Besides revealing a little of her personal life at a demonstration, Giada De Laurentiis also hosted one of the kickoff parties to the Food Network's New York City Wine and Food Festival. On Thursday night she was taking pictures and passing out meatballs at Meatball Madness, a walk-around competition that featured over 30 of New York's Italian restaurants and chefs. 
While I thoroughly enjoyed Nate Appleman's (of Pulino's Bar and Pizzeria) pepperoni meatball, my favorite was from Missy Robbins of A Voce. Her meatball was stuffed with a wonderfully creamy herb and ricotta mixture. The top prize of the people's choice award, however, went to Mia Dona's Donatella Arpaia. Her tasty meatball was served slider-style on potato focaccia with cacciocavallo cheese. It was spicy and pretty darn delicious!
To get a better look at the event, check out the photos after the jump.
