Maialino
Gramercy Park Hotel
2 Lexington Avenue
New York, New York
Tel: 212-777-2410
Designer: Rockwell Group

Located in Ian Schrager’s Gramercy Park Hotel, Maialino is restaurateur Danny Meyer’s rendition of a Roman-style trattoria, reimagined for contemporary New York. The design, the first collaboration between Meyer and longtime restaurant designer David Rockwell of Rockwell Group, utilizes a rustic palette of wood plank floors, woven leather banquettes, and oak wainscoting reclaimed from a barn in New Jersey. Guests enter from the hotel lobby or a dedicated street entry, where a wine cellar also holds the Greenmarket produce utilized in the kitchen. A Pantheon-inspired tile floor in hues of wine and mustard complements a long walnut bar in front with windows overlooking Gramercy Park, where patrons sip coffee during the morning hours. A portion of the kitchen is brought to the center of the dining room in the form of a cucina, featuring various stations for beverages and food (the latter tends toward hearty fare; Mailino means “little pig”). All of the tables, chairs, and barstools are custom-designed, and Frette linens cover the checked tablecloths. Commissioned paintings from artist Robert Kushner round out the dining-room decor. A private dining room is also available, capable of seating 22 at a traditional long table flanked by wine cases.