NYC Restaurant Review - Maialino

Welcome foodies! Two days ago I had a spectacular meal at Danny Meyer's restaurant, Maialino. The whole experience was wonderful. I am very excited to share my review of this restaurant.

Maialino           2 Lexington Avenue, New York,  NY 10010

(Lunch - Summer Restaurant Week 2011)

This restaurant is absolutely in my top three favorite restaurants ever. Maialino was so spectacular. Not only did I have an incredible food but I also had amazing service which made a perfect overall experience. To start off, I must talk about the incredible service. I don't always spend a lot of time in a review to talk about the service but with the service I had, it must be expressed. To start off our waitress was great. Se was personable and knowledgeable. I had asked my waitress if Danny Meyer happened to be at the restaurant and she said unfortunately he wasn't. About ten minutes after I spoke with her, the general manager walked over to our table and said that Danny Meyer was not in town. He explained that if he was available Danny Meyer would have been happy to come by and visit the table. He said he was sorry about that and if there is anything I needed, just ask him. Already I was pleased to know that both the waitress and general manager made an effort to make my experience the best it could possibly be. Then it got even better. The dining room manager, Irulian Dabbs, walked over and apologized that Danny Meyer wasn't there. After that she offered to give me a tour of the kitchen. I was very excited. I met the sous chef, Joe, and he showed me the preparation for their signature pig dish that marinates over night. He said he was getting ready to cook it very soon at a very slow pace. This pig is served at dinner. I hope to get to try that soon. Also I got to visit the pastry section where I met the head pastry chef, Rachel Binder. She was very nice and when I returned to my table she brought over two Brioche Caramellato (brioche with a toffee glaze; like a sticky bun) that weren't on the menu. They were delicious. The service was truly great from the wait staff, the chefs, and the management. Now on to the food! My favorite appetizer was the Carciofini Fritti which was fried artichokes and an anchovy bread sauce. This dish was delicious. The saltiness from the anchovy sauce gave the artichokes even more amazing flavor. My second favorite dish was the Polpetti Affogati which was seared baby octopus with black olives and scallions. It was very flavorful and very refreshing. My favorite entree was the Chicken under a Brick. The chicken was very moist and full of flavor. Also there were little chilies in the dish that gave the dish some heat. They actually grow those chilies on the roof of there building. My second favorite dish was the Bombolotti all’Amatriciana which was with a spicy tomato sauce and guanciale. I also enjoyed the Malfatti al Maialino which is a suckling pig ragu with arugula. It was very delicious. For dessert everything was incredible. My favorite would be the Blueberry Tart. It was a great dessert that was just perfect. My second favorite dish was the Panna Cotta which is a buttermilk custard that came with a strawberry compote. I also loved the Brioche Caramellato that I mentioned earlier. Those are normally on the brunch menu. Everything was incredible. I recommend to check out Maialino very soon.

• Service was so amazing from the waitress to the managers
• Chicken Under a Brick was the best
• Blueberry Tart was amazing
• Brioche Caramellato was scrumptious

Definitely eat at Maialino! Also NYC Restaurant Week has been extended to September 5. Check back soon for a post with more details on the that, which will include the 200 participating restaurants. Bon Appetit!

-Mike