America’s Oldest Italian Restaurant Makes The Best Meatballs In Philly | Legendary Eats
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 11 มี.ค. 2020
- There are a number of Italian restaurants and bake shops in South Philadelphia, but Ralph’s Italian Restaurant, established in 1900, is among the most notable of them all. Ralph’s is the oldest Italian restaurant in the country. Over the last 120 years, it has gained a reputation and loyal following for classic Italian American dishes like spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs are made with a mix of ground beef and ground pork, which gives them a tender and velvety texture. Along with local customers, celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Taylor Swift have dined at this storied South Philly location. Insider’s Taryn Varricchio headed to Ralph’s to find out how the original family owners cook up the best spaghetti and meatballs in Philadelphia.
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America’s Oldest Italian Restaurant Makes The Best Meatballs In Philly | Legendary Eats
I'M ITALIAN AND, I have absolutely no problem with this famous spaghetti-meatball recipe. I see too many of my fellow citizens complaining for some of our traditional recipies being adapted. C'mon guys just accept it, spaghetti-meatball has become a classic meal for an entire nation, and half of it it's from our tradition! We should be happy of that kind of exportation!!
I'm really happy to see ppl like u, everyone bickering about how it's not Italian.
I don't think anyone is bickering about the food itself. They/we are bickering about it being called Italian food. I mean, it just isn't. It is it's own thing. Any value you place in that is up to you. I find the whole New York style of Italian cooking really fascinating. That doesn't mean I'm not bothered by signs that says "Classic Italian Restaurant" when they're clearly not. It's mostly about words having meaning. An apple is not a banana. An apple be as delicious or maybe more so than a banana. But it's not a banana.
@@user-lv6rn9cf8m I see.....I get your point.
Sorry I got pissed on seeing the amount angry Italians lmao.
Its very Italian just not eaten together ,Naples style cooking.
@@user-lv6rn9cf8m Thank you, finally one who understands!!!
Paulie did the prep work. He was doing a year for contempt and had this wonderful system for doing the garlic.
He used a razor, and he used to slice it so thin that it used to liquefy in the pan with just a little oil.
It was a very good system.
Vinnie was in charge of the tomato sauce.
I felt he used too many onions, but it was still a very good sauce.
ssazerac if you know. You know!
“ I put three small onions”
“Three onions?, How many cans of tomatoes you put in there?”
“Two cans, two big cans.”
“You don’t need three onions.”
@@TheIkaika777 lemme tell ya a couple of tree things
@@sidharthsingh6606, “What am I? A schmuck on wheels?”
The other day as I was slicing garlic I thought of that scene and started laughing.
I just love this kind of restaurants that owned by a family and been in the business for such a long time. I think this place is still standing for more than a century because the food is good and has a good relationship with their patrons. Truly an institution.
But also it is the family. A generational institution whos family taught their kids, and then they taught their kids.
Authentic Italian
I LOVE the bit of detail about serving wine in a coffee cup to the old patrons that remember prohibition. Now I want spaghetti and meatballs.
I love my moms meatballs. Unfortunately I’ll never be able to have them again 😔 I miss my mom so much. Ugh. She passed away from cancer a little bit over a year ago, I have some videos about my mom on my channel. Please don’t ever take your parents for granted... who knew that meatballs would make me cry this afternoon lol
Angelica’s Recovery awwwww I’m so sorry to hear that😔🥺
Thats why I enjoy my mom and dad so much! I know one that one day, they will not be here anymore.
Sorry for loss
You might not believe this, but it's in your genes to cook just as good as her. She believes you can do it. Now do it. Make those meatballs, girl!!!
Sorry for you loss Rest in Peace
I'm Italian. My dad, his brothers and sisters (5 total), and his parents were all born in Italy. They brought their recipes with them. They had to adapt because some food they had there was not available here. So they changed their recipes to what was available. I'm talking about the 1920s and 1930s, into the 40s. The bottom line is. They adapted. As far as they were concerned it was still Italian food. They were Italians making homemade Italian dishes in America. What's not to like. I never see other ethnic groups whine and cry about their food like Italians.
