They’re four of the saddest words one can hear when ordering takeout from Prato: We’re out of meatballs.
Those delicious orbs are my go-to item to order when dining in and I really wanted some to go. But the young woman who answered the phone blurted them out before I could say anything, leaving me slightly crestfallen.
So I had to adjust on the fly. Luckily, my other must-have item, the Widowmaker pizza (perhaps we can come up with a new name for this one) was available. I also got an order of the Mustard Spaghettini Cacio e Pepe.
And because it was a Friday evening, and I was distraught about the meatball shortage, I thought I would splurge on an Old Fashioned cocktail. I thought $22 for a cocktail was a bit much but, like I said, it was a Friday.
And that $22 charge turned out to be a bargain because the cocktail was served in a 16-ounce Ball jar that was filled to the gasket. Enough to serve two or three, but darn the luck, I had no one to share it with so it was all mine. (And it was a mighty fine Old Fashioned, too.)
A fun feature of the Widowmaker is a fried egg in the center of the pie. I was impressed that the yolk was still nice and runny after the trip from Park Avenue to downtown Orlando. The crust of the pizza was as perfectly done as always, slightly crisped but with an elastic chew. The toppings of fennel sausage, kale-ish cavolo nero, and a handful of arugula were all spot on.
The Spaghettini had radicchio and specks of speck mixed in with the cheese and pepper of the name. It looked small but it was quite filling.
Everything was packaged carefully – the jar of alcohol was placed in a sealed bag meant for opened bottles of wine – and curbside pickup was a breeze. I just called the restaurant when I arrived and a young man brought the order out and placed it in the trunk of my car.
And once I got home, the delicious food made me forget the disappointment of not having the meatballs. The Old Fashioned helped, too.
Prato is at 124 Park Ave. N, Winter Park. Call the restaurant for hours of operation: 407-262-0050.
