Bites from Brunch at Maialino

Maialino’s brunch definitely didn’t help quell my obsession with Danny Meyer’s restaurants. I might as well have rolled out of there with the amount of food we ate. Do I regret it? Would you regret a honey butter glazed ham biscuit? Or a porchetta sandwich dripping with egg yolk and pork juices?? No, you wouldn’t.

For those of you who aren’t aware of Maialino, you will be now. Located in the Gramercy Park hotel, it’s a perfect place for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner. I love it. The service can be a little slow, but that could be a good thing if you’re not in a rush or starving. I wasn’t in a rush, but I was definitely starving. We started out with the cheese plate (Maialino has an excellent bread/cheese/pastry station right in the middle of the restaurant for your viewing and smelling pleasure – it’s kind of torture actually), the honey butter glazed ham biscuit, and the potato fritters with scallions and prosciutto. Told you we were hungry.

Cheese plate, biscuit and fritters.

The fritters and the biscuit are worth going back for alone. Seriously. I think I could have just eaten those instead of my entree. The bread here – I can’t stress enough – amazing. Buttery, sweet, with flecks of chopped ham inside. You can’t go wrong. The fritters were crispy on the outside and super creamy and soft on the inside. A perfect salty snack to start..

The beautiful insides of the fritters (left) and the biscuit

What is porchetta? Delicious. That’s what it is. But ok, it’s a boneless rolled pork roast that is generously rubbed with savory things like garlic, rosemary, and a heavy handful of salt. Post-roast, it is sliced thin and served on a sandwich (usually). Maialino’s version is drool-worthy, topped with two fried eggs, cracked black pepper and arugula on ciabatta bread (there’s that bread again!). I warn you: do not eat this sandwich if you are in the presence of anyone you wish to view you as sexy. It’s a damned mess to eat, which as we all know, means it’s worth the grease-face.

Good morning porchetta!

 

Maialino

2 Lexington Avenue 

212-777-2410

Opentable Link click here: Maialino

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