Picture 22Restaurateur Danny Meyer is known as the “King of Union Square” owning landmark restaurants like Gramercy Tavern and Union Square Cafe. With the very recent opening of his high-end restaurant, Maialino, in the chic Gramercy Park Hotel, it seems he has the new crown jewel to his empire.

Meyer has professed that it’s been his dream to open an authentic Italian restaurant and Maialino is the culmination of his hard work and vision. The name is actually Meyer’s nickname, meaning “roast suckling pig,” from when he lived in Rome in his early twenties. Of course, the signature dish at Maialino is the suckling pig.

One part wine bar, one part trattoria, the Roman-style restaurant serves dishes in true Italian style with primi, secondi and antipasti courses written in Italian. The dishes are simple, elegant, and fresh, using the local Greenmarket as its supplier. Just like the food, the restaurant reflects the juxtaposition between rustic Roma and modern NYC. The restaurant is outfitted in shades of brown and blue checkered tablecloths, but keeps its clean and modern lines.

In true Meyer fashion, Maialino serves consistently delicious food inside an elegantly designed restaurant. Yet this one has the added bonus of generous views of the private Gramercy Park inside one of the coolest hotels in Manhattan.