That's Amore!

While my 14 year old is not very eager to express love, he does love Buca di Beppo. If you're not familiar with the kitschy chain offering favorites like lasagna served family-style, you're not missing out on anything super-special. It is fun, though, to look at the pictures that plaster the walls, listen to songs like "Mambo Italiano" and pass the spaghetti to your kiddos. As for myself, I would prefer to find a little hole in the wall family-owned Italian restaurant like Bovalino's in Westlake or Maria's in Lakewood. However, Boot got a Buca di Beppo gift certificate in his stocking and requested to go there for dinner last night. He and Pie had pizza for the second night in a row, while J & I split a small order of manicotti. At Buca di Beppo, a small serves 2 or more. The manicotti there is actually okay, warm and filling on a bitter cold night, at least. They have all kinds of cocktails, cordials, Italian sodas and things like that. What they don't have is decent coffee. I was freezing and wanted nothing more than a mug of hot cocoa (all the research I've been doing on approximating the Mayan Chocolate Love Ritual from The Winds since I will be honeyless for Valentine's Day and therefore not enjoying their fabulous Valentine dinner...I blame Evvi for getting me started with the research) or at least a good latté. It being an Italian place and latté being trendy, I figure they'll have a decent latté. So when the cocoa is not an option, I try for that. No dice. I ended up with a cup of hot (ahhh!) but decidedly crappy, perhaps instant coffee and 2 packets of creamer. Oh well.