I doubt that any of the snowflakes on here bleating about this stuff NOT being Italian are even Italian themselves. Most people want to be Italian, so they fake it. I mean come on, we invented or discovered or created pretty much everything, from Pizza and Ferrari's to Sophia Loren and Monica Vitti. Hahaha....
Time to remind people that they are just opinions, you know what they say about them!
gplito k
Even today I've seen recent Italian immigrants adapt. Like Chef Nick Stellino who's Sicillian. He regularly makes carbonara with bacon and parmesean when the "original" recipe uses guanciale and pecorino.
You are what? you're not born in Italy so you're not italian
I'm happy to say I ate there and enjoyed it. It was like a trip back in time. Hope to eventually come back.
Used to go with my dad as a kid and pig out so much here. Lots of nostalgia watching this.
Spaghetti and meatballs, definitely one of the top 5 dishes in America.
No
Sage 1 yes
1. Salad
2. Orange peels
3. Sabretts
4. Roast Chicken
5. Burger
Point. I just made that up just like you did. Also, WHO are they surveying?
And it's uniquely American. Italians eat polpette on their own. They also don't put bolognese sauce on spaghetti but on tagliatelle.
Jacquelynn salad on 1st wold make anyone sceptic....especially for america!
Nothing better with simple food cooked to perfection and amazing taste 🇮🇹
Truly unique style and decades of experience. Good food and fine wine its the secret to keeping their loyal customers happy and contented. 😊
Italy’s official national motto should be “You’re doing it WRONG!!”
There is a story in an Italian cookbook about a Bolognese newspaper that published the "correct" recipe for Ragu Bolognese after months of research. The readers debated the recipe for months afterward.
Was curious what the first comment I would see would be, and I agree whole heartedly"
@@GP-qi1ve Italians will say that about every food that wasn't cooked by a family member .
@@GP-qi1ve Sounds more like you don't know good food when you see it.
@@GP-qi1ve I know a Hell of a lot more food that you could ever dream of. But an Italian arrogantly claiming that they know food better than anyone else in the world is nothing new. Never has been, never will be. You probably consider Nick Stellino a traitor for using bacon in carbonara instead of guanciale despite him having been born and raised in Sicily and is a trained professional chef. I've seen a native Italian woman make carbonara over on the Pasta Grannies channel and cooking it with white wine and still you'll find Italians complaining in the comments sections. That's all you ever see an Italian do in the comments section in any and every TH-cam video with Italian food.
Should always pour the pasta in the sauce? Tell that to the 100 years old Leticia, 101 year old Concettina, 95 year old Rachele, and multiple other elderly Italian women over on the Pasta Grannies channel who never did any of that in their videos. There are some who do and you'll find many who don't.
RALPHS IS THE BEST Italian restaurant in Philly I've been going there for 40 years
if this place was in my neighborhood i'd be 500 lbs. There used to be a decent italian place where i live but its since gone out of business and now i can only get noodles and co.
You need to try Spassos on Front and Chestnut !!
Will give it a try
there ya go
Wow, my Mother and family came here from Salerno. Our recipe is almost exact but we dice up fresh garlic rather than the carmelized. I mean.... that looks likes us cooking at home. Thanks for saving the traditions. Sundays at 2:30 are awesome!
Science: We've made so much progress in a 100 years
Restaurants: Recipes havent changed in a 100 years so it must be good
Thank you for sharing this, one of my favorites 😋.. Stay inspired 😊
A friend of mine’s mom was Sicilian. She made her meatballs and just dropped them in her spaghetti sauce. She never covered her sauce with a lid which resulted in no greasy film on top. Bellissimo! ❤
Little doubt that pork mixed with beef is a must. From there you can add oregano, basil, garlic, or red pepper flakes. Ramano or Parmagania. As I said above, each region had an herb mixture and different secret seasonings so it really is what you prefer or where in Italy or Sicily your descendants came from.
