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 New
England dining >>> Guido's, Walpole, Mass.
Guido's is a hometown favorite
traditional Italian-American restaurant in Walpole, Mass.
By Eric H.
Posted 10/18/06
Guido's is the type of restaurant
that every town should be so lucky to have. Thoroughly unassuming
with its plain-looking dining room and location in an outdated
strip mall, Guido's focus is on traditional Italian-American
food, and do they ever deliver.
From the moment you walk by the
revolving dessert display, the pasta and sauces for sale rack,
and the handwritten specials on a board, there's no denying Guido's
centers on the food, the whole food and nothing but the food.
They have to -- the convential but serviceable tile floor, familiar
booths and tables, somewhat gaudy, out-of-place chandeliers,
Oldies 103.3 music faintly playing in the background, and Friendly's
without the counter-type layout just don't quite cut it as a
center for ambiance.
After sampling some delicious
made on the premises rolls and Italian, the next course of delicious
pasta fasule soup or a substantial Caesar salad with crispy greens
and a good salad dressing will serve as a good precursor to the
main course -- pasta, pasta and more pasta. It's all fresh, served
in incredibly large portions. Highly recommended are the baked
eggplant parmigiana, chicken marsala gnocci with meatballs, chicken
and broccoli alfredo (a personal favorite) and veal parmigiana.
For wine (and beer) lovers, Guido's
does serve alcohol, so the total dining experience is present
in a place that intially looks like they might serve only soft
drinks and Yoo-Hoo.
Guido's also bucks the trend
of good Italian restaurants turning out mediocre, "afterthought"
pizza . Its pizza, in fact ranks right up there with the best
of them, with fresh sauce, chewy dough and ample toppings. For
an additional dollar, a great pizza becomes even greater with
the Sicilian version sure to please the most particular pizza
connoisseur.
If you have room for dessert,
then brace yourself for some top-of-the-line canolis, , eclairs,
cream puffs, chocolate cake carrot cake, apple turnovers, large
chocolate chip cookies and much more. All pastries are done on
the premises daily, which accounts for these terrifically, sweet
selections.
Service at Guido's is friendly,
although the small staff can be taxed sometimes, resulting in
occasional slow service. The staff, however, is always pleasant,
no matter how stressed or tired they are from serving crowds
and fulfilling the substantial take-out orders.
Guido's is an unusually good
value in this age of Italian restaurants that call themselves
gourmet and charge a fortune for a bunch of noodles with sauce.
At Guido's, the large main meal portions are served with pasta
or potato or vegetable and a choice of soup, salad or Caesar
salad.
Bring your appetites to Guido's!
You will never go home hungry here.
Guido's, open for lunch and dinner
683 Main St., the Marketplace
at Route 1A, Walpole. Tel. (508) 660-1533.
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