"Much like a Damian Lillard playoff performance or any A24 horror movie, a meal at Maialino in Gramercy hardly ever lets us down. Since they’re in the Gramercy Park Hotel, you can effectively stop by at any time of day for a consistently excellent meal - they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and if you show up at an odd hour, you can snack on some suppli and spicy Calabrian chile duck wings while you drink a spritz. The Roman pastas, like a creamy carbonara or a cacio e pepe made with the slightly-thicker-than-spaghetti tonarelli, are always cooked perfectly al dente. The pastries and desserts are ever-changing, but are consistently buttery and delicious (we miss you, olive oil cake that we spent years trying to recreate). We’ve celebrated multiple special occasions here and taken pretty much our whole family to this restaurant, but you don’t need a special occasion to have a bowl of pasta and a cocktail at Maialino. Food Rundown Suppli Al Telefono A bar menu-only item that’s basically arancini, but with tomato risotto and mozzarella inside. They’re excellent and guaranteed to be so hot inside that you burn the sht out of your mouth. Carciofini Fritti A fairly standard order of tiny fried artichokes - we’re never mad about eating them, but they won’t be the star of your table, either. Tonnarelli Cacio E Pepe A very simple long Roman noodle with cheese and black pepper. This is one of our favorite things to eat at Maialino. Bucatini All’Amatriciana This amazing bucatini is perfectly al dente and sits in a spicy tomato sauce with pork jowl. Maialino Al Forno This is the Maialino specialty - a big piece of crispy-skinned pork that serves anywhere between three and five. It’s a large hunk of meat, and it’s good, but we prefer the pastas and the brunch items here. Brioche Caramellato Toffee-glazed brioche. You are going to want two of these, even after you eat a heavy brunch. Poached Egg And Porchetta Sandwich An Italian breakfast sandwich that can rival any BEC or pork roll out there. Torta Della Nonna Our favorite dessert (though the bread pudding is awesome, too), this is a lemon tart with pine nuts. So good." - Carlo Mantuano
