Buca di Beppo

The first Buca di Beppo I visited was in the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago (which has since closed).  I have fond memories of one of my last restaurant meals with my mother there.  She passed away in 2002.  The Buca di Beppo closest to where I live currently is in Orland Park.  The other three Illinois locations are in Wheeling, Lombard and at 521 North  Rush Street in Chicago, just north of downtown.  It’s a perfect location for a family get-together.  The portions are generous and served family style.  The restaurants are busily decorated with vintage photos and ads, both Italian and Italian-American themed, plus photos of famous Italians and Italian Americans such as Sophia Loren and Frank Sinatra. (The location in Lakeview had a “Pope Room” dedicated to Italian popes, gives you an idea of the sense of humor of the décor.)

The menu is hearty, filling Italian.  My favorite appetizers are the cheesy bread Florentine and the fritto misto.  Fritto misto is typically deep-fried veggies in a light, tempura-like batter, but the Buca di Beppo version fries shrimp, calamari and pepperocini.  The stuffed mushrooms are delicious, too, stuffed with prosciutto, cheese, sage and come with a creamy pesto sauce.

The baked pasta dishes are basic, but I don’t mean that negatively.  The baked ziti, rigatoni, spaghetti and meatballs, eggplant parmigiana and stuffed shells are perfect.  I also like the linguini frutti di mare, seafood and pasta in a yummy red sauce.  The penne arrabiata is just as I like it, spicy sausage and spicy sauce.

For dessert, get the dolce platter, a little bit of everything:  Tiramisu, chocolate cake, cheesecake and apple crostata.

 There are several big rooms for families and friends to have private parties.  At lunch time, the huge family portions are available in smaller sizes as well. 

 Buca di Beppo in Orland Park: 15350 South 94th Avenue Orland Park, IL

Nationwide locations can be found at:  http://www.bucadibeppo.com/

 

Sam Buca's

I have been to Sam Buca’s for events related to one of my favorite organizations, Opening Night Arts Group.  We have had membership meetings and cast parties there.  The restaurant is warmly decorated and very comfortable.

I called to make a reservation for my birthday – 6 adults, 3 kids.  We were told getting a table at 5:30 wouldn’t be a problem.  This was true – we were the only customers in the restaurant, but were told our waitress wouldn’t be there until 6.  We were, however, brought beverages by a woman who appeared to be a manager.  There is a rooftop terrace that I have heard is very nice.  We originally planned on sitting upstairs, but my dad didn’t want to deal with the blazing sun.

We ordered fried calamari for our appetizer.  It was done right – not rubbery, just the right texture with a crispy but light breading.  It wasn’t drowning in oil, either.  I had the pasta fagioli soup, which is something I’m picky about.  I wasn’t disappointed, it tasted perfect.

I had the Penne alla Salcicia (penne with creamy tomato vodka sauce).  It was very tasty.  I hate when Italian sausage tastes like nothing but fennel seeds.  This sausage had just the right amount of spice with just a little heat.  My favorite Italian sausage of all time is from Calabria in the Beverly neighborhood.  I could tell this wasn’t Calabria sausage, but it was still good.  The portions are generous.  I brought home half and had it for lunch the next day.  I always feel like I got my money’s worth when I can get several meals out of a dish.  My sister-in-law had the lasagna which came in a small oval-shaped, but deep dish.  Tons of cheese.  My brother had a big salad, called the Sam Buca Special, which is an understatement.  Huge salad.  The unfortunate thing about big salads is it’s useless to bring home leftovers.  Salads don’t age well, just like French fries are useless to bring home because they’re soggy and gross as leftovers.  My husband had sausage and peppers and finished his plate.  The kids had Italian chicken tenders and regular fries.  (They also have Italian fries, which my brother had and were a bit spicy for him, so they were probably too spicy for the kids.  I, however, love lots of spice and heat.)  The chicken tenders were somewhat overdone that gave the breading a little burnt taste.  I think this is why the kids didn’t care for them.

We’ll be back.  I think we just went at an odd time of day, so things weren’t up to par like usual.  I’m sure I will return in the near future for a cast party or other theatre event.

Sam Buca's is located at 12231 South Harlem in Palos Heights, Illinois. 

http://sambucasrestaurant.com/

 

Article from Age of Autism & Comments

The below article struck me.  Most days I'm full of sunshine and positive energy in regard to my family's ongoing battle, but there are other days when I get angry.  I love the "Age of Autism" website, where the article appears.

 

I saw my first negative comment on this blog yesterday.  It had to do with an innocuous detail in one of my posts that had absolutely nothing to do with autism or anything that this blog is about.  It was also cowardly signed "anonymous."  I won't honor the comment by repeating it and it has been deleted.  Wow, really?  If someone is concerned about the details and not the substance of what I'm writing, why are they reading?  But enough on that asinine person...

 

I am honest and fair with everything I write.  I can't lie because not telling the truth would be a betrayal of myself and why I started writing in the first place, which is why I love the honesty of the "Age of Autism" site.  I came across this site after reading "All I Can Handle" by Kim Stagliano.  Kim doesn't candy coat anything.  One of my favorite analogies of hers concerns an autism awareness ad:  A beautiful, well-dressed little boy standing in what looks like a nice suburban cul de sac.  He's sad because he can't play baseball with the other children.  If it was a real portrayal of autism kids, they should show a messy bedroom, mattress on the floor with sheets pulled off, holes in the drywall, poop smeared on the walls - that's more like my kids' room!

