This post brought to you by Buca di Beppo®. The content and opinions expressed below are that of The PKP Way.
Every week my family and I have a designated family dinner night. With all of our varying schedules, it is difficult to find time to share a meal together during the work week. On the last family dinner night, it was my turn to choose the restaurant. Considering October is World Pasta Month, I chose Buca di Beppo, a restaurant we’ve been frequenting for years and where I held my high school graduation party!
It’s always a fun experience going to Buca di Beppo. The host seating you will always ask if you’ve been there before. Usually, newcomers will be given a tour of the kitchen, but even if you’re a regular, they’ll ask if you’d like the tour anyway. I always say yes! I love getting a glimpse of the behind-the-scenes action and the option of sitting inside the kitchen. The décor around the restaurant is very entertaining and fun to look at. The bathrooms are even more entertaining :)
Once we were seated, the host explained one of their new concepts – Create Your Own Pasta Bowl. We always love an opportunity for personalization and customization so we were immediately intrigued. Since Buca di Beppo is a family-style restaurant, meaning everything on the table is up for grabs, we decided to create one pasta dish as a group. We had the option to pick one pasta, one sauce, up to 3 vegetables, one meat inclusion, and a pinch of either crushed red pepper or poached garlic. Our combination was linguine with rosa sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes, and sautéed mushrooms, and a pinch of poached garlic. My parents don’t eat beef, so our meat inclusion was ordered on the side – meatballs at a whopping ½ lb. each!
Once we finalized our main course, we each went around ordering our favorite “sides” – garlic bread, eggplant parmigiana, and chicken limone. While waiting for our meal, we enjoyed their freshly baked bread with a side of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Not before long, out came the garlic bread with freshly minced garlic. Here’s a tip from my dad, whenever you go to an Italian restaurant, ALWAYS order their garlic bread as a gauge for how the rest of the items will be! Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and flavored with spicy garlic, we knew that our dinner was going to be delicious.
All of our entrees came out at the same time and we rotated through each dish to build our own plates. The personalized pasta was piping hot, perfectly cooked, and covered in the creamy tomato rosa sauce and vegetables.
Our meatballs on the side – that’s 1 lb. of meat right there!
The chicken limone is a must and make sure to sop up all of the lemon caper sauce with any leftover bread before they clear the plate from the table.
We always enjoy their eggplant parmigiana. It’s not soggy like other restaurants and they give you layers upon layers of eggplant, all swimming in marinara sauce.
Here is one of our assembled plates – an early Italian Thanksgiving if you ask me!
We left completely satisfied with full bellies and leftovers for lunch the next day. Not a bad way to celebrate World Pasta Month :) Ready to join me in celebrating World Pasta Month by creating your own pasta? Buca di Beppo is holding a #PastaSelfie for a daily chance to win a $100 Buca di Beppo gift card. Simply snap a picture of what you create and share it on Instagram with #PastaSelfie #sweepstakes and tag @bucadibeppo.
Want another chance to win a $100 Buca di Beppo gift card? Use it towards a dinner date with your special someone, your holiday party this season (they cater events too), or simply on a weeknight when you’re too busy to cook! I’m teaming with Buca di Beppo to host this giveaway. To enter, simply leave a comment on this post, telling me your favorite pasta dish. Then, click on “Click here to enter” and tell me the name that you used to comment with.
Buca di Beppo Create Your Own Pasta Bowl Giveaway
Impress your friends with this fun fact: Americans account for 24% of global pasta consumption, more than any other country in the world! Americans consume 6 billion pounds of pasta each year with the average American consuming 20 pounds of pasta annually.
Your photos are making my mouth water – and that sounds like such a nice tradition to have a weekly family dinner! It’s hard to pick a favorite pasta dish, but last week I tried one with a sauce made from butternut squash, pumpkin, and cream. It was exquisite!
Mmmmm…butternut squash AND pumpkin? A fall meal at it’s finest :)
Growing up Italian made me very snobby when it came to Italian restaurants but Buca di Beppo always passed the test ;) I used to get linguine frutti di mare, or a penne. I am curious about these new options.
I’m the same way with Thai restaurants! Glad Buca passed the test!
Ummm Ummm! Your Buca di Beppo dinner sounds so good. I wish I could have been there with you and the family! For me, I go back and forth on my favorite pasta dish. Most recently, I have made this a rendition of a vodka spaghetti that I really love. I first saute bell peppers, onions, and garlic to doctor up the vodka sauce. Then, I mix the sauteed veges with andouille chicken sausage, wheat spaghetti, and vodka sauce. It’s a little on the spicy side and super delicious. The mixture of bell pepper, onion, and garlic is what Creole people call the “holy trinity” because it represents the base of most Creole dishes.
I love spicy pasta sauces! The flavors of the “holy trinity” sounds right up my alley!
My favorite pasta dish is definitely angel hair pomodoro :9 Also, dad’s advice about using garlic bread as a litmus test is kind of genius.
Yes, simple but classic!
Any variety of fettuccine alfredo is by far my favorite pasta dish, which seems more than fitting since my birthday is apparently National Fettuccine Alfredo Day. I also know Buca does a neat song for birthday customers and I have always wanted to be serenaded. Looks like I’ve got birthday plans covered! Thanks for sprouting that idea and enticing me with these photos and descriptions — yummm. I’ll make sure to take a tour next time too!
It’s fate!
My favorite pasta is Carbonara! It’s a pasta that has simple ingredients, but the technique is difficult! People tend to mess it up and it becomes scrambled eggs with pasta (gross!).
Very great post! Was brought here by Diana! :D
Oooo…sounds intriguing. I’ll have to give it a taste!
Ugh these pictures you’ve posted- be still, my heart. Buca’s Chicken Carbonara is my favorite, hands down. They trick you into eating vegetables there by smothering them in garlic deliciousness. Gets me every time :)
Any time you can be tricked into eating vegetables is a win in my book! ;)