One of my all-time favorite “Italian” restaurants is Buca di Beppo. The food is always good, it’s served “family style” (one entrée typically serves 3-4 people), and they have a lot to choose from. Price-wise, it’s pretty good, too; a solid value for what you get. I was here with friends on 2/12/2010, and we had their specialty pizza, Gnocchi al Telefono (I’m a huge fan of gnocchi…especially gnocchi bolognese, but I’m pretty sure that’s not a traditional way it’s served…or if it is, it’s just hard to find), and the Spicy Chicken Rigatoni, with their standard Mixed Green Salad (personally I prefer the Apple Gorgonzola Salad…but I’m just one person, can’t eat that much, and pretty much the only one of the group that likes apples, walnuts, and cranberries in his salad). To clarify, Buca is not high-falutin’ Italian food…it’s meant to be fun and kitschy (and yes, it is a chain). If you have issues with Italian chain restaurants, or are expecting gourmet or food like your grandmother used to make…don’t go! It’s not gonna be your kind of place.

Part of that kitschy thing…is the Pope Room, seating up to 15 people and the bust of a Pope (I believe it’s John Paul II…here’s a photo of the Pope Room, and I know the photographer credits this as John XXIII, so I may be wrong). The other really cool place to eat is the Kitchen Table (literally in the kitchen), where you can watch the food being made, dishes being cleaned, etc. The only down side is the kitchen room (not surprisingly) is the warmest area in the restaurant.

The bathroom is full of photographs (just like the rest of the restaurant), and even features a [locked] cabinet full of hair products. I thought it was pretty funny that the door to the bathroom stall has a painting of the volcano at Pompei erupting. Thanks to the creative bathroom design, Buca gets 4.5 rolls. Sometimes they even have a recording of women talking in the mens’ room (and I assume men talking in the womens’, but I don’t know) so it’s like you can hear the conversation in the other bathroom.

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