Posted on Oct 26, 2009 - 09:13 PM

Prepare for Pasta with the Plexiglassed Pontiff

http://www.mbsun.com/assets_c/2009/10/pope-s-table-thumb-540x404-2464.jpgMy wife comes home yesterday, all giddy about a bit of local news she'd just learned.

"Guess which restaurant's gonna be in Planet Hollywood?" she asks through a Cheshire Cat grin.

(Shrug.)

(No response.)

(Man of house more interested in Steelers/Vikings on tube.)

(Wife smack hubby on top of bald head to regain attention.)

"Yo - numbskull! What's the one restaurant you've been whining about for four years now, because it's not in Myrtle Beach???"

Hubby quickly snaps out of it.

"You mean we're finally getting The Pope Room?" I ask in disbelief.

(Wife nods.)

Yes, dear, there really is a Buca di Beppo coming to Myrtle Beach.

Becky Billingsley actually reported on this last month, but it had gone unnoticed by this Irish-Italian household until now. Why so excited? Two reasons:

Anyone with any trace of Italian blood in them has particular tastes in marinara sauce. Though I like many different kinds, the Buca di Beppo sauce I've sampled in their Chandler and Scottsdale, Arizona locations each had a very, uh, "distinct" (some might say "heavy") garlic flavor that I favor. I'm anxious to see how much of it they bring to the Beach.
Some might call it sacrilege, but I call it fun - "The Pope Room," a staple of Buca di Beppo whimsy (pictured, above). Each location's tribute to papal history is ornately decorated, and features a bust of the modern-day pontiff (Pope Benedict XVI) in a lucite box on a Lazy Susan - a handy feature for efficiently blessing each and every person seated at the circular table. The room has been an ongoing hit with larger dining parties.

Hey, if a four-story, upside-down building is coming in right across the street, then this concept should fit right in with the rest of the neighborhood ...