Sherry M. wrote: > Anyone been there yet? Any critiques? > > Thanks, > Sherry I've been to Beppo (no apostrophe), and it's a remarkable place -- kind of like Little Italy on acid. The restaurant is obviously a labor of the owners' love, since the decor is so comprehensive a catalogue of southern Italian cultural cues. The entrance is great, too. At first you think it's the entry to the kitchen, so you step out and look for the main door, but then you realize that they're one and the same. To get to the host's comically imperious podium, you have to walk right by the cook's line, dodging servers and their immense platters of food. It's like they're telling you, we don't have anything to hide, because everything is totally in your face. And fortunately, the restaurant delivers on its promise of serving up satisfying food. This isn't the place to come for refined, delicately balanced sauces and preparations -- the food is honest and hearty, and as for the portions, "huge" isn't the word. If you go there, I urge you to try the pizzas, each of which is about the size of a cookie sheet and is balanced on two huge cans of tomatoes (or something) so that you can still have drinks and plates, etc. under the pizzas. If any of you have been to Figs in Boston, you'll note the similarity in the serving style. Also, the tiramisu totally kicks ass.
San Francisco Bay Area, CA