The Best Of Everything
Italian Fun
Unpretentious Buca di Beppo serves up family-style platters.
sauce reeking with the sweet odor of
favorite or maybe does have some sort
un dining with a lot of
mushrooms.
of interest.
atmosphere, good food and
This is the first Buca di Beppo
Each of the rooms have colored
service ... If there is any-
restaurant in Michigan ... There are
lights and the same menu ... with pas-
thing more a person could
about 25 around the coun-
tas, veal, chicken, pizza, salads,
want in a restaurant it would probably
try ... The concept is the
etc. listed on the walls.
be price.
same at all of them, but no
Its garlic bread signature
The reasonable pricing, with Italian
two are alike ... Although
item is a delicacy that over-
food served Sicilian immigrant fash-
the name means Joe's base-
flows with cloves of fresh
ion, is also a feature at Buca di Beppo,
ment, the one in Livonia is
garlic.
Six Mile Road between 1-275 and
hardly a cellar ... situated in
Opened on June 15 this
Haggerty in Livonia.
a free-standing building of
year, Buca di Beppo with seat-
Recipes of corporate chef and
dining fun ... When the
ing for 246 here, has taken off
Calabrian native Vittorio Renda are
lobby is crowded, a gal goes
faster than a tumbleweed in a
served family style, with the large por-
DANNY
around with a sign capped
sand storm ... People flock
tions always enough for two or more
RASKIN
by green, white and red
there every night for the good
people ... In the Southern Italian tra-
Local
Columnist
plumes
... calling out the
time and good food.
dition, all Buca di Beppo menu offer-
name of those next in line.
The crust on its pizza is
ings come on oversized family-style
The Buca di Beppo "person-
amazingly thin ... It's almost
platters, in portions meant to be
ality" from the initial concept to the
like the paper in your hand ... The
shared.
food and experience delivered to
pizza trays are not put on pizza stands,
So if two or more folks enjoy the
guests is all about "living large" ... It is
but on two cans of Mancini roasted
same dish or dishes, they can get away
serious Italian food, tongue-in-cheek
peppers ... interesting and different ...
with a quite reasonable evening.
fun, and value few restaurants can
This is about the closest an employee
Buca di Beppo, open only for din-
match.
gets to a can ... So much is homemade.
ner ... Monday-Thursday, 5-
FOOD MAY HAVE been a big
10; Friday, 5-11; Saturday 4-
thing again at the recent Arts,
11; Sunday 4-10 ... is a collec-
Beats and Eats in Pontiac, but take
tion of very interesting rooms
nothing away from places like
... All have a boisterous, unpre-
Gallery Function Art, where a lot
tentious atmosphere that seems
of the 500,000 or so who came for
to bring out the Italian-
the second annual Labor Day
American supper club charac-
Weekend shindig got quite an
ter of the 1940s and '50s.
education.
The circular Pope's Table, an
They saw sculptured art the likes
area set off by several
of which haven't been seen around
Romanesque columns, has seat-
these parts in many a moon ... So
ing for parties of 18 in Sistine
many one-of-a-kind items to make
splendor ...- It is a big favorite
any home decorator drool.
and available by reservation
About the food, it was much
only.
better than last year ... with almost
The Poster Room shows off
all vendors well satisfied by their
posters and framed pictures on
sales results ... and a sure indication
the ceiling ... The Wine Room
that next year at No. 3, restaurants
has wine bottles on the ceiling
Buca di Beppo's executive chef is Matt Churchman,
will be in line to have a booth
left, and Debbie Norman is manager.
instead of posters ... A table for
there.
six is in the kitchen ... The
Siniikaung Steak House in
Grotto Room seats between eight and
Traverse City's Soaring Eagle Casino,
Southern Italian dishes, a stamp
10... A Cardinal Room has seating for
won the Best Entree award with its
of the immigrant kitchen, include a
up to 24 with a large table for 12 and
roasted sirloin on parmesan bruschetta
signature version of spaghetti and
decorations that include official
... The dish also took Best of Fest
meatballs, with two-and-a-half
Catholic Cardinal vestments.
honors ... Best Dessert went to
pounds of durum semolina pasta,
Throughout the restaurant in halls
Rattlesnake Club for its white choco-
and three large-sized meatballs,
and the various rooms are about
late ravioli.
slow-cooped in its homemade mari-
1,800 pictures ... humorous, satirical,
Entree second place went to Water
nara sauce ... and a delicious chick-
political, Hollywood, family, etc. ... I
Lily restaurant at Soaring Eagle for its
en cacciatore that features an entire
don't think Sophia Loren has a piece
shrimp with black bean and corn salsa
roasted chicken, fresh garlic mashed
of Buca di Beppo, but her pictures are
... and Morels was third, serving
potatoes and ladles of cacciatore
everywhere ... Either she's somebody's
lir
Novemb
All S
Sept. 22, 23, 24
Dec. 14,15,16,17
.1 "<lnrfALIA
/7096 East Fourteen MileRoad
oust west of Vall 490to in Warr en)
10) 2 -3200
9/17
Selected "Best Italian Restaurant" by
Gourmet Magazine '96.'97, and '98
visit us at: www.andiamoitalia.com
1999
1.041 Detroit Jewish News