Cafe Paradiso

51. Cafe Paradiso 11-1 One Eliot Square (corner of Eliot and Winthrop Streets). Summary: Excellent Italian bistro food/experience, but leaves you hungry.

Cafe Paradiso is a hoot. Everything about it is straight out of Italy - the staff is obviously Italian, the espresso machine is always shrieking, they serve real gellato, and they have biscotti on the countertop. Plus, you can sit either in the cafe or perch yourself precariously by the sidewalk on Winthrop St, with inches to spare from the curb, to take in some sun and city atmosphere.

Four of us ordered sandwiches and drinks, and ate outside on what will probably be the last day like this before Winter forces us inside to eat. No one tumbled off their chair - a success - and we all enjoyed our sandwiches, served on basil focaccia bread. While the tomatoes in my sandwich were obviously frozen at some point, everything else was quite good. And there was a small salad included on the plate. We sampled the gelatto and biscotti for desserts - all quite good. Thumbs up on the food quality.

Except, come four pm in the afternoon, I was starving to the point of bonking. I guess my body needs more food at lunch. Maybe Italians eat a small lunch and then snack through the afternoon?