failure.
Frank & Sals ($3.00) - I have high expectations for this one and am happy to have this local Salumeria right on my corner. Sadly and oddly the first Rice Ball half I dated up for its photo shoot fell apart under its temperaturic duress so pictured above is one half in its refrigerated state.
These boast an ample amount of Meat filling of which I am happy to see. Rice is seemingly flavored in Chicken Broth and the filling has a hearty texture, must be Sausage based. Slightly Greasy but these are very good, no idea what Cristina (a detractor) was talking about.
Frank & Sals ($1.50) - These are the mini Rice Balls from my Salumeria and they garner a mention since this is where I came across this establishments Rice Balls first. I am a seeker of Prosciutto Balls and tried their version which contained much Rice and from what I can tell Sopresatta and not Prosciutto (I could be wrong) but are still quite tasty.
Three Kinds (from noon to nine o' clock) is pictured the Prosciutto Ball, Spinach Rice Ball and Plain Rice Ball. All Cheesetastic and Flavorful.
Anthony's Butcher & Deli ($2.99) - These look terribly promising.
Thoroughly rich in Flavor. a Tasteful Marinara Seasoning the Rice rotating around a center of Creamy, Fresh Mozzarella. The only complaint is the lack of Meat and Peas which plays a characterizing factor. Excellent otherwise.
Lenny's ($4.00) - It is called a Rice Ball but as this is one of the larger of the large sized variety it just contains a bit too much Rice and not a proper ratio of Meat and Peas. Rice is a bit on the mushy side and Meat is a bit overcooked, the Peas are only proliferating the Meat portion but that is just about the industry standard, still definitely tasty.
Pizza Den ($2.75) - I recall these being crappy, let's see.
Ricotta in the Rice portion, Mozzarella in the Meat center.
NO PEAS.
Not Great, still O.K.
Lioni's ($4.00) - This is my "go to" eatery for the Prosciutto Ball of which I rate in the highest category. Their LG. Rice Ball is touted as "Meat & Cheese" and I do not see any Peas myself and Cheese in this instance is an elusive ingredient.
Not much if any Cheese is present, the Meat Filling is quite Flavorful offsetting the not bland but plentiful orbit of Rice. The Rice is somewhat Tangy on its own and Salted perfectly.
NO PEAS.
Lioni's ($1.25) - The Mini Rice Ball. The Pop-ems of the Rice Ball world.
The Plain mini is just that. Plain, lightly Saltish and if any Cheese is barely perceptible.
Pepperoni & Cheddar appears to contain no Cheddar but it says it does so it must however there is a distinct Flavor of Pepperoni which permeates.
Tony Pepperoni ($4.00) - This Pizzeria was not even in my conscious running for a candidate but passing by I checked it out. Tony Pepperoni used to be Vittorio Pizzeria (Bay Ridge Parkway & 18th avenue) and after many years was sold and plummeted so far in quality that I gave up after just one Slice, you could actually look at the Pizza and tell it was not quite up to par, on this visit everything looked pretty good and the Rice Balls come in two sizes of Large and mini.
Rice is slightly bland and of the Chicken Stock variety with some Mozzarella dispersed throughout but not that you really would notice. The Meat filling is Average as is this Rice Ball, I also see a few Peas AND Carrots giving the impression that these are canned Vegetables but I am sure they are in pretty much All the Rice Balls.
Brooklyn Pizza (unknown price, delivery order with other items, around three bucks) -
NO PEAS, NO CHEESE, NO TASTE.
I was somewhat impressed with the presentation of the quartered Rice Ball in delivery form and was also pleased with the added inclusion of some Marinara Sauce for Dipping/Pouring.
The thing is though that this was so lacking in Flavor that it direly needed some Marinara to almost practically make it Food, the Sauce was decent though.
Krispy Pizzeria ($4.25) - Rice on the moist side but my initial first Bite told me this was definitely prepared with Chicken Stock as the base and reminded me of Stove Top Chicken Stuffing, now this is not in a negative way. Decent Rice Ball, minimum of Pea(s).
Tony's Pizzeria ($4.00) - This is the very first time in my Arancini sojourn that I felt that the Rice Ball may in fact be outsourced as opposed to unique to each location but this may be due to the illusion of spatial and optical influence. This Rice Ball was like Brooklyn Pizza's version served with a solo cup of Marinara Sauce but had the same effect on my taste buds as well.
NO PEAS, NO CHEESE, NO TASTE.
Frankly I was somewhat surprised since Tony's Pizzeria does make quite a good Slice of Pizza and have garnered positive entries on this here Blog. Like Brooklyn Pizza this Rice Ball needed Dipping Sauce and I even applied some Grated Cheese to enhance it's flavor.
B & A Pork Store ($4.00) - O.K. This one just looks plain promising but I am slightly biased as I have heard good things about their Rice Ball and even told the counterperson Frank about it after which he gave me a mini Rice Ball (see below) to taste on the house.
This Has Everything !!! All Ingredients done to perfection, the aspect that sets it apart is an overtone of Black Pepper which is not a bad thing and slightly Greasy which to me is also not a bad thing.
A good amount of Peas, Juicy Meat center and its nice to see Cheese return to my Rice Ball, its been a few back now.
B & A Pork Store mini-rice ball (about a buck apiece) - and how cute they are, actually i slightly preferred the one that was gifted me this afternoon at room temperature but this was still quite good but nothing compared to their Sicilian Rice Ball. Rice, Cheese and Ham.
Could have used a bit more Salt or Spice.
La Bella Marketplace ($9.30/11 or about 85 cents apiece) - La Bella gets a packaging photo because who spends ten dollars on Rice Balls in a shot ? Well, if I tally up the price tag of this list I may just get depressed about the wages spent on these items and also La Bella is not a marketplace its a Supermarket but the Italians are proud of the peasant lifestyle and Marketplace also belies the impression of mass marketed Food placing the pleasant idea of home Cooking in the mind.
I almost did not plunk down the change for this package on one time purchase price alone but that just would not be fair to this comparison list.
The La Bella mini was quite good and as I had it back to back with the B & A mini it was easy to compare. These were Saltier and Cheesier, comparable to the minis from Frank & Sal's on my corner.
AND THE WINNER ON THIS LIST IS.
Pastosa followed by B & A.
Anthonys Butcher gets an honorable mention as everything was perfect there but it was an unorthodox Rice Ball due to the absence of Meat and Peas.
For the time being I am just about ready to take a break from The Rice Ball but they will return.
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