Hi everyone!
I hope you all had a great Easter holiday! I know this year Semana Santa probably didn't happen exactly the way you wanted it to. Mine was a little different than I expected too. I was hoping to travel, spend time with friends, and enjoy the weather getting nicer. I'm happy to stay inside though, if it means that fewer people will get sick, and that this pandemic will pass more quickly! I'm looking forward to the friends and family I can see, and the meals we can share, when our period of isolation ends and we can all go out again.
One of my favorite ways to spend time with family and friends is to go out to restaurants to eat. Madrid has many cool restaurants, with fun environments and delicious food. There are also a few restaurants I loved back home in the United States that I miss from time to time!
Buca di Beppo
I have always loved Italian food; it's simple but delicious, and can be very comforting while still managing to be relatively healthy (depending on the recipe!). One of my all time favorite Italian-style restaurants in the United States is called Buca di Beppo.
One thing I love about this restaurant is that the meals are served "family style": they are very large portions of food, because they are meant to be passed around the table and shared among the whole family, rather than each person ordering their own meal they eat themselves.
Another really fun thing about Buca di Beppo is that most of the restaurants have a special table, called the "chef's table" in the kitchen. If you and your family sit there, you can watch the chefs prepare the food for the whole restaurant while you enjoy your own meal! The waiters and waitresses will often bring the dishes by your table on their way out of the kitchen, to show you each dish. Sometimes the chefs will come over to your table and talk to you, or answer questions about dishes on the menu! The chef's table is a really fun place to sit to celebrate a special occasion, like a birthday or some other celebration. I have sat there a couple times myself, to celebrate my birthday, and I always really enjoyed it.
Of course I love the food at the restaurant - that's the main reason you go out to eat, right? But I also love the decorations and atmosphere in the restaurant. There are funny pictures all over the walls, and I love the classic red and white checked tablecloths on all the tables. They also use large cans of tomatoes as supports to hold whole pizzas, and I always thought that was cute and clever.
Watch this video advertising the restaurant and try filling in the blanks below!
1. Buca di Beppo brings Italian Family style dining, with generous portions, great value and the world ________ half pound meatballs to a neighborhood near you
2. Buca uses only the freshest ____________ to create authentic Italian dishes and a twist on classic ___________.
3. Guests continue to return for many of Buca's favorites, whether it's the _________ chicken parmigiana, __________ lasagna, prosciutto-stuffed chicken, baked ziti, or the world famous spaghetti and meatballs.
4. They always leave feeling ___________.
5. This is the _________ place to celebrate in our one of a kind festive atmosphere, surrounded by kitschy vintage collectibles, and ____________.
6. It is said that there are more than 2500 photos in our Buca ___________.
7. Buca is perfect for any occasion, whether it's table for 2 or 20, let our family serve you, from anniversaries, __________, weddings, and baby showers, to retirements, rehearsal dinners, or just getting together with the family.
The Conch Republic
Another one of my favorite types of food is seafood - growing up in Florida, I always lived fairly close to the beach, and there are many great restaurants that serve freshly caught fish - sometimes it was caught in the early morning, the same day you order and eat it!
One of these restaurants is called The Conch Republic, and it's located in my beach town back home in Florida.
One reason I love this restaurant is that it has very fresh seafood - I have eaten fish, shrimp, and even crab legs there, and they were all delicious! The menu has a lot of options to choose from, and I've enjoyed all of the meals I've eaten there.
The restaurant is very close to where my dad and stepmom live, and we have met there for dinner many times. The decorations are all very fun and beachy, and you feel like you are on vacation when you walk in, even if you just left work or school to get there.
There are brightly colored chairs outside the restaurant, that people often sit in while waiting for a table, or just to enjoy the weather while having a drink.
There's also a fun gift shop, where visitors on vacation or even local residents can buy souvenirs to support the restaurant, or remember the trip they took to visit the town and its beach. In the gift shop they sell T-shirts, keychains, and drinking glasses, among other things.
Now it's your turn!
What is your favorite restaurant? Describe it to me. Be sure to mention:
What is it called?
What type of food they serve?
What is your favorite dish/plate to order?
Who do you normally go to this restaurant with?