Maialino

This Sunday I had the opportunity to go to Maialino for brunch. Maialino is Danny Meyer's new restaurant which just opened in the Gramercy Park Hotel. Danny Meyer is also responsible for other top restaurants such as Eleven Madison Park, Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe. Maialino isn't pretentious or super high class, but it serves up some of the freshest Italian food in the area. You can either walk into Maialino's own enterance or enter through the hotel loby. The loby is absolutely stunning and is worth checking out. The restaurant is designed like a traditional yet elegant classic Italian trattoria and comes equipped with its own cold cut and bread station. With that said Maialino, which means "Little Pig" in Italian, doesn't emphasize on both those areas but rather is a well rounded Italian restaurant. The portions aren't large but neither are the prices as an average entree for brunch costs around $14. The brunch menu mainly consists of egg dishes such as Cacio e Pepe Strapazzato (scrambled eggs and pepper corn) and Uova al Contadino (poached eggs with spinach and turnips) but they also have dishes like Ravioli with Egg Yolk and Ricotta and Pennoni alla Carbonara. The Prosciutto and Buffalo Mozzarella is a fantastic starter for the table. The buffalo mozzarella is excellent as well as the prosciutto that is served and you can tell Maialino only uses the freshest ingredients in their dishes. The Pennoni alla Carbonara was pretty good I must say. Like I said earlier, the portions aren't large but just enough to make the dish satisfying. Also the Salsiccia di Cacio e Rapini (Sausage with Spinach) were excellent as well. My only complaint with Maialino was that the service seemed a bit overwhelmed at times (if they think its crowded at Maialino they shouldn't even step food in the Cipriani Downtown). Though our waiter was always kind through out our meal, my father had to hold the plates while six waiter tried to place our entrees on the table and clear our appetizers at the same time. Needless to say that didn't go as planned. Though the service can seemed a little chaotic at times, the food is excellent and the prices won't break the bank. Its not the trendiest restaurant in the city but I'd return to Maialino for excellent Italian food anytime!