Ouest:The tilt-a-whirl scene in Valentiville.

Food
Best Meat Loaf
Ouest
2315 Broadway, near 84th Street
212-580-8700

The secret of great meat loaf is the right combination of meats to lend flavor and keep it moist. Chef Tom Valenti's homey, all-American meat loaf, served with an earthy mushroom sauce and mashed potatoes ($19), is on the menu at Ouest on Sunday evening only, and it's about as comforting as it gets. Equal quantities of pork, beef, and veal are wrapped in Valenti's favorite ingredient -- bacon, which bastes the meat while adding additional flavor and a crisp topping.
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Max
51 Avenue B
212-539-0111

At the ever-popular Max, the meat loaf ($9.95 lunch, $10.95 dinner) looks more like a mini-football than the traditional version. "Mom's" hearty Neapolitan creation, also available at the Harlem and Carroll Gardens locations (Mom gets around), sits in a pool of fresh tomato sauce with baked sliced potatoes and a balsamic-dressed mesclun salad on the side. It's not until the beefy "ball" is broken open that the surprise is revealed -- a stuffing of hard-boiled egg, prosciutto, and mozzarella cheese.