· Brooklyn's Finest
Arancini means a fried rice ball
Arancini are Sicilian rice balls, breaded and fried, named for the little orange shape of the original ones. A common version starts with risotto, often saffron, that has been chilled until it holds together. A piece of ragù, peas, or mozzarella goes in the center. The ball is breaded and fried so the outside shatters and the center stays soft. In some shops they are round. In others they are cones. Both get called arancini. Supplì, the Roman cousin, is usually a simpler rice croquette with mozzarella that stretches. People use the names loosely. The food is fried rice, shaped.
That is the general dish. It is not a claim that every rice ball on every menu follows it. If a shop prints a filling, use the printed filling. If it does not, do not invent one.
The rice balls on our menu
Brooklyn's Finest Pizza lists them under A Taste of Brooklyn, not under a separate arancini heading. The cheese rice ball is $6.99, described as deep-fried balls of delicious rice and cheese. That is the description we will stand on: rice, cheese, fried. The meat rice ball is $7.49, and the menu does not describe the meat. The rice ball special is $7.99, and the menu does not describe the special. We will not guess a ragù, a pea, or a mozzarella center for those two. Ask (718) 815-7070 if the filling matters before you order them.
Mini rice ball catering is a tray, not the single snack. The catering menu lists a half tray for 6–9 people and a full tray for 10–15. Confirm the price on the catering page or in the cart. A $6.99 cheese rice ball is the single order. It does not become a tray because you wished it would.
How people eat them
A rice ball is a starter or a snack next to a pie, not a whole dinner for a table. One or two per person is a normal add-on. They are rich. Fried rice and cheese adds up faster than a plain slice. Pair them with a salad or a plain pie if the rest of the meal is also heavy. Marinara on the side is a common dip. Our menu has a marinara dipping sauce as its own item if you want it written on the ticket.
They are best hot. A rice ball that sits in a box through a long ride softens. Pickup and eating soon is the better plan. Reheat in a hot oven if you must, not in a microwave that turns the crust to sponge. That is general leftover advice, not a catering instruction.
A home version is not our recipe
If you are making arancini at home, chill the risotto until it is stiff, portion it, tuck in a cube of mozzarella or a spoon of meat sauce, bread it, and fry until the crust is deep gold. Work with wet hands. Warm rice will not hold. That outline is enough to understand the dish. It is not our kitchen's method, and it should not be used to argue with the cheese rice ball we actually sell.
Our cheese one is the one with a printed description. Order that if you want rice and cheese, fried. Order the meat one only if you have asked what the meat is, or if you are willing to take the name at face value. The special is a third item. Read it on the menu the day you order.
Where to get them
Order at Order Online, which is order.brooklynsfinestsi.com, or call (718) 815-7070. On an iPhone or iPad, the app sends the same menu. The shop is at 1250 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10305. Rice balls can ride with a pie for pickup. Delivery is within 4 miles. Hours end at 10:00 PM, or 10:30 PM on Friday and Saturday.
Arancini at this counter are the rice balls in A Taste of Brooklyn. The cheese one is described. The other two are named. That is the honest menu. Come in, or add them to an order, and skip any recipe that pretends to be ours.
They share the menu with panelle and potato sandwiches in the same section, which are also snacks, not entrées. A rice ball plus a slice is a small meal. A rice ball plus a hero is a bigger one. If you are ordering a tray of minis for a party, say the head count and use the half-tray or full-tray portion, 6–9 or 10–15, instead of trying to multiply the $6.99 snack in your head. Ask what is in the meat ball if anyone at the table avoids a filling. The cheese ball is the one you can describe from the menu without a phone call. It is $6.99, fried, rice and cheese. Order it by that name. The meat ball and the special stay on the menu as names until you ask what is in them. A party tray of minis is a different size again. Do not send someone a photo of a Sicilian arancino from another country and expect our cheese ball to match the filling in the picture. Match the words on our menu, then eat it hot.
Visit the shop
Brooklyn's Finest Pizza is at 1250 Hylan Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10305. Call (718) 815-7070.
- Monday – Thursday: 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
- Friday – Saturday: 10:00 AM – 10:30 PM
- Sunday: 10:30 AM – 10:00 PM