Maialino: Breakfast Prix Fixe

I’ve been dying to try Maialino since TT wrote about the maialino, but haven’t been able to find a time that works for everyone. 

Fortunately, I read about this deal on Tasting Table, and who doesn’t have time for a nice lingering breakfast?  Well, I don’t have class on Fridays, so why wouldn’t I?  I snagged a friend who apparently doesn’t care about getting to work on time (and who also generously allows me to take a bite of whatever’s ordered, or outright lets me trade if I don’t like what I’ve ordered), and away we went. 

The Tasting Table menu: this is also included in the link I posted above, so feel free to look there instead of straining your eyes here. 

I’ve actually never had latte art before (I generally get a soy latte from Starbucks, and I wouldn’t notice if they did draw something in my cup, since it’s got a lid on it), so I was really happy with the pretty concentric hearts in my latte.  Also, the creme was thick enough literally to lift … when I emptied my cup later, it looked like it’d been an inch thick.  Wow. 

Per Tasting Table’s recommendation, my dining companion ordered the toffee glazed brioche, and declared the toffee “the good kind” – sticky, heady, and wonderful, I took a bite and though I liked it, it was that touch too sticky for me (I’m not a sticky foods person).  Executed well, though!  – just not to my taste. 

Bomboloni filled with crema came still warm to our table.  I was delighted by how cute they are, but

even more so with

these little bite-sized pockets of heaven.  Sugared outsides that lent a nice (but slight) crunch to my bites, and filled with just enough crema to leave me wanting more (seriously: I wanted to buy some to go after we finished eating).  Perfect start to this meal; I was really happy and excited for the rest of the meal. 

My dish of choice was baked eggs in a spicy tomato sauce with guanciale (cured pork jowl, which I adore).  I made a mistake here: I presumed that no one would serve a dish that was truly spicy this early in the morning/for breakfast, and that Italian spicy tomato sauce is fairly mild.  Well, in my experience, it is; a little crushed red pepper but rarely anything that would make me completely uncomfortable.  So… the eggs were cooked nicely, and the bread to dip in the sauce was lovely.  But the sauce itself just crossed that threshhold of my comfort to make me not really want to eat it and unable to enjoy it.  I’m not saying it was too spicy – the menu says it’s spicy! – but I just, for whatever reason, couldn’t comfortably eat this and had to ask politely if my dining companion would consent to trading.  Thankfully, a trade was made without any fuss. 

The dish was pork terrine topped with a poached egg. 

A perfectly poached egg, I might add.  I failed to take a picture properly displaying that which lay underneath: a perfectly crispy exterior slab of meat shaped into a square, bursting with pork essence and flavor.  Almost like being slapped with a hunk of pork; I enjoyed the flavor and the bell pepper stew surrounding it greatly, though at some point, the pork terrine felt a bit too oily/greasy for my tastes.  Nothing a swipe through the bell pepper stew didn’t solve, but had I ordered this myself and needed to eat the whole thing, I certainly would not have felt healthy afterwards.  As it was, my half portion was perfect. 

Spinach, pecorino & pork sausage as a side…

Laced generously throughout with cheese and spinach, this sausage felt a bit too much about the cheese, less about the sausage.  Tasty in any case, we agreed that the cheese seemed to dominate the flavor profile, which isn’t a bad thing, per se, but not what we were looking for in our sausage…

Panecetta al pepe nero – translated as thick cut black pepper bacon on the menu – was, as promised, cut extremely thickly.  It would seem likely that the black pepper would dominate, but a generous dose of rosemary along the way helped a woodsy taste takeover in some bites.  The bacon was perfectly cooked, with an amazing texture from the thickness, but the seasonings didn’t agree with me (I’m a big fan of black pepper in generous-moderation, but rosemary has never been a friend of mine).  I’d like this bacon more if there were less rosemary! 

How cute is this check holder?! 

The check came swiftly once requested – I’ve glossed over how impeccable our service was, with an extremely happy-to-serve-us woman with a bright, cheery smile, though I’d expect no less from any of Danny Meyer’s restaurants… I don’t know that I could do breakfast service, which starts at 7:30, and still be as happy to serve as this woman was.  She elevated the meal from great to truly excellent with her attentive service and happy smile.  (Funny note: towards the end of the meal, I noticed a blackboard hanging from one of the columns towards the front of the restaurant, and was looking in that direction to see what it said.  A futile glance over as another server was standing in the way; a few minutes pass and yet another glance but the same server was standing there.  She must’ve thought I was looking for someone or something, because she made her way to our table and asked me if she could help me with anything.  Thankfully, I kind of needed to use the restroom before we left, so I asked her where that was and she walked me there.  Excellent service.  And the blackboard I was trying to read?  Listed the pastries/sweets and their respective prices.  Bomboloni con crema!!!) 

The final tab, at $21/person, came to $28/person with tax and tip included.  My dining companion’s regular coffee had been refilled without request (again, great service) as well. 

Yvo says: This breakfast prix-fixe ends at the end of this business week, so you better hurry and get your breakfast on.  No, it wasn’t cheap, but considering what we got, it was well worth it: quality of ingredients and service all add up to very much worth it (plus it’s a 4 part breakfast).  Our dishes were very tasty, even if some of them weren’t quite perfect for my palate, they were very good.  Had I the time this week, I would totally go back and try some of the other dishes, as this is a very great deal (check out the regular prices on some of the same dishes; you are getting a major discount if you take advantage of this deal!).  (Just request the Tasting Table menu when you arrive or when you make your reservation.)  Oh, and reservations for this early in the morning are not really necessary… we walked in and had a good table by the window.  I had a great time and this makes me all the more eager to go back for the maialino dish… soon, soon, you will be mine 🙂
very recommended