Sometimes (okay, often times) my job requires me to spend hours eating meatballs and drinking wine. This past Saturday, I was invited to be one of the judges of a meatball competition at Georgetown's Charles Smith Wines. (The contest was held in celebration of the launch of the winery's new line of Italian wines, Casa Smith.) The meatballs—all of which, I'm happy to report, were good—were made by chefs Mauro Golmarvi (Assaggio Ristorante), Salvio Varchetta (Barolo Ristorante), Matt Fortner (Trattoria Cuoco), Deborah Taylor (Staple & Fancy), Salvador Gonzales (Via Tribunali), and Michael Crossley (Vito's).

Trattorio Cuoco chef Matt Fortner was deservingly named "King of the Meatball," and given a plush red velvet crown, as well as a check for $5,000, which he donated to the Seattle Animal Shelter. Fortner's meatballs, made from a combination of beef, veal, and pork, were intensely flavorful—dark and meaty. But his marinara sauce, which was thick, bright red, and sweet, also stood out. Fortner's offering was a bold rendition of a classic—it was everything I expected, but also totally arresting.

I liked all the meatballs I tried—and was struck by the range of textures, flavors, and meats brought by the chefs to such a familiar food item. Vito's chef Michael Crossley made spicy meatballs, imbued with many herbs and a distinct hit of smoked paprika. Barolo chef Salvio Varchetta made very large, tender veal meatballs stuffed with prosciutto and provolone cheese. But the other meatball I was most taken with came from Staple & Fancy chef Deborah Taylor, who used a simple mixture of equal parts veal and ricotta cheese. The result was a meatball that was light and ethereal, but that also had a juicy, milky richness to it. And while Taylor's meatballs were also braised in a tomato sauce, she seasoned them with nutmeg, which was unexpected and took my idea of an Italian meatball in an entirely new direction.

Here's the best news: This isn't one of those annoying food blog posts where I spend all this time telling you about special, one-of-a-kind dishes that you'll never be able to try. Fortner's meatballs are available during happy hour and dinner at Cuoco, and Taylor's veal-and-ricotta meatballs are currently on Staple & Fancy's menu, where they are served atop spaghetti. Spaghetti and meatballs are obviously an enduring, classic dish, but considering Seattle's world of seasonal and ever-changing menus, you should probably go eat them right now.