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| - As far as chain Italian restaurants go, this leads the pack.
We are used to Buca being extremely busy and noisy (holidays, weekend nights, etc), but we came in for dinner on a mid-week night. The restaurant was nearly empty, quiet, and the staff was welcoming on our way to our table.
We got Donny as our waiter. He is extremely lively (he admits his enthusiasm; ha), accommodating, understanding, and personable.
Given their huge menu, we took forever to place our order. They do serve "family style", so most dishes can be split for 2 people. If you are there with one other person, you could get one dish and a side, or two dishes if you both want each others food and are fairly hungry.
We decided to start with the Antipasti Buca Trio. We had a shellfish allergy at our table, but the manager and the waiter were both understanding and went above and beyond to make our order conform to our needs. For the record they are also able to accommodate gluten-intolerant guests and offer a separate one-sheet laminated menu upon request.
The calamari was crunchy, and the portion size in the trio was good. The breading wasn't too thick, the calamari wasn't greasy, and the marinara sauce was for dipping was delicious (they offer jars of the stuff for sale).
Their stuffed mushrooms were the best we've had. Compared to some other restaurants, these mushrooms were fairly large, the stuffing was overflowing, and the pesto they were served over was creamy and nutty.
We ordered the Chopped Salad (wonderful dressing, large portion), Chicken Carbonara with whole grain penne pasta (can be ordered in any dish), and the Chianti Braised Short Ribs.
The portion for the short ribs was two fairly large slabs of beef. This dish did not have sides, so one hungry person could finish the entree, or it can be split. The ribs themselves were sub-par; they were fairly grizzly (a lot of fat around the edges and throughout). The meat was moist and juicy though, and the sauce was sweet, savory, and delicious. After cutting away all of the grizzle, I was able to easily finish the two pieces of beef.
The Carbonara was very good. A lot of prosciutto and chicken throughout, and it was seasoned very well with no additional salt necessary.
Although fairly full at this point, we cannot visit an Italian restaurant without trying the Tiramisu. Wow!! Our favorite Tiramisu we've ever tried. Although there wasn't as much espresso and rum flavor as I would have hoped, it was so creamy and delicious. The portion size was huge, it was well priced, and I would go back ten-fold just for the dessert!! The best part?? The walnut brownie chunks served on top!
Love Buco, would recommend this location, and ask for Donny if you can handle a lot of enthusiasm and laughter. Sure it is expensive, but for a special occasion it is wonderful. Get the Tiramisu!!
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