While many a blogger has written about the better-known shows this season, not much has been blogged about Ristorante Paradiso, a show that gets lumped with Ouran, Bartender, and Antique Bakery to name a few. I love the first two, don’t care about the third, but Ristorante Paradiso is rather special.
In the kitchen, right where she belongs.
While Ristorante Paradiso takes a leaf from Ouran, there is no gay, in both the homo and the happy sense. I know a lot of people who would be glad knowing that there isn’t yaoi play here (and I don’t see anyone pulling off cheap tricks like that in such a high-class restaurant), but the show isn’t particularly humorous at all. The dialogue may be light, but things become serious in the 2nd episode. I like the show’s emphasis on mature love problems, too. They’re touchier because there’s a lot more to lose, and adults are extremely capable of both nasty and pleasant things.
However, I love Nicoletta. She’s definitely a selfish woman (hay mom, im in ur restaurant, ruining ur marriage), but her selfishness is more endearing than annoying, and works for her well. Unlike Ouran’s Haruhi, she’s not reserved at all when it comes to the men–rape female empowerment FTW! It’s also nice to hear Fumiko Orikasa in older roles.
Ristorante Paradiso is also very unfriendly to your usual male otaku. Female protagonist outside her teens, everyone else is middle-aged, unconventional character designs, European setting, and reverse harem (which most would call automatically gay). But I think the haters, dirty unsociable swine they are, would benefit a lot from watching this show. The Way of the Gentleman is always a plus in the 3D world, they should know.
Just don’t get yourself raped, though.
Continuing World 
>> It’s also nice to hear Fumiko Orikasa in older roles.
Someone pushed my button for this show! Bout time.
Glad to be of service!
I watched the first episode of this today and it did strike me as a cross between Bartender and Antique Bakery – with music that made me wonder if it was set in Rome or Neo-Venezia.
I still haven’t sorted out my feelings for this show. Take that to mean whatever you want.
>>But I think the haters, dirty unsociable swine they are, would benefit a lot from watching this show.
Ah, by definiton to be haters, they must have already seen the show!
Anyway, I disliked most of the aspects of the show. Especially the young female surrounded by/lusting after middle-aged men.
I bet there are a lot who already hate the show without even seeing an episode of it.