Buca Di Beppo...
...which means, 'Joe's Basement.' (link)
Oh, it was special tonight. It's been great every time I've been there, no matter what state I am in. And I'm refering to "state" in the geographic sense, not a state of inebriation or emotional state.
We called ahead tonight for reservations. We couldn't get The Pope's table because we are only six (you need twelve). But we asked for, and got...
...the kitchen table.
I've been to a bunch of these, and it was the first time for the King family. This was the first time I got lucky enough to get the kitchen table. You need to ask for it. You should probably ask when making your reservation. It was an amazing experience, and I'm going to ask for it from now on. I mean, the food is always great, and the service is always top notch, and I would gladly settle for a regular table at Buca Di Beppo over any toher Italian restaraunt I've been to. (Someday I'll blog about how much the Olive Garden sucks.) But the kitchen table is just amazing. You get to watch these amazing chefs work. And the wait staff shows you and describes every dish they take out to other tables.
On the walk over, Tony mentioned he was hoping for lasagna, which isn't on the regular menu. Tonight, it was the special. Lucky us. Nine layers! It was awesome. We also got the garlic bread with mozarella, a salad, Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, and Tortellini with Romano cream sauce. Oh, and Dre got a side of spaghetti with meat sauce. We washed it all down with a liter and a half of their house red.
Everything was amazing, and it makes me want to get a pasta machine and really learn how to cook it properly. My pasta is always overcooked. And al dente is just so much better. It will take some practice, but I will get it. The parmigiana dishes were crispy - like fried chicken crispy. The lasagna was incredible. To give you some perspective on that picture, that lasagna in the middle on top is about a foot and a half long. It all had a texture almost like cheesecake, but the pasta was firm. The garlic bread was, oh this is hard to admit, well, it was better than mine. It comes in a round pan with chunks of garlic. I will try that one at home and see if I can make it. The tortellini had peas mixed in. Nice touch.
Unfortunately, Jakers was not ready for a big meal. He had maybe two bites of the tortellini. He was hanging his head a bit. But he didn't get sick. Rachel took him back to the hotel between dinner and dessert. I hope he feels better tomorrow.
For dessert, Tony had me try something new. Two things, actually. I've never had tiramisu before - whenever it's been available, I've opted for something else. But they ordered it tonight and I tried it and loved it. And they assured me it was really good tiramisu. I brought some back to Rachel.
Then there was the lemoncello. I'm generally up on my cocktails, but I had never heard of this. The Kings have a family recipe and promised me some from their private batch when we get home. It is basically 150 proof lemon liquer. It's made strong vodka or grain alcohol, sugar, and thick skinned lemons. It is served ice cold in a shot glass. And you sip it. I don't know how to describe it, but I'll try. It gives you smiley pains like too sweet lemonade and it burns your nostrils like a vodka shot. And it is also somehow a little refreshing. I'd love to try some on a really hot afternoon.
Here's what I look like after a great meal and a shot of lemoncello...
I did a little more shopping today and got a really inexpensive Everlast warm up suit. I'm gonna need it on Friday as the temp is supposed to dip in to the mid 50s. That's the high. It was 81 when we first got here. Yeah, go ahead and keep believing there's no such thing as global warming. I also went back to the Shoe Blowout Magnum Discount Super Crazy Store and got my sandals for Summer. And while I was there, I looked for some workout shoes becuse Rachel and I are going to live on the treadmill when we get home. I tried on these Adidas because I really like that Run D.M.C. song. But they were too narrow - even the size 13s. I told the guy that I don't care what they look like since I am working out in the house. I just want something comfortable with traction and good ankle support and I want them to be cheap. He takes me over to this pair of shoes on clearance and says, "Well, there's these." They were blue with orange trim. Much like this post. So I took them.
I also got a couple of updates on outstanding issues. First, I learned that if you lose a multi-day day hopper pass, you are generally SOL. The lady said, "I'm sorry, but they are just like cash if you lose them." I replied, "Sure, they are just like cash, except that they all have unique idntifying numbers and a bar code that you can match to the rest of our tickets and tie to my credit card purchase." I got through to a supervisor who fed me the same story. I was honest and said I was really upset. Together our families spent over $700 for our tickets, and my kid is just 13 and made a mistake. I told him that if any other place treated us like this we would never go there again. But I know I will come back to Disneyland some day. I will just be grumpy about it. He gave me a break and signed me up for a two day pass at the one day rate for Anaheim residents. I'm gonna complain a little more tomorrow and see if I can't do any better.
I also got through to the Sheriff's Department in Sacramento and they have my duffle bag. Hooray! I can pick it up Saturday when we return. And I called the animal hospital and the dogs are doing fine. Cody got the big snip today and he is recovering nicely. Hopefully this will adjust his attitude for the better. And I hope this adventure will help them get more comfortable with strangers.
That's it for tonight. We meet at 9:00 AM in the lobby for a long day at the parks. We plan to ride some coasters and take in some shows. I really hope Jake is up to it.
Oh, it was special tonight. It's been great every time I've been there, no matter what state I am in. And I'm refering to "state" in the geographic sense, not a state of inebriation or emotional state.
