DISH OF THE WEEK: “Meatballs” from GALIOTO’S

SADLY, GALIOTO’S IS NOW CLOSED.

SADLY, GALIOTO’S IS NOW CLOSED.

Galioto’s looks like the kind of Italian food shop that has been there for many decades and has recently been taken over by a younger generation who has kept both the traditions alive but put their own spin on some of the prepared foods.

That’s not exactly the story here, but it’s probably the ones the owners would like you to think.

But there’s a big difference that might not be immediately obvious when you walk in and look around. This old-school modern deli is all vegan.

And it’s a success, especially based on my one sampling of the food. But that’s no surprise since the owners also work at the excellent Jajaja Plantas Mexicana.

Galiioto’s is beyond charming with friendly service and an array of both freshly prepared foods and packaged Italian products.

Most of the ingredients, like mushrooms, eggplants, and artichokes are naturally vegan and naturally a part of Italian food. But then you’ll notice other ingredients on the menu have quotation marks around them. “Meatballs” and “Mozzarella.” That’s because there is some creative foolery happening here.

I was most intrigued by the “meatballs” but I could not handle an entire meatball parm sandwich since this was the third stop on a long day of eating.

But I was pleased to see that I could order a side of three meatballs to see how these compare to the real deal.

I’ll admit I did not have high hopes looking at the brown pucks. They didn’t look so much like meatballs. They looked like they were going to be denser and dry. Sort of like sad falafel balls.

But looks are incredibly deceiving. These were fantastic and as close to the real thing as you can imagine.

And it wasn’t the tangy and fresh tomato sauce that did all the disguising. The balls, which are mostly comprised by Impossible meat had a soft tender juicy texture that I expect from meatballs. And then the herbs and spices brought a lot to the table.

This truly tasted like the meatballs somebody’s Italian grandma used to make. Just don’t tell grandma there’s no actual meat in them anymore. Price: $9