Now what Ralphs does by cooking them in olive oil is the lock of moisture with minimal cooking time. I do not eat foods cooked in straight grease or oil save for one single clam plate per summer. An Ipswitch clam plate today,,,,,,$ 35.oo bucks!
Amazing ! Yummy. I will never forget my grandma's holiday meals. She was from Abruzzse. My mother made dynamite Italian food too! She wasn't even Italian.
Been going to Ralph’s since before I was old enough to walk. It’s still the best and every time I go home to Philly, I make a pilgrimage to Ralph’s.
Pure comfort food.....my grandmother made the most delicious spaghetti and meatballs, in addition to home made raviolis......magnificent.
Caramelized garlic? That's something I need to try.
Oh wow seriously you never tried it before?Caramelized garlic is pretty common in Asia especially in restaurants/chinese food as condiments.
@@Lo-ed4fq Yeah. I’m Asian and it’s in most of my meals.
Not a bad version! I do them differently but they seem alright too!!
It looks like an oily burnt mess to me
@@somoscuantos3069 u dont know nothing about cooking thats big meatballs with pork need to make sure it cooks through
I've eaten here ..I'm from Philly and now live in central Florida...I miss South Philly and the food sooooo much...the bread, the gravy, hoagies, soft pretzels and the great Italian Restaurants...
I agree. I'm born and raised in South Jersey / Philly area. I'm Italian and now live in Florida as well. But learned that Italian style cooking from my mom. That way you don't miss it as much. 😄
I am not Italian, but a Swede. Believe me, 50/50 meat mix is the way to go. I have tasted many variants of minced meat around the world, and getting that pork in makes a difference. Frying might not be the traditional Italian way to make meatballs, but that is how it is done in Sweden. And NO, I am not talking about IKEA here. :)
This seems like a very nice restaurant and I would simply love to try their meatballs!
Yes, it is very good. They make a spinach side that is perfect.
I do half Italian sausage and half ground sirloin in mine, except I add a couple cracked eggs and use panko breadcrumbs. I bake them though. They come out perfect every time. 350 degrees for 45 min.
Do you mean just regular Panko bread crumbs or the Italian seasoned ones? I bought the latter but may try mixing in some fresh shredded Italian bread. I don't want to have my meatball sandwiches taste overly seasoned.
Looks great. I always make my meatballs “loose”. If I get the ratio of ingredients right the balls will lightly split but not fall apart so they absorb the sauce. Nothing worse than meatballs that feel like you’re chewing on an eraser.
Lmao that description is accurate, I hate dense meatballs
That's exactly how I make my meatballs. I moved to Bali ten years ago and my Balinese kids love them.
Love , love , love your recipes
My Nonnie was known for her fried meatballs ! I ended up with one of her Frying pans to make them in in the wet Italian bread is the trick with the breadcrumbs those look awesome and of course lots of garlic Wish I could walk into her kitchen and smell her cooking again 💕
*throws in fresh herbs* narrator: he throws in dry herbs
This is the way to make great meatballs! I use a very similar recipe handed down from my grandmother from Falerna Italy. Spices include parsley, basil, white pepper, salt, Italian bread crumbs, good quality pecorino Romano and sometimes pine nuts! Eggs for adhesion and caramelized garlic
I bet that smells amazing during frying! 🤤🤤
Looks absolutely awesome. This video makes me hungry
Our high school English literature teacher used to say. Never trust an Italian restaurant, when its' name ends with a consonant. A lesson in both life and English 😂😂😂 thank you Mr. Moon
Its coming ROMEEEEEEEE AHAHAHAHAH
I’m just here to read the this isn’t real Italian food comments.
same lol
😂😂
Kiki 81 the only thing that isn’t actually from Italy is meatballs. Anyone who has been to Italy knows they started making meatballs there just recently. So your comment is kinda comical.
its american
tu débarques kiki. It is an italian's american heritage. Next : French fries comes from Belgium....are you also aware that Earth is not flat.....