We called ahead tonight for reservations. We couldn't get The Pope's table because we are only six (you need twelve). But we asked for, and got...
...the kitchen table.
I've been to a bunch of these, and it was the first time for the King family. This was the first time I got lucky enough to get the kitchen table. You need to ask for it. You should probably ask when making your reservation. It was an amazing experience, and I'm going to ask for it from now on. I mean, the food is always great, and the service is always top notch, and I would gladly settle for a regular table at Buca Di Beppo over any toher Italian restaraunt I've been to. (Someday I'll blog about how much the Olive Garden sucks.) But the kitchen table is just amazing. You get to watch these amazing chefs work. And the wait staff shows you and describes every dish they take out to other tables.
On the walk over, Tony mentioned he was hoping for lasagna, which isn't on the regular menu. Tonight, it was the special. Lucky us. Nine layers! It was awesome. We also got the garlic bread with mozarella, a salad, Chicken Parmigiana, Eggplant Parmigiana, and Tortellini with Romano cream sauce. Oh, and Dre got a side of spaghetti with meat sauce. We washed it all down with a liter and a half of their house red.
Everything was amazing, and it makes me want to get a pasta machine and really learn how to cook it properly. My pasta is always overcooked. And al dente is just so much better. It will take some practice, but I will get it. The parmigiana dishes were crispy - like fried chicken crispy. The lasagna was incredible. To give you some perspective on that picture, that lasagna in the middle on top is about a foot and a half long. It all had a texture almost like cheesecake, but the pasta was firm. The garlic bread was, oh this is hard to admit, well, it was better than mine. It comes in a round pan with chunks of garlic. I will try that one at home and see if I can make it. The tortellini had peas mixed in. Nice touch.
Unfortunately, Jakers was not ready for a big meal. He had maybe two bites of the tortellini. He was hanging his head a bit. But he didn't get sick. Rachel took him back to the hotel between dinner and dessert. I hope he feels better tomorrow.
For dessert, Tony had me try something new. Two things, actually. I've never had tiramisu before - whenever it's been available, I've opted for something else. But they ordered it tonight and I tried it and loved it. And they assured me it was really good tiramisu. I brought some back to Rachel.
Then there was the lemoncello. I'm generally up on my cocktails, but I had never heard of this. The Kings have a family recipe and promised me some from their private batch when we get home. It is basically 150 proof lemon liquer. It's made strong vodka or grain alcohol, sugar, and thick skinned lemons. It is served ice cold in a shot glass. And you sip it. I don't know how to describe it, but I'll try. It gives you smiley pains like too sweet lemonade and it burns your nostrils like a vodka shot. And it is also somehow a little refreshing. I'd love to try some on a really hot afternoon.
Here's what I look like after a great meal and a shot of lemoncello...
I did a little more shopping today and got a really inexpensive Everlast warm up suit. I'm gonna need it on Friday as the temp is supposed to dip in to the mid 50s. That's the high. It was 81 when we first got here. Yeah, go ahead and keep believing there's no such thing as global warming. I also went back to the Shoe Blowout Magnum Discount Super Crazy Store and got my sandals for Summer. And while I was there, I looked for some workout shoes becuse Rachel and I are going to live on the treadmill when we get home. I tried on these Adidas because I really like that Run D.M.C. song. But they were too narrow - even the size 13s. I told the guy that I don't care what they look like since I am working out in the house. I just want something comfortable with traction and good ankle support and I want them to be cheap. He takes me over to this pair of shoes on clearance and says, "Well, there's these." They were blue with orange trim. Much like this post. So I took them.
I also got a couple of updates on outstanding issues. First, I learned that if you lose a multi-day day hopper pass, you are generally SOL. The lady said, "I'm sorry, but they are just like cash if you lose them." I replied, "Sure, they are just like cash, except that they all have unique idntifying numbers and a bar code that you can match to the rest of our tickets and tie to my credit card purchase." I got through to a supervisor who fed me the same story. I was honest and said I was really upset. Together our families spent over $700 for our tickets, and my kid is just 13 and made a mistake. I told him that if any other place treated us like this we would never go there again. But I know I will come back to Disneyland some day. I will just be grumpy about it. He gave me a break and signed me up for a two day pass at the one day rate for Anaheim residents. I'm gonna complain a little more tomorrow and see if I can't do any better.
I also got through to the Sheriff's Department in Sacramento and they have my duffle bag. Hooray! I can pick it up Saturday when we return. And I called the animal hospital and the dogs are doing fine. Cody got the big snip today and he is recovering nicely. Hopefully this will adjust his attitude for the better. And I hope this adventure will help them get more comfortable with strangers.
That's it for tonight. We meet at 9:00 AM in the lobby for a long day at the parks. We plan to ride some coasters and take in some shows. I really hope Jake is up to it.
posted by Eric Soderstrom at 10:09 PM
1 Comments:
I'm working on this new workout routine where I wear wrist and ankle weights and then run in place in the kitchen while preparing meals. I'll let you know how it works out.
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