- Growing up in a Chinese-American household, the only spaghetti I encountered was at friends' houses or on TV.
- As an adult, I finally learned about Buca di Beppo and my red-sauce dreams were reignited. My first meal there was full of highs and lows, but it inspired me to continue my search for the perfect plate of spaghetti.
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I just ate at Buca di Beppo for the first time after never eating pasta growing up. Here's what I thought.
Buca di Beppo is a cult-favorite Italian-American restaurant chain.
If Hollywood is to be believed, Italian-American restaurants are where life happens.
As a kid watching these movies, I could almost smell the red sauce through the screen. I'd had spaghetti once at my neighbor's house, and it was everything my Chinese immigrant mom never let me eat: meaty, carby, and greasy. We never ate at restaurants, and dinner at home was usually rice, veggies, and maybe some pork bits tossed in there for flavor.
My mom, who grew up in a labor camp during a famine, then had a particular attitude towards food: you have it, so stop complaining. One day, she finally yielded to my relentless begging for spaghetti, dumped a can of tomato chunks onto some boiled noodles, and that was that. (Love you, Mom!)
I first learned about Buca di Beppo at the ripe old age of 24. My friends, who were shocked, tried to explain it to me: Italian-ish food, big portions, chain restaurant. From this description, I failed to see how it was different from Olive Garden. Oh, how wrong I was .
Less than a year later, I found myself on a pilgrimage to the meatball mecca itself with retail's visual features fellow Priscilla Zhu. Here's how our journey went.
We rode the subway to the Buca di Beppo in Times Square, New York. There are 76 US locations in this chain.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
On the outside, the place looked like it had seen better days. Only some of the signs letters remained lit.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
It was in the same building as a Planet Hollywood. Buca di Beppo and Planet Hollywood are owned by the same parent company.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Upstairs, we entered a dimly lit dark wood dining area that was decked out in Valentines Day decor.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Even though wed arrived around 1 p.m., only two other tables were occupied.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
But the jigsaw-like mosaic of black-and-white photos on the wall, the classic red checkered tablecloths, and the oldies playing over the loudspeaker stirred something in me.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Sure, its kitschy. But a place can be both kitschy and genuinely charming.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
We ordered an insane amount of food, but we started with the customizable Buca Trio appetizer platter. We chose calamari, spicy shrimp, and mozz sticks.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Everything was fried to perfection and dusted with parsley.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The calamari were tender, crispy, and well-seasoned.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The spicy shrimp were fresh and garlicky, and they had just the right amount of kick to them.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The mozzarella sticks were actually triangles, but their shape did not detract from their taste.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Beneath a buttery layer of delicate breading was the kind of melted cheese that made us go "ooh!"
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Dense, gooey, and elastic, the mozzarella stretched for miles.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Our waiter ferried over plates of soup and salad, chicken parmesan, and lasagna.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
We started with the soup, which looked rich and creamy.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
It was, but unfortunately all the flavors in the soup were overpowered by salt.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Our green salad also contained red tomatoes, purple onions, and black olives.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
It was nothing to write home about, but it about met my expectations for a salad served at an Italian joint.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
I dug into the thick tangle of fettuccine alfredo.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The pasta was dense and thick, and the cream was rich.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
I found the alfredo a bit plain, but once I reached the other side of the plate, I understood why.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The crispy chicken parmesan was juicy and bursting with flavor. Its topping of cheese and rich tomato sauce seeped gladly into its crust.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Delicious though it was, it was so rich that alternating bites of chicken and pasta seemed the thing to do.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Next, I turned my attention to the cube of lasagna in meat sauce.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
The lasagna was less impressive than the chicken parm. What was that mysterious block of white on top? Perhaps once it was cheese.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Unfortunately, the lasagna had spent a little too much time in Chef Mike. It was dry, hard, and unappetizing aside from the meat sauce.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
I am referencing this infamous Gordon Ramsay moment.
Our spaghetti, which wed ordered later, arrived midway through the meal. I wanted that "Lady and the Tramp" moment.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
It was topped with red sauce and the biggest, juiciest meatball I had ever seen.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
But I shouldnt have judged this spaghetti by its gorgeous looks.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Although it gave me the pasta pull Id been dreaming of all my life, it tasted kind of like nothing.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
It would have been better with the sauce that topped the chicken parm or the lasagna.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
But in the end, we were pretty satisfied with our meal. Red checkered tablecloths just make pasta taste better.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Even though we were stuffed, we still had one thing left to do: dessert.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Wed ordered a family portion of tiramisu. The kitchen had made it fresh for us.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
It was a dense brick of cold, buttery mascarpone and thin layers of espresso-soaked cake.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
But although it was heavy weight-wise, it was light in flavor. The cheese tasted more like cream, and the espresso cake layers were rather thin.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Still, for two red-sauce rookies, Buca di Beppo had been a solid first step. And itll definitely be worth a return trip, especially if appetizers are on the table.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
Most importantly, what was imperfect at Buca has inspired me to expand my journey to local restaurants in search of that perfect plate of spaghetti.
Irene Jiang / Business Insider
See Also:
- We ate similar meals at Olive Garden and Buca di Beppo and found the smaller pasta chain crushed the competition
- I tried 6 frozen appetizers from Trader Joe's and the hot wings were restaurant quality
- The rise and fall of Kohl's, the Midwestern department store that took over the nation with discounts and celebrity partnerships
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