Damn, this is exactly how I used to make my meatballs, except I vary the seasoning.
I started baking them because it’s easier, faster and cleaner. You can fit more meatball in the oven on trays, you don’t have to worry about cleaning the oil, and you don’t have to babysit them.
But a half-beef, half-pork, pan-fried meatball cooked in a cast iron skillet is sooo damn good.
Like the chef said, that hot oil creates a sear and a crust which provides flavor but also seals the juices into the meatball. In the oven, some juices drip out.
But this is a pretty standard way to make meatballs in America and if you have the time to do it, it is very flavorful and satisfying.
pork is so gross.
I’m from S. Philly, and you can’t beat the Italian restaurants back home. I haven’t been to this one but I remember if I wanted to take a lady to someplace special I’d take her to the Original Bookbinder. If I want Italian food I go home to S. Philly.
Taylor and Ed leaving 500$ tip
Big Shaq: Hey there, my name's uncle Shaq
I think they pretty much gave away their whole recipe in this video 😁
Now i can open my own meatball shop!
@Golden Potato I will probably recreate this meatball in my own personal vlog.
That's called being generous you zoomer
No, the meatballs are tooo dense. More bread (crumbs) and a little heavy cream.
The sauce is the key
Just make it better than they do.
It looks really delicious just by watching the video 😋
Meatballs are a fun recipe to try on your own, you can also mix and match with so many different combos
Philadelphia was on the tail end of a baseball tour I was on back in '07. I was soooo disappointed that I could fit a visit to this wonderful neighborhood before seeing a Phillies home game.
Love that this restaurant has its own vibes.
those are not vibes but testicles.
This place is on my bucket list. Greetings from Sydney Australia ❤️
This is how my 100% Italian grandmother taught my mother and she taught me. Wet bread and the meat mixture and everything. It’s delicious.
Everything in Ralph's is good. We use to go down to South Philly for their Mussles and their Calimari. But, I found that everything in Ralph's is excellent.
It’s interesting how Italians that migrated to the USA adapted the traditional recipes to American tastes. Italians that migrated to Brazil managed to keep the traditional recipes intact. Although I actually like Italian-American food.
Most Italian American food in the US is just watered down italian food like olive garden, the only good Italian American food is in the northeast US, especially in boston, philadelphia, NYC. Its not like the food in italy but its made by people who decended from italians, tastes amazing
@@firstlast-pq1tx Yes, I’ve has some truly amazing Italian food in the New England. Handmade pastas with perfect blends of authentic Italian ingredients. My only complaint is that good/authentic Italian food in America comes with a hefty price tag.
@@firstlast-pq1tx That might have been true long ago, but there are Italian ran restaurants all over the U.S. I'm in SoCal and we have some awesome Italian food as so many people settle here. I travel a lot and find that finding great Italian is just as hard in Italy. Just like anywhere, there is a lot of medicore, you have to do your research to find the good stuff.
I'm on a mission to make the perfect meatball so when this popped up in my feed, I couldn't resist. Here's a little secret I've used to make some juicy meatballs with an amazing texture. With the beef and pork mixture (you can use veal if you want), add some mortadella...just chop it up fine and mix it into the meatball mixture with all the other ingredients. It gives extra fat and a rich flavor.
Another tip: Don't make your meatballs too small or they'll just dry out. I like jumbo over-sized meatballs but these can also be a problem since the outside part of the meatballs can dry out before the middle is cooked. If you want to make really big meatballs, make your mixture a bit moister (looser). Typically people soak their bread in milk and then add the bread and milk (rather than squeezing the excess moisture from the bread). I don't know if this is 'correct' I just know it has worked for me. For large meatballs, the extra fat from the mortadella will help a lot.
I love the mortadella idea. Gunna try. Adding fresh bread crumb is huge too.
