Maialino

I’ve been to Maialino, located in the Gramercy Park Hotel, about three times now.  However, I never made it into their dining room, as I love to sit at the long open bar, which is why it’s only fair I review just the bar area in this post. 

The bar area at Maialino has a very modern European café look to it, and their dining room resembles an old school Roman trattoria.  Blue and white picnic-style tablecloths cover the wooden tables, fresh baked breads line the walls, a small open kitchen displaying the house-made charcuterie, wine bottles lining the room dividers, and huge windows facing the street allowing so much natural light in.  Maialino is definitely a great place to grab a drink and a quick bite to eat.  They even serve breakfast, and I have been trying my best for months to wake up early enough try their Porchetta sandwich.  Roast pork and fried eggs served in a roll.  Now that sounds like a great way to wake up. 

To say the staff is friendly is an understatement.  Everyone who works here is incredibly nice.  For those who know me, yes this opinion is a little biased as I know a quarter of the staff, but I can see how they serve other patrons as well.  Every diner here seems very comfortable, as if they were sitting in someone’s home.  Danny Meyer’s famous hospitality definitely comes through with this restaurant. 

Maialino has such a personal touch to it.  In fact, it’s so personal they even had my name on the bar.  On my third visit, and sitting on the comfortable high bar stools, I looked up at the wine cooler and saw this.

That’s supposed to read “21 A”, but doesn’t it look like “Zia” to you?  Either way, I was pretty happy and surprised.

The Executive Chef here is Nick Anderer.  Over a decade ago, Nick went on a college trip to Italy, and after falling in love with the food decided he wanted to pursue cooking as a career.  He wasted no time jumping into professional kitchens and attending the “school of hard knocks”, as he has no formal culinary education.  Over the next decade leading up to Maialino he spent years perfecting his technique in kitchens in Italy and New York, including the kitchen of recent Next Iron Chef winner Marc Forgione.  All his hard work paid off, as he is now running the kitchen at what many consider to be one of the best restaurants in the city.  His brother, Peter, is also in the restaurant business, and is the General Manager over at The Breslin. 

Onto Nick’s food.  On my second visit to Maialino a few months ago I sampled a few of their bar snacks.  Most of them are under $10, and actually, a few are even under $5.  A few of these and a cocktail or two is a great way to spend an early evening at the bar. 

Deviled Eggs – Sadly, not on the current bar menu, and it’s a huge shame.  They were probably the best deviled eggs I have ever had.  Very reminiscent of the deviled eggs at The Spotted Pig, with cayenne pepper and olive oil, but what took them to the next level was the addition of a pickled sardine.  Something so small can sometimes take a dish so far.  They were incredible, and definitely spoiled me as I probably will never find another deviled egg so flavorful in NY.  The ones offered at Resto are close, but the addition of a fried pork terrine would make anything taste good. 

“Cuore di Pollo” (Rosemary and Chicken Heart Skewers) – They are exactly what they sound like.  I can’t remember if two or three hearts are offered, though.  The chicken hearts are pounded thin, and cooked on a stem of rosemary.  Served with sea salt and a lemon wedge.  The rosemary skewer offers a great scent and flavor, and the lemon gives the chicken heart the bright acidity it is lacking.  For $3, you can’t go wrong with this one, so be a little adventurous and try it. 

Pork and Beans – That’s not the name of the dish, but it’s what I’m going to call it, as sadly this is not currently offered on the menu either.  The dish was a stuffed pig trotter over a stew of white beans.  The trotter was braised, sliced into three, and laid out over perfectly cooked cannellini beans.  The trotter had a very subtle flavor, and was not gelatinous as I was expecting it to be.  My only complaint about this dish was that it needed a little more brightness, but I fixed that by squeezing a bit of lemon juice into it taken from the Chicken Hearts dish.  Problem solved. 

On my third visit to the restaurant last Friday I met my match.  I had so much food, and quite honestly, left the restaurant in a little bit of pain.  The pain however, was very much worth it. 

“Prosciutto Cotta al Maialino” – This is their housemade suckling pig ham.  That’s right, they are making their own prosciutto in house.  For those that don’t know, the process of making prosciutto can take anywhere from nine months to two years.  It is made from taking a pig or wild boar’s hind leg, salt-curing it for two months, then washed and hung until dry.  The process is a lot more involved and requires a lot more attention to get it right as I have just described, but I’m giving you a quick explanation.  “Prosciutto crudo” refers to thin slices of uncooked, cured ham, and “Prosciutto cotta”, which Maialino serves, refers to thin slices of cooked ham.  Over a dozen slices are laid out in a white plate bearing the restaurant’s name.  Olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper are the only garnishes.  Their prosciutto is amazing. 

Suckling Pig Ham

“Funghi Trifolati” – A mix of mushrooms, in this case maitake, cremini, and king trumpet, tossed in white wine, garlic, anchovy, and fresh herbs.  So simple and perfect.  Go eat it. 

Wild Mushrooms in White Wine

Maialino’s burger – Also not on the menu, but offered as a special during lunch.  I opted for this as I have heard so many great things about it.  Nick created this burger for Eater.com’s burger week a while back.  It is seven ounces (7 – that’s just under half a pound), of brisket meat, house-cured pepper bacon, gorgonzola cheese, lettuce, brioche bun, and a side of pork cracklings.  Do I really need to describe why I got this?  Do I really need to describe why the stomach pain was worth it?  I didn’t think so.  The burger was cooked to a medium-rare on a plancha (think griddle), and was honestly one of the best I have ever had in NY, as well as expensive, coming in at $19 (I still do think the lamb burger at The Breslin is better).  The pork cracklings are an excellent touch, light and crispy, and were devoured before anything else.  The burger also comes with a small side salad of greens, as if it weren’t filling enough. 

Maialino's Burger & Pork Cracklings

I am definitely going to make my way in to Maialino again soon, as there are so many other things I want to try.  I am hearing so many great things about the “Asparagi all Bismark”, which is asparagus served with a fried egg.  Everyone I know who has tried it has been raving about it, even Danny Meyer himself.  This restaurant is so deserving of all the attention it has received over the past year and a half. 

Maialino

2 Lexington Ave in the Gramercy Park Hotel

New York, NY 10010