“You’re Either Going to Love the Meatballs or We’re Going to Miss You”

That’s the kind of line you’d expect from a Scorsese film, and Guy Fieri found himself right in the middle of one at John’s of 12th Street in Manhattan’s East Village. This Italian joint has been serving up traditional fare for 103 years—yes, you read that right—since John Puccini opened the doors in 1908.

When Guy walked in, he was greeted by Nikki and Mikey Alpert, the duo who’ve owned the place since 1973. Here’s the kicker: neither of them had any restaurant experience. They were stock brokers. “I say, ‘Mikey, you want to buy a restaurant with me?’ And I go, he go, ‘Yeah, why not?'” That was it. Mikey went into the kitchen and learned to cook from the restaurant’s original cookbook, passed down from John to his son, recipes straight from Umbria, Italy. And they haven’t changed a thing.

The Veal Meatballs That Put Others to Shame

The star of this segment was the Petto Datello—veal meatballs made entirely in-house. One customer put it perfectly: “John’s makes the best meatballs I’ve had since my mother-in-law made them. Cannot duplicate it anywhere other than John’s.”

Guy got hands-on with the process. They start with frozen veal, which Mikey explained keeps the meat from gumming up when ground. The breadcrumb situation is old-school Italian: they take a loaf of Italian bread, clean off the crust until they’re left with just the white bread, then soak it in milk. This incorporates moisture into the lean veal, which otherwise has a bland taste but “picks everything up.”

Into the mix goes eggs, pecorino (sheep’s cheese), chopped scallions, and caramelized onions that have been cooking overnight. The seasoning is simple but precise: basil, dried oregano, salt, pepper, and minced garlic. They form the mixture into balls by hand and bake them on a cookie sheet coated with homemade marinara.

For service, the meatballs get finished in a pan with olive oil, butter, and Marsala wine for caramelization. Guy’s reaction said it all: “That is one tender meatball. Incredibly flavorful. And this Marsala, that little bit of sweetness on the outside. Never have I had an all-veal meatball. This is the way to do it.”

Fresh Pappardelle with Tuscan Meat Sauce

But the true test, as Guy noted, is how they handle pasta. The homemade pappardelle—thick ribbons that look like big fettuccine—is made entirely by hand. All-purpose flour, semolina flour, eggs, salt, and pepper get combined in a well and kneaded together. After resting, the dough is rolled through a pasta machine and cut by eyeball. “Everybody knows it’s fresh-made pasta because it’s not even,” Guy observed.

The pappardelle gets paired with a Tuscan ragù meat sauce made from chuck and pork butt, seared until caramelized, then braised with onion, carrot, celery, Marsala wine, tomatoes, vegetable stock, oregano, and basil for 5 to 7 hours. Unlike imported pasta that customers want al dente, this fresh pappardelle is cooked soft—the way John’s regulars demand it.

Much like a Filet Sandwich or Beer Cheese SMOTHERED Sloppy Joe, these dishes prove that the best comfort food comes from places that have perfected their craft over decades—or in this case, over a century.

Tips from the John’s Kitchen

Keep your ground meat cold: Freezing the veal prevents it from gumming up during grinding.

Use soaked bread, not breadcrumbs alone: Italian bread soaked in milk adds moisture to lean meat and helps it absorb flavors.

Caramelize onions overnight: That slow cook adds natural sweetness to meatballs without extra sugar.

Finish with Marsala: That wine and butter finish creates a sweet caramelized exterior that takes meatballs to another level.

As Guy said, looking around at the 103-year-old joint: “Doesn’t look a day over 90.” Find John’s of 12th Street and more Triple D locations in our restaurant directory.