Running a Danny Meyer Marathon

If eating is an art, then Danny Meyer is Jackson Pollock.

New York City has two rulers. The Hon. Michael Bloomberg is its elected mayor. Its equally honorable but unelected emperor, Danny Meyer, holds court without pomp at 10 palaces in New York County, aka Manhattan. These are restaurants admired round the world, restaurants ranging from the humblest hamburger stand to the higher reaches of Michelin-starred, plate-of-the-art fine dining. Make that 11 palaces, since Mr. Meyer, a mild St. Louisan, has just launched Maialino, a Roman-style trattoria, riding into town on a pig.