Paparazzi

LOCATION: Wellesley, MA (no exact location, sorry guys)
TYPE OF FOOD: Italian (casual-pizza, pasta type place)
REVIEW: After watching at least 250 people run about seven feet in front of me in what is called the Boston Marathon, I got hungry. So what did I do? I walked probably half a mile to Wellesley, a nice little town next to the highway. Once again, I had to note the somewhat unfortunate location of the place, as a popular Chinese restaurant-C.K. Shanghai-was right across the street (it was closed, though). I also noticed another one of the zillions of "family pizza places" across the street, too.

I sat down and was given a dinner menu-at noon on a Monday. I instead chose from something on the lunch menu, a Vegetariano (I believe that's how it's spelled) panini-grilled eggplant, basil and tomato- which came with a salad. I asked for a drink, which was iced tea. I noticed the waiter going over to some mysterious container, pressed the top thing (you know, the thing that you press down to get the drink), and the tea flowed out. After quite a bit of time I received-free of charge-a piece of focaccia. The focaccia was freshly baked, covered in herbs. It was absolutely delicious. I took the spicy oil that was on my table, poured (with some force) the oil, and ate it. It made it even more delicious.

Finally I received my food. I was distracted at the time by a grilled cheese sandwich (on focaccia-how the heck did they do that?), so when I noticed the food, I pulled back. The panini was absolutely amazing, and I used my good old friend Mr. Spicy Oil to dip my sandwich into it. The salad was amazing, too, but simple-probably the simplest salad I ever had. It was lettuce with a lemon vinaigrette. But still, it was amazing. I savored every atom of each bite. Finally, I got up, pondered the possibility of the magic grilled cheese sandwich (is David Copperfield the chef?), and left.

SERVICE: The service was nice, friendly, patient, and attentive. The service was either slow on the focaccia or it wasn't baked yet-I want to say the latter. Nothing was in their mouths, and they were not crowding around in one area. In fact, they were all doing something and not just standing there. However, as I left, I saw through the windows two employees standing and watching the Marathon go by. But I cannot at all hold that against them.

ATMOSPHERE: The atmosphere is vibrant and very much alive. You can see photos of different people, some of which are celebrities (Whoopi Goldberg is near the bathrooms). The floors are nice, clean, and tidy. The bathrooms are in terrific condition. The air in there has a slight hint of soap, and the floor in there is also very good. In fact, I can say that it was one of the best public restrooms I have ever been in.

PRICE: My meal cost $9.50. The tea cost (I believe) $2.50. In fact, they increased the price of the panini by one dollar, from $8.50 to $9.50. However, it still is worth every penny. I cannot give you any other prices, as they did not have a take-out menu (but what restaurant like that has one?).

RATING: The restaurant is a gotta see place, if you like Italian and don't like Chinese (or mediocre "family pizza"). The kids will like it, the parents will like it, Nanna will like it, every one will. And maybe you too will fall under the spell of the magic grilled cheese sandwich (how is it possible? It didn't have any grill marks! It's magic, I say, MAGIC!). Paparazzi (in Wellesley) get a five out of five.