Buca Di Bepo

"What does Buca di Bepo mean?" I asked my boyfriend, as we drove around looking for the parking entrance. 

"I don't know" he said.

The restaurant is visible from I-40 just west of the Louisiana exit, the entry road is not so easy to spot. It was April 16th, our first visit and we managed to find the location hidden between hotels.

The parking lot was fairly empty that Tuesday afternoon, it was the day after the tragic Boston Marathon Bombings.  As runners, we were both in a somber mood but the restaurant visit was a good distraction.

We walked in to the waiting area and waited for our hostess to direct us to the dining room. Upon entering the main room, I was overstimulated by the decor. Black and White picture frames depicting Italian culture were strewn along the walls.

  

We sat in a booth directly under a television screen airing the 1983 NBA Western Conference Semifinals, LA Lakers vs Portland Trailblazers. The place gave off a really cozy feeling. It's almost as if I had walked into somebody's home.

The dim lighting plus red and white checkered tablecloths enforced that comfortable sensation. 

Our friendly waiter came with the menus and recommended we order the small portions, since it was just the two of us. He mentioned the large portions were meant to feed a family of four. A small Supremo Italiano Pizza was our choice.

 "Wow! That's a small?... It's huge!" I thought to myself as the waiter placed our pizza atop two cans of bell peppers. It smelled great. 

The pizza was delicious. It was made of a toasted thin crust, small square slices, Italian sausage, red onions, bell peppers, pepperoni, and a blend of two cheeses. All toppings were cooked just right. We managed to finish the entire pie. 

It was a pleasant visit, our waiter was great and the staff were friendly. Before leaving our waiter gave us an e-club entry form to fill out.  We've received really good coupon deals via e-mail since then. 

We ended up going for a second visit, to celebrate my boyfriend's birthday. A few of the staff came to our table to sing him, their special Birthday Song. 

I later went on to find out that Beppo is a nickname for "Guiseppe" and  Buca means hole.  In 1993 the first restaurant opened up in a Minneapolis apartment building's basement, the owner's name was Guiseppe. So it was Beppo's Hole.

http://www.bucadibeppo.com/

Brickyard Pizza

April 2nd, 2013, I was excited about visiting Brickyard Pizza for dinner that evening. I bragged about the distinctive taste to my boyfriend and mentioned to him how I would have considered Brickyard Pizza to be the best tasting in the city. It hadn't been too long since my last visit. My brother and I would often stop in, for a slice and drinks, before concerts or  basketball games.  For this reason it somewhat pains me to write this negative post about our experience that evening. 
It was Tuesday afternoon when we walked into the dining area located directly across from the University. Neon beer signs decorated the windows and walls. Three television screens placed overhead were broadcasting sports. Peoples chatter and music contributed to the loudness in the room.  We seated ourselves, and the waitress took her time to get to us.  We browsed the menu and noticed a pizza named after the former Lobo Men's Basketball Coach Steve Alford. Recently,  around the end of  March, Alford was picked up by UCLA.  My boyfriend asked the waitress if they were going to keep his pizza. She said it was going to stay because they had just printed out new menus. 
We ordered chicken wings and a Hawaiian pizza but asked that the ham be replaced by pepperoni.  
It took more than thirty minutes for our order to reach the table. The half order of chicken wings were a disappointment.  

Before the pizza came out, our waitress brought us little pizza trays to use as plates.  The pizza looked good but its taste wasn't great.  I'm not really sure how to go about describing  the awful cheese but it was runny and chewy. 

 

Cheese and topping trails from tray to tray, were left with every slice picked off the pie. The giant pepperoni slices left a spiced tangy taste in my mouth. The crust was thin and the sauce tasted of various herbal spices. 

I had to explain to my boyfriend how that was not the usual Brickyard pizza I had been used to. We were both very disappointed with the service and taste. A band was starting to set up for an intimate open mic night performance when we decided to leave.

 

 Brickyard had recently been voted the best college bar in the city, by a local newspaper. On that I would agree, the laid back environment makes for a decent hang out. So, if you ever go to Brickyard have some drinks, watch some sports, listen to a live band, but eat something other than the pizza. 

A video from an open mic night. 

http://brickyardpizza.com/