 

Anyway, the article below is an honest expression of some of the emotions we on this autism rollercoaster experience.

http://www.ageofautism.com/2012/09/forgive-and-forget.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ageofautism+%28AGE+OF+AUTISM%29&utm_content=Yahoo%21+Mail

Sept. 22 Dutch Festival Offers Fun for All Ages ! | Elim Christian Services

This is the main yearly fundraiser of the wonderful school my children attend.  Admission is free and once inside, the food prices are very reasonable.  There are many baked goods for sale, Dutch blue china items and unique Christmas decorations.  There's a farmer's market, rides and games for the kids, and live music and Dutch dancers.

Sept. 22 Dutch Festival Offers Fun for All Ages ! | Elim Christian Services

Return to Deja Brew

Some of my friends were surprised I wanted to celebrate my birthday here because of its “young” reputation.  The crowd on the outdoor patio is always older.  We ordered the nachos and Southwestern egg rolls.  The Southwestern rolls are spicy, not too much – just enough to wake up your tastebuds and make your nose run a little bit, but nothing to set your mouth on fire.  I love the nachos here, even though the cheese is fake, gooey cheese – think Taco Bell.  The guacamole is fresh, chunky, just the right balance of everything – heat, lime, hint of onion, sweet avocado.  Our friends ordered the fried dill pickles (one of my favorite pub grub foods).  In the past when I have had fried pickles, the pickle slices were discs, kind of like how you get fried zucchini.  The Deja Brew fried pickles are pickle spears.  More pickle that way.  They come with a ranch dipping sauce.  Personally, I prefer remoulade sauce with fried pickles, but that’s me.  Our friends also had a club sandwich that they shared.  My husband had a chicken panini that he scarfed down – always a sign he really likes something.  Me, if I really like a dish, I savor each bite and take my time to make the yumminess last.  This was a perfect night to sit outside and something to savor, because before we know it, it will be cold in Chicago!

 

Deja Brew Bar & Grill is located at 5219 West 95th Street in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

 

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Some Disney Notes

I was going over my notes from our Disney trip - in a nutshell, these are the things I didn't devote a post to, but are worth mentioning:

Contemporary Resort - watching fireworks from the 4th floor deck. Get there early for seating, although standing isn't too bad. The fireworks don't last long enough for your feet to start hurting. Well, at least my 46-year-old feet.

Contempo Cafe at Contemporary Resort - cafeteria-style food, affordable by Disney price standards. My son went crazy for the Mickey waffles.

Road trip to Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach - admission price to the Kennedy Space Center isn't cheap, so make sure your kids are old enough to appreciate it. Cocoa Beach itself was worth the drive - my kids love the beach. It wasn't too crowded for July, either.

Usually when traveling, I try to eat local as much as possible, but there is nothing wrong with going to a chain restaurant when you have cranky kids and know said chain restaurant will have something they will eat, i.e., IHOP, Denny's, we hit both.

The "outlet" gift shops in tourist areas can be misleading. They usually advertise $1 towels or t-shirts - the $1 towels and t-shirts are from an event several years ago or contain rude sayings.

 The good stuff is still more expensive, although not as bad as the hotels. I recommend Publix, Target, WalMart - they have all the souvenirs at much cheaper prices.

Two events that will receive their own blog posts - Sean's tantrum at the water slide and our trip to Our Lady of the Universe Basilica, a National Shrine.

Why i write this

I was browsing the Internet this afternoon and I came across a Groupon for Vegas hotels.  I thought about how my boys would enjoy the bright lights and colors and general circus atmosphere of Vegas.  They would also enjoy the swimming pools and just walking through the hotels. 

I know some casinos in other states (Ho Chunk in Wisconsin) offer child care.  My first impression when I heard this was that it was sleazy – parents just dumping their kids so they can go gamble, drink and do who knows what else. 

Once on our way home from the Dells, the weather was awful.  We were near the Ho Chunk, so we decided to stop there to wait out the storm.  We walked past the child care center.  It was actually very clean, the people in charge were proper day care workers, there were plenty of things for the kids to do.  It was $6 an hour.  The kids took one look at all the fun stuff and didn’t even say goodbye to us.  We went to the casino for about an hour and a half, came and got the kids, who didn’t want to leave.  (Although my teenage stepdaughter told her mother we abandoned her with the children all day so we could gamble, but that's a whole other therapy session.) By this time, the storm was letting up, so we got something to eat and then headed home.

Remembering this, I wondered if any Vegas hotels had anything similar.  Several do.  I then did a search to see if there was day care available for special needs.  Nothing. 

 My kids really love the beach.  Maybe we could go to a beach resort.  I looked for any resorts that offer special needs day care.  The Beaches chain was the only one that came up.  I know there are nanny services where you can hire a nanny to go on vacation with you, but if that costs almost as much as your hotel or flights, what’s the point?

 I prefer doing things with my kids on vacation, but it’s nice for my husband and I to have some grownup time, too, whether it’s wandering around for an hour, a quiet dinner or just a soak in the hot tub.  This is a benefit of traveling with extended family, by the way – there’s usually someone willing and able to watch the kids for an hour or two or take one of them somewhere.  I hope the tone of this post doesn’t come off like I just want to go gamble on vacation.  This is about how an ideal vacation has a balance of things to make each family member happy, together and individually, whether it’s in a big city, a beach resort, another country, wherever.

 I read about a special needs theme park just outside of San Antonio, Texas (Morgan’s Wonderland).  I was so excited – booked flights and a hotel.  My husband cannot pick his vacation dates, his company does for him, so we had to go in February.  Morgan’s Wonderland didn’t open until March.  We had a decent time, anyway, kids actually got into our trip to the Alamo and I had the best Mexican food ever. I’ll save that trip for another blog post.

 The lack of information on the internet reminded me of why I started writing this blog.  When I officially became a special needs mom, I looked high and low online to find resources for special needs friendly resorts, theme parks, restaurants, activities, anything. The lack of information just increased the feeling of isolation.  I gave up searching and decided to figure it out myself and write about it for others like me.