Buca di Beppo. Italian for "Planet Hollywood"

Buca di Beppo
8580 State Highway 121
Frisco, TX 75034

Okay I know Buca di Beppo is a chain restaurant.  And I know sometimes waitstaff can be overly excited or clearly lacking in social skills at chain restaurants.  Tonight’s visit to Buca di Beppo was no exception.  The host asked us if it was our first time to dine there and I told him “no” but he still proceeded to tell me about their kitchen and how often they bake bread and how it is the perfect place to throw a birthday party.  Since he didn’t listen to me I then wanted to tell him about my struggle with finding the perfect running bra, how I once made ice cream using only frozen bananas and why I think the Situation’s new rap song might have a chance.

Fast forward to our waiter.  I think he spotted our coupon early on and almost instantaneously started moving at a slower pace.  Either that or his acapella skills were in high demand with the 8,000 birthday parties going on in every room.  They weren’t kidding about celebrating at Buca’s.

"It looks like the oil spill!" - our waiter (way too soon, buddy)

We were not there to celebrate tonight.  It was strictly bidness in the form of carb loading.  We are getting up at the crack of dawn tomorrow to head to White Rock to ride some laps.  The goal is to ride 5 times around the lake for a total distance of 45 miles.  Since I am terrible with math and Jason can’t focus for longer than 4 minutes at a time, we’re going to take an article of clothing off for each lap we finish and throw it at someone we think looks homeless.  Then when we get down to our skivvies, we’ll know we’re done.  And by skivvies I obviously mean padded bike shorts.

Wine bottle ceiling and pictures of nuns everywhere. Like church, only different.

Our carb loading included the Apple Gorgonzola Salad and Penne San Remo.  The salad had walnuts and dried cranberries mixed in and could have easily been my entree.  However, you can’t just wave artichoke hearts, peas and penne pasta in a cream sauce in front of me and expect me to just sit there and drool.  Both shared dishes were good.  Not out of this world, but good.  The meal hit the spot and I have a pasta belly ready for flattening tomorrow.

They serve with real tongs! How bout them apples! Litrolly!

Hi

While we were eating dinner we heard our waiter tell the kids at the table next to us that Buca di Beppo was now owned by Planet Hollywood and that they changed their menu to be geared more towards “celebrities.”  All this time I thought celebrities liked iced coffee and fro-yo but apparently they like mounds of whipped cream shoved in a bowl doused with sprinkles and topped with a cherry and mint sprig.

Family size portions of pasta, bread and cream sauce. Followed by a colossal dessert. But why is America fat?

It is very obvious that Buca is trying to become something of a banquet hall.  I think their end goal is to have every single table filled with at least one birthday guest.  Our waiter was missing for at least 20 minutes to attend Happy Birthday serenades throughout the restaurant.  I tipped him extra because he seemed to be having trouble breathing.  I’d go back here if I had another coupon.  But I’d keep it hidden until I get the bill.

Heaven

It would only be appropriate to start Foodgarbl off with a trip to Gattitown in Frisco.  Let me explain something to you.  I am training for a half marathon.  And I like shitty pizza.  Put these two together and you get a trip to Mr. Gatti’s.  Gattitown is like if Mr. Gatti and Chuckie Cheese had a clown baby that does drugs.  There is a frickin slurpee machine.

Frickin Slurpees

They offer train rides for kids out front (slip the high school kid a $5 and you get a bonus lap.  I just made that up but it’s worth a shot).  There are themed eating rooms like “Courtyard” with fake trees and an al fresco type feel (reminded me of Italy) and the “Ballpark at Arlington” theme which was so realistic I brought my glove and fully expected to catch a home run while eating.  Let’s focus on the gourmet buffet.  There are about 10 different kinds of pizza which all kinda tasted the same so I couldn’t tell if I was eating pepperoni or pineapple but I didn’t care.  It was so good.

Like being at a New York pizza parlor. Only different.

Times 10 is what I ate! Champion!

There is pasta with sauce.  And peach cobbler.  And sugar cake pie with sprinkles.  And cinnamon sugar pizza with icing.  And cheese bread.  And a salad bar which looked deceivingly awesome.  DO NOT FALL FOR THE SALAD BAR TRICK.  It will fill you up with healthy goodness when you could just as easily be enjoying 8 slices of supreme and a slurpee.  In all seriousness though, we felt like creepsters being at Gattitown on a Friday night with a bunch of parents and they damn kids.  However, we needed fuel for a 7 mile run this morning and we sure got it.  For $18.  How was our run this morning you ask?  7 miles, 1 hour.

Space Cadet

I know! Let's teach kids to shoot guns at Gattitown!

Dance Dance Revolution Y'all