1st place i ate at when moving to Philly in 88.Very comforting.Food was solid.
A destination spot when visiting Philadelphia. Must go back to that wonderful city very soon
I’m from south philly and I never been here. Drive past it all the time tho. This makes me want to make a reservation
Eh, it's ok... nothing to go crazy about. You want bangin Italian food, go to Spassos on Front and Chestnut
Been to Ralph’s many times and it’s amazing.
My Italian father from New Orleans made the best meatballs and spaghetti gravy. He grudgingly passed his recipe onto me, so I can still enjoy it, but I think he left out his secret ingredient (he said he would!) because they just aren’t quite as good as his. We definitively had those ingredients and fried them first, but they simmered in the sauce for 3+ hours before serving. Just the right texture and flavor. Yum! Need to go thaw some of my last batch. I’m hungry!
Looks delish. Definitely an Italian-American staple the Spaghetti & Meatballs.
The guy eating wearing a Dak Prescott jersey was really testing his luck that day lol
Funny
Oh please
I have a cousin who lives in South Jersey near Philly and he's also a Cowboy's fan lol.
Thank you for the video. I have been to Ralph’s, and their next door neighbor, Sarcone’s many times.
You are lucky to have eaten at Ralph's. The rest of us can only dream about it and wonder how good is it that they can be in business for 45 years.
Sarcones!!!!!
@@ralph0901 mmmmmm Tomato Pie.
Sarcone's....best bread ever!
That gravy & meatball looks FIRE !!!
Red gravy, love it. I made the meatballs for the pizza place I worked, I loved it and was good at it and nobody else wanted to do it! Ate a lot of meatball sandwiches.
"If you don't like spaghetti and meatballs.. why don't you get the hell out?!" - Steve Buscemi in Big Daddy
I prefer lamb and tuna fish lol
"you dont mix da meat with da pasta." -Furio in Sopranos.
South Philly has the best food!
My grandma from Calabria made the best meatballs, but I respect other regions of Italy and their traditions. We love what we grew up eating.
I have made a lot of different types of meatballs. Fried. Baked. Non traditional with chorizo and boudin. I am in south Texas, so of course I have made them on the grill. Traditional recipe meatballs on the grill are a gamechanger. Takes a little practice, but totally worth the effort.
Pro tip: after I'm finished a meal at Ralph's, I go next door (3:58) to Sarcone's if they are open for the best bread in Philly.
Frying those meatballs is the way my mother's side of the family cook them + and then they put them in the sauce
its the best way
Ralph’s veal parmigiana is amazing. Broccoli Rabe is also fantastic. When in Philly, it’s a must go place!
Sir, perfection on your meatballs & the spaghetti & red gravy, potstanding
Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.
👊👊👍👍👍👍
Hello
How are you doing today
In my entire life, no one ever served a version of this to me, and when it came to me, it was DISGUSTING.
This looks WONDERFUL. The ingredients, the care in preparation…
I would order this, happily.
OMG these look delicious !
That looks SO good.
Is it weird that I drooled while watching this in bed at 2am?
Meatball recipe Pro Tip: Use hot dog buns for the binder. There is more of the browned bread than just regular bread. Try it! You’ll Like It!
An older Italian Grandmother told me this in a grocery store. I personally wouldn’t question her and it works great.
It sounds like absolute crap to me and it makes me pretty sure that you have never tasted Italian bread in your life. Not what people call Italian bread I am talking about bread from good bakeries in Philadelphia and South Jersey
Hot Dog buns? lol
Nice vedeo very interisting ❤
Congrats for 2mil subs
As a first generation Italian American I never heard the term gravy used at the table unless it was going over mashed potatoes which was an American dish. Home made sauce was called sugo.
Sugo is gravy Bro.
my recipe is similar, i use fennel seeds.😎✅ i learned the recipe from my father who has passed on. lol i usually use enough fresh garlic to deplete the strategic garlic supply. like the vid shows, you must fry the meatballs in quality olive oil and the meatballs have to be made from pork and beef combine.
