How much food do two people really need?
Written: Oct 24 '03 (Updated Feb 10 '05)
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Pros: Predictable quality, and portions large enough to last for days.
Cons: Predictable quality, and portions large enough to last for days.
The Bottom Line: Eggplant Parmigiana
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| slarter's Full Review: Buca di Beppo |
Buca Di Beppo is not the kind of restaurant I generally like to go to. Admittedly, I am somewhat snobbish about where I eat, or at least where I like to eat, as I have been known to succumb to the occasional fast food craving. But when hunger strikes, my wife and I often stumble into the most convenient place rather than the most interesting. This happened to be the case the other night when, with the prospect of an hour's commute home looming, we broke down and opted for a quick food fix at the Buca di Beppo next to the bus stop in Jenkintown, PA.
The Decor
I'm not sure about you, but I think I have been to one too many chain restaurants whose idea of decorating is to put a great many random items and pictures all over the walls. It has been done in everything from Red Lobster (with random fish-related items) to Houlihans (random Americana). It has also been done at Buca di Beppo. The walls at Buca are absolutely chock-full of pictures depicting various Italian (or pseudo-Italian) themes. From our table, we had a view of two crevices. The first was between the breasts of a young, attractive, European-looking woman. The second was between the butt cheeks of an older, unattractive, European-looking woman (think old, Italian, female plumber). Take a guess which of the two was in our direct line of sight.
There was a nice touch to the décor above our heads, where a rack of empty wine bottles took up a good 5 foot by 8 foot section of the ceiling. This nice touch, however, was somewhat spoiled by the fact that plastic vines and grapes were used liberally as an extra decoration. Still, I liked the wine-bottles-on-the-ceiling vibe, as it put me in mind of some of the pubs I have visited in Britain that boast hundreds of beer mugs suspended from the rafters.
Although I have not personally witnessed it, I am told that there is a small banquet room in every Buca di Beppo in which a bust of the Holy Father adorns a lazy susan in the middle of the table. Recently a group of friends organized a get-together with the tag-line "An Evening with the Pope". Personally, I am not sure that his Holiness would appreciate the copious quantities of alcohol that might be consumed by the friends I would take to dinner with him, so maybe I will skip the Pope Room. It sounds like an interesting theme, though.
The Food
Buca di Beppo is a family-style restaurant, meaning that the food is served in rather large portions, to be divided between those at the table. For a couple, however, they do provide a couple of options. The first is a $22.95 combination, which pairs a portion of baked pasta with a choice of two entrees. The baked pastas available may vary, but for us involved manicotti, stuffed shells, ravioli, and one other that is slipping my mind. The entrees to be decided upon include chicken with lemon and a couple of parmigianas (chicken, eggplant, and maybe one other).
This would offer quite a great deal of food, but my wife and I ended up selecting the more expensive combination. For the low, low price of $26.95, we were able to add a salad (caesar, green, or tomato) to a choice of two pastas (not baked, this time) and one entree. The available pastas included spaghetti, rigatoni, penne, and one other. We opted for the rigatoni and penne, which came with a bolognese and cream sauce, respectively. Our caesar salad was, surprisingly, a real caesar, with a distinct taste of anchovy lurking in the background. I honestly cannot remember the last time I had a caesar salad with anchovy (the way most recipe books recommend). For our entree we decided upon the eggplant parmigiana, which was fully as good as the one we make at home, if a bit less salty. A tiny bit of residual chewiness to the eggplant was a welcome change from the usual mushiness in restaurant parmigianas.
The bruschetta was quite a surprise. Thinking to get a complimentary couple of pieces of bruschetta as an appetizer, I said "Yes," when the waitress asked if we wanted any. What arrived was not a couple of small pieces, but what amounted to a 12" in diameter, 1" thick, fluffy pizza crust with chunks of tomato, onion, and garlic strewn over it. It was, quite frankly, the least subtle bruschetta I have ever laid eyes on. I should explain that the small Italian restaurants near my home will provide a small, crusty piece of bread with a finely diced mixture of bruschetta ingredients on top as a free starter. Therefore, the massive chunks topping Buca's bruschetta were a surprise indeed. That is not to say it's a bad bruschetta, just different from what I would expect. And incidentally, getting a mouthful of raw onion and garlic makes for some lasting aftereffects.
Other Comments
The service at Buca was not bad. We did end up looking at each other a bit after we had finished eating, wondering where our waitress was, but that may have more to do with needing to catch a bus than inattentive wait staff. If we had gone in there expecting a leisurely meal, we would have been on target. Family style dining (or at least Buca-style Italian family dining) presumably means no rushing through dinner to go and watch TV or get online (or maybe mine was the only family like that...).
As I said before, I expected the bruschetta to be complimentary. This is probably my fault for not reading the menu properly (it is only painted on half a sheet of plywood and hung on almost every wall), but I cannot help being a bit disappointed in having to pay $8.95 for our starter.
Let me finish by talking about the leftovers. Good grief, what a package we took home with us! We could not finish a single portion of our meal (except the drinks). The rigatoni and eggplant parm. lasted us for one day, while the penne lasted through two. The bruschetta made it all the way through the third day. It didn't seem so expensive after all, after eating from the leftovers for three days straight. We could have done with less food at the restaurant, but as it was our first time there, we can be forgiven for our misjudgement.
Finale
In South Philadelphia, where I live, there are at least four Italian-owned, Italian-run restaurants within walking distance. Each of these restaurants provides cheap, cheerful Italian food with a small-restaurant ambiance. For this reason, we will probably not be back to Buca di Beppo for quite a while, unless a group of friends invites us to dine with the Pope. It was not a bad experience, nor was the food disappointing, it was simply too "chain restaurant" for my taste. Granted, I am biased against chain restaurants, so this is not surprising.
Parents, by all means take your family there. You will be able to feed a great many hungry mouths for a reasonable price, and it is certainly healthier than McDonalds. My final recommendation is to go to Buca with a group. You won't be disappointed with the food, and you may even get to spend time with the Holy Father.
© SL, 2003
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: Yes
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations It's Italian. You probably know what you like, and Buca can probably supply it for you. Have a ball.
Best Suited For: Large Group
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slarter
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Reviews written: 131
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