Maialino

So much for my New Years resolution... this little pig did me in. Maialino, Danny Meyer’s newest restaurant in the Gramercy Park Hotel, is the pig in question. The place is teeming with Gramercy Tavern alumni. So when I went with former Lot 2 chef Scott Bridi (also from GT, now with Marlow & Daughters), I knew that my “diet” was soon to be thrown out the window. Eh, I wasn’t doing all that well anyway. How could I not give in when a seemingly endless amount of beautiful plates kept arriving at our table? If I were to describe each one, this post would be far too long. Instead I will list all the wonderful items we tasted and then describe my personal favorites. Although, with such a lengthy meal it’s almost hard to remember everything.

Salumi:

Prosciutto (I don’t recall which particular one of the 3 on their menu)

Finocchiona

Salame (again, not sure which one)

Soppressata Piccante

Cheese:

Mozzarella di Bufula

Robiola Bosina

some kind of Pecorino

Anipasti:

Animelle d’Abbacchi (lamb sweetbreads)

Insalata di Bottarga

Primi:

Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe

Spaghetti alle Vongole

Bucatini all’Amatriciana

Raviolo al Uovo

Secondi:

Maialino al Forno

Pig’s foot

Dessert:

Sformato Di Ricotta

Tiramisu

Tartufo

hazelnut bread pudding (I can't remember the name)

I think my favorite part of the meal was this Sformato Di Ricotta with figs and drizzled with an aged balsamic. Dessert in general is always my favorite & pastry chef Jennifer Shelbo made sure we had plenty (thank you!). Other stand outs were the silky prosciutto, the creamy robiola cheese, and of course the restaurant’s namesake with it’s crispy skin and tender, succulent meat. The Bucatini all’Amatriciana was probably my favorite non-dessert dish. The guanciale added nice texture and such delicious flavor. Overall, the meal was quite an experience. Thank you to everyone in the kitchen who prepared this amazing feast and came out to say hello!

Images from gastro chic and kathyylchan on flickr.