When my mom came in May to move me out of school (yes, this post is very late), she told me to pick a place for brunch with my roommate. We had already gone to Farmers Fishers Bakers and Kafè Leopold, so I wanted to try something different. I had never been to Paolo’s for brunch (only for a birthday dinner), so I recommended it and was so excited to see what all of the Instagram hype was about.

Name: Paolo’s Ristorante

Location: 1303 Wisconsin Ave NW

Time: 11 am on a Saturday

Order: Brûlée french toast ($13),  fingerling potatoes ($5) and an iced latte ($4?)

Review: The iced latte was really well made and delicious, but it wasn’t written on the menu so I had to ask the waiter if they offered them. The brûlée french toast was beautifully presented and very tasty, but served at room temperature, something I wasn’t crazy about. However, the berry compote and pastry cream were divine. I was so stuffed from the french toast that I barely ate the fingerling potatoes, but can say they were also room temperature with good seasoning. I did try my roommate’s italian benedict (with salmon, not pancetta) and once again, it was really flavorful but room temperature. I’m not sure if Paolo’s generally serves brunch a bit colder or if it was just how the food came out that day.

Rating: 3.5/5