(Osteria del) Figo

Since I first had Figo during my freshman year at Emory, I knew that the local Italian chain was so much more than your typical chain restaurant. Despite its several locations, Figo never felt like you were going to eat at a chain like Chili's or Friday's or whatever may float your boat (or rather make you sink while trying to digest that food). The high quality food for great prices at Figo has never once let me down.

What did let me down, though, was the closing of the Virginia-Highlands location around a year ago. Living in the Emory area, that was the most convenient location for me. I now travel to either Edgewood or even the Westside to Osteria del Figo to get my weekly or bi-weekly pasta fix, even though the closest location to me is a toss up between Decatur and Edgewood. What really has me traveling to the Westside, besides its artsy feel, is the recent addition of Osteria del Figo's meatball bar. You may know that I don't eat red meat or pork, which oftentimes leads me to slim pickings at many restaurants here in Atlanta. These restrictions gave me only one choice (which I don't have a problem with) at the meatball bar: the chicken meatball.

Chicken meatballs with rigatoni and arrabiata sauce

This simple ball of chicken and artichoke gave me the protein I wanted in my pasta and didn't make me feel left out in the meat department like I often do when dining out. The ball itself was a little dry but nonetheless delicious. Adding them to the pasta and sauce was the smart thing to do to add some moisture (the balls come individually so that you can have it on the side or add them to a dish). Since the meatball concept is new to the Westside, and all of Figo, I imagine that over time they will be perfected. Not that it stopped me from ordered them for a second time within a week of first trying them!