Yes I put anise in mine works great
That actually looks so good
One of my favorite restaurants of all time. 💜
‘Gotta have the pork”-- “ah that’s the flavor”
“Here’s your lobsters Vinny”.
Beef
Pork
Italian breadcrumbs
Salt and pepper
Ramona cheese
Sautéed and Caramelized garlic
Dry herbs
Thanks
Thanks!
It looked like he used fresh herbs
Ate there several times. Knew the family
The Best in Philly, period!!!
Sautéed carmelized garlic.... amazing
I'm hungry😂
This is soooooo yummy
It’s Great to be Italian.
Not this year.
Thank God I'm Italian!
He makes them exactly how my South Philly Italian family makes them. They came from 🇮🇹 Italy in the late 1800s
That's very similar to how we have made our meatballs for three generations. My family came from Bisacquino Sicily.
You know you're eating home cooking when they call the sauce "the gravy".
“Dry herbs”
-the visibly fresh chopped parsley: am I a joke to you?
So true.... We all saw fresh parsley.... lol.
Dry herbs would mean if you got 2 meatballs with your pasta, you'd need 2 toothpicks as well...... 😂😂
Yea def gotta try this if i head out to Philly
I'm born and raised in S Philly.
Absolutely a sensational method of making meatballs; best & only way in my opinion to make them. However, there's place in Pittsburgh named Scoglio's which also does a wonderful job-- try them out!
FYI:
For those who haven't dined in ITALY,
"Spaghetti and Meatballs" are strictly "American".
Just like "Corned Beef and Cabbage" on St. Paddy's Day.
Nobody cares.
@@iamtrollingu8588 W
BINGO!! The Irish bought corned beef from Jewish delis in NY when they came over. Then the dish was created HERE.👍
Together yes, but both are Italian and served in different courses so your wrong...
Tiresome. Nobody gives a shit.
It's the cheese, herbs and especially the sauteed caramelized garlic. Most places don't take that last step.
I add lots of fennel seeds. In the sauce, too.
@@jselectronics8215 I hate fennel
Damn, I am almost drooling!
That meatball mixture clearly had eggs in it that she forgot to mention!!! Looks yummy!!!
0:25 This guy looks like Danny Devito's head on Tom Hanks body
I was,wondering about that bec i usually never eat meatballs out bec i am extremely allergic to eggs.
I use beef, fresh sour dough bread that i make into breadcrumbs and canned whole evaporated milk to add richness and moisture, no eggs and they are tender and light.
No egg
I’m now starving
Me too!
It looks mouth watering.
Looks like a great place to eat!!
Ralphs: "12000 meatballs a week"
Coronavirus: "Hold my Modelo, imma end this mans career"
Looks lovely, pity she didn’t include the sauce recipe!
John Furey they can’t otherwise they wouldn’t be selling the dish anymore if everyone could make it at home
Amazing restaurant. The chicken parmigiana is to die for there. If you’ve never been to Philly try this spot you won’t be disappointed that’s for sure
I'm a Sicilian and have been making meatballs utilizing my grandmother's recipes. I change my meatball recipe up every so often just to have a change... Sometimes I use beef and pork and other times I use beef and veal. At times I fry them and other times I bake them at a high heat. No matter what I do like the change once in a while. Bottom line, these look really good and the next time I'm in Philly I must make my way for dinner at Ralphs.
2:28 "That's a dense, dense meatball."
2:33 "he uses the pork to give it that silky velvety texture."
2:38 "And it's really is, it's, like smoother and silkier and not, like, packed, compacted ground beef
Firstly, she says it's dense then she says it smooth and not compacted.
Secondly, She mentions the pork then calls it ground beef.
I guess Food Insiders hire "FUC****** Donkeys" Gordon Ramsey
My heeerooo 😘 was waiting for this comment
pork make them to superballs hard.
@@edmundooliver7584 bro?
Great bread