Buca di Beppo

Buca di Beppo Restaurant Review:

The first venue opened by a Midwestern chain, BdiB is a theme restaurant capitalizing on people's love of old-fashioned Italian-American culture. All the icons are here: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and even the pope. The front door leads directly through the kitchen to the dining room, where the amusing kitsch on the walls looks store-bought and the background music is likely to be That's Amore. Wooden booths, red-checked tablecloths and ebullient waiters help set the stage. Unfortunately, the largeness of the portions is the main highlight. Plates overflow with pastas, meatballs and salads, but most of it is molto mediocre. Also located at 855 Howard St., San Francisco, 415-543-7673.