I’ve been trying to keep this under wraps, but I can’t live with this secret any longer. I’ve got a clandestine obsession… an addiction almost… to meatballs. And not just any. It’s those saucy, spicy, cute little teriyaki and pineapple meatballs at Beyond. On their menu, they’re called simply “Meatballs.” They should be called “Holy-Moly-I-Could-Eat-Ten-Orders-Of-These-Things Meatballs.” That’s just my opinion.

Brandy and I frequent this place… well, frequently, and not just for the food. I mean, the sushi (and meatballs) is the number one reason we go, but there are other reasons: birthday parties, bachelorette parties, revenge parties, and good ole’ girl talk. In fact, on this particular evening, we sorta forgot our purpose for going—this post—and fell into our usual Beyond habits—talking, sharing, laughing, and eventually crying… which ALWAYS happens. Not sure why, but I think it has to do with sharing food. Their menu is broad and varied—there’s truly something for everyone—but it also contains many items that are easily shareable. So there’s a sense of commune in that place, of being one with the food and the people and the surroundings… very Zen, if I may say so. And so there we were, eating and catching up with each others’ lives, taking few photos and notes. Sure, it’s less material for the blog, but it’s more material for our friendship.

Angry Salmon

We ordered the Curry Puffs—really delish; the Meatballs—I ate them all before Brandy even uncapped the lens (sorry); and two rolls: the Dukes and the Angry Salmon, both of which are excellent. We also like the White Knight, the Danny roll, and Japanese Breakfast. When the food arrived, we also ended up with the Rainbow… we’re not sure why, but let’s just call it karma. That’s a lot of food for two small people, and I was ready to curl up under the bar and take a little nappy-poo.

The Rainbow

To drink I had a Fat Tire Amber draft and Brandy had a Blue Moon, which is what she orders when there’s no Juju Ginger beer. Now, it’s not Beyond’s fault—Juju is one of those “limited production” seasonal beers, and when it does make it to the burg, you’ve gotta be pretty sly to get to it before Brandy. To Beyond’s credit, they did go to extra-great lengths to have it on hand for her birthday party last June.

The highlight of the evening was hearing Dan sing The Cranberries song “Zombie” every time he made that drink. “… what’s in your head? in your head? zombie, Zombie, ZOMBAY-AY-AY!” Thanks for the ear worm, Dan. Just kidding. We love ya!

Beyond is located on Water Street across from Shank’s Bakery. Oh, and here’s the recipe for a Zombay-ay-ay:

1/2 oz Bacardi® 151 rum
1 oz pineapple juice
1 oz orange juice
1/2 oz apricot brandy
1 tsp sugar
2 oz light rum
1 oz dark rum
1 oz lime juice