We had a lovely dinner last night. We had dinner at a great restaurant in KC, MO called Buca di Beppo. I think the atmosphere was as much fun as the food. It’s a family style Italian restaurant and the portions were big, the prices reasonable and everything was outstanding. You know a place is going to be good when they have the confidence to take their guests into the restaurant through the kitchen so you can see exactly what to expect.
We had the chopped antipasto salad, the Buca trio (a lovely group of appetizers including fried mozzarella, shrimp and calamari), garlic bread, lasagna and baked manicotti. There wasn’t a bad dish in the lot and we all ate too much.
We were actually checking the place out to serve as the location for the rehearsal dinner for our eldest son’s wedding. It wasn’t a tough decision—we booked the wine room for the event before we left. Now, the hardest part is getting everyone to decide what to serve from a menu that carries practically every one of my favorite dishes.
Did I say I was going to start watching what I eat? Well, I did that. The portions were so big it was VERY easy to see them, therefore, I was technically “watching what I ate.” 
Maybe I’ll be better tomorrow.
I’m so glad you guys liked Buca di Beppo! We didn’t get to try it out this weekend. Matt’s mom chose the Hereford House instead. His dad’s birthday is fast approaching, and I suspect he might choose Buca for his birthday dinner.
My husband said that Buca had the most comfortable and relaxed atmosphere of any restaurant we’d been. It was almost like eating at home without my having to work to serve everyone else. It’s a great place for family gatherings. Hope you get to try it soon!