What About Roberto?

I rarely have the good fortune to walk into a restaurant so new that the paint looks wet, discover this is the first day it's open, order a meal, and have a terrific experience. But that is indeed what happened at Roberto's Gelato Café (416 Via de Palmas, Boca Raton;...

By Jen Karetnick

April 10, 2003

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I rarely have the good fortune to walk into a restaurant so new that the paint looks wet, discover this is the first day it's open, order a meal, and have a terrific experience. But that is indeed what happened at Roberto's Gelato Café (416 Via de Palmas, Boca Raton; 561-955-9427), a trendy spot for light meals and sweet endings, where the staff was so excited about being up and running that they asked us to sign our wine bottle -- the first that had been ordered in the restaurant -- so they could keep it like a dollar bill. The blue-and-marigold colors of the interior are a refreshing change for pastel-positive Boca Raton, the soups and salad dressings are homemade, and the gelato is an authentic, finely mixed combination of textural creaminess and silky milkiness. But the best aspect just may be the friendly spirit that infuses the place, a welcome change from the surliness that so often greets customers in these parts.

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Jen Karetnick is an award-winning dining critic, food-travel writer, and author of the books Ice Cube Tray Recipes, Mango, and The 500 Hidden Secrets of Miami.

Contact: Jen Karetnick