Italian fast-casual in the Theater District

If there's one thing you can say about Germans, it's that they are especially adept at optimizing time and making operations run more smoothly, although they would probably point out that that's two things, and promptly have you killed. Bringing their Teutonic efficiency to tasty Italian food, Vapiano, officially opening Wednesday

From a former German CPA who relocated the fam to Boston to open up shop in the TD's Transportation Building, this sleek, innovative fast-casual Italian resto/bar lets you order at individual stations using an electronic "chip card" before exploring their cavernous 5,500sqft, 280-seat mod dining area (plus bar/lounge) eclectically outfitted with a red-couched outdoor patio, huge glass-enclosed herb garden, giant b/w picture of a Milan shopping district, and a California olive tree in the middle of the room -- so next time you and the GF get in a fight, just extend one of its branches, then patiently wait until she gets it/dumps you. Signature pasta dishes include a penne w/ beef filet, mushrooms, and arugula; Tacchino Piccante (an orange chili-sauced chicken breast w/ bell peppers and bok choy over campanelle); and Granchi di Fiume, linguini stirred in a lobster sauce w/ fresh veggies and crayfish, which unlike Marty Fish, plays well if mixed (doubles). They're also rockin' fire roasted pizzas like the smoked Gouda and red onion-topped Chicken BBQ w/ cilantro and tomato relish; the Salsiccia (Savoy cabbage and spicy sliced Sicilian pepperoni); and the Americana, which features pepperoni, spicy Italian sausage, and other non-American things that make its name confusing.

For light noshing/imbibing at the bar, there're traditional smalls like beef carpaccio w/ a Cipriani sauce and Antipasta di Carni to pair with a selection of red/white wines, or drafts like Peroni and Pilsner Urquell, which would probably sound German to you, if you weren't already dead.