| rev:text
| - Dinner at Buca was OK on the night we went, but it was a Sunday so atmosphere was lacking somewhat. I also wish the menu included some of the items in the pictures that other reviewers had because the night we went, there wasn't anything overly mind-blowing to choose from, though everything we had was good--just not spectacular which was what I expected as Buca has always been highly recommended.
We originally planned to go to Terroni as I was craving one of their pizzas which kind of comes close to the pizza of all pizzas I had in Milan, but their lineup was too long and I was DAMN hungry so we headed for Buca where we were able to snatch up a table right away. If you've never been, it's on King--next door to Cheval--they're separated by a laneway that leads to Buca's doors. Go through the doors and down the stairs to discover a beautiful space with exposed brick walls (I know, cliche~), and two dining rooms (one is more a wine cellar), dim lighting...romantic if you want it to be.
We ordered:
- the nodini were OK; they're adorable little nubs of bread doused in oil & garlic, but I probably won't bother ordering them next time
- lamb skewers - I let my friend go to town on those and he was practically squealing with delight between bites whereas I am not a lamb fan, though I wish I were!
- breaded, fried eggplant layered with fresh basil leaves, parm & ricotta and a squirt of burrata on top - judging from the description, I was kind of expecting something similar to eggplant parmaggiano (minus the tomato sauce) which is one of my favourite dishes but instead it was very bland; not a single ingredient besides the basil offered any flavour
- salsiccia pizza - very good pizza, served on a long cutting board and as everyone else mentioned: scissors for your convenience, which I've only ever seen in Korean restaurants
...I was torn between the veal tenderloin and the sea bass, when my eye caught their list of pizzas and their scamorza seemed to be a close fit to the pizza I would have had at Terroni so I went with that. While I enjoyed every bite of it, instead of us ordering two pizzas, I should have had one of the other mains so as to get a real taste of chef Gentile's range of talent (I'm sure he's wonderful). You know what this means...I'll have to go back.
- Buca's got this crazy-extensive tome of wines so if you're a wine-lover, I am sure you'll be pleased.
- (Wait, I'm not done!) We shared the dessert of 3 big balls of gelato of your choosing. Ours included lavender (my friend nearly threw up when he tasted it; I guess it's not for everyone), hazelnut (TONS of nuts throughout, like I've never seen--which I loved), and blood orange (SO GOOD), all sprinkled with toasted spices. I am guessing they make their own gelato, which was clearly the most popular dessert.
Along with your bill, you get the cutest little packet containing a tiny nougat-ball with their card attached. I love it when restaurants go the extra mile with such small details! Service was excellent--I always get a kick out of places that insist on reciting your order back to you as each dish is presented at your table, though I'm not sure all the waiters were Italian as many suggest. Whatever the case, I found most of their service to have a real old-school polished-ness about it which is not terribly common, so that was nice.
Considering this was an unplanned, passing-by situation on a Sunday night, the meal was a bit of a splurge, though not totally insane. Buca is definitely on the pricey side but prime location, excellent service, and chef Gentile all come at a price, though I will definitely go back to Buca as I am curious to try their other dishes which I am sure are amazing. To say I LOVE them is a bit of a stretch (for now) but their food is fresh and service professional, which is enough to warrant another go.
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