BUCO BRINGS A WELCOME DINING OPTION TO ST. ALBERT
It wasn’t until I had dinner at Buco with an Italian-speaking friend who has lived in St. Albert for many years that I understood the name and decor quirks of this latest addition to the Sorrentino’s group of restaurants.
Buco, which means “hole” in Italian, seems an odd choice of name for an eatery — almost as strange as the inexplicable hole in the surface of each of the wooden-slab tables in the otherwise artfully designed restaurant. It’s located in a swanky new strip mall on Bellerose Drive, a spot longtime St. Albertans will remember as the former home of Hole’s Greenhouses. And so, the ode to “holes” — mystery solved (I think)!
The clever tribute to a beloved local landmark is one more reason to like Buco, a modern, casual and deliciously welcome addition to a community whose lack of great dining options is as confounding as the weird little circle cut-out on our table.
On one side of the Buco space is a bright, sleekly tiled bar surrounding an open kitchen, at the centre of which is a wood-fired pizza oven, also tiled and resembling a giant armadillo.
The rest of the room is warm with brick and wood, bustling with folks on the Wednesday night we visited. Don’t expect a quiet tête-à-tête here — families are welcome, and the vibe is friendly and fun.
The food reflects the atmosphere, lending itself to sampling and sharing, with plenty of small plates and salads.
Buco calls itself a pizzeria, and while there’s a long list of pizzas from that lovely armadillo-oven, there are also a few homey pastas and some substantial grilled meats, served on impressive wooden platters.
Starters range from good-sized charcuterie plates to individually ordered pieces of bruschetta ($4 each) with inventive toppings like mint, green pea and ricotta (delicious) and prosciutto with caramelized cantaloupe and Gorgonzola.
Among our favourite starters was the polenta fritta ($10), sticks of fried polenta alongside thin slices of spicy soppressata (salami). Wrap one around the other, dip in truffle aioli and be amazed.
Also worth coming back for was the caprese salad ($12), a simple dish that relies on the freshest ingredients. Buco’s delivered with beautiful red and yellow tomatoes, fior di latte (a fresh mozzarella cheese) and olives, topped with balsamic, fresh basil and chopped pistachios.
The other salads had a hard time competing. The fior di latte salad was mostly just slices of the mild cheese, with only the lightest sprinkling of the promised peas and mint, and no trace of the speck prosciutto or Parmigiano-reggiano. The Buco chop salad, a pretty combination of greens, tomato, salami, chick peas and lemon, could have used more seasoning.
The Neapolitan-style pizza was top-notch, as expected. Our multi-mushroom and black truffle offering ($20) had just the right amount of interesting toppings and a tender, chewy crust.
A less authentic but gluten-free version can be had for $3 more.
The pastas on the menu focused on comfort — lasagna, baked rigatoni and macaroni and cheese. The chicken and rapini cannelloni ($20) wasn’t a favourite — the chicken had an unappealing minced texture and the sauce was on the bland side.
But the rigatoni was a winner, tomatoey and cheesy with chunks of yummy chicken-and-mortadella meatballs.
The porchetta, a slow-roasted, bacon-wrapped pork loin, was another highlight, served with simple roast potatoes, a hint of fresh arugula and chimichurri sauce ($24).
We only had room to share a single dessert of panna cotta, a citrus and berry version that was softer and more parfait-like than we expected, but still tasty.
Buco has a good selection of Italian wines by the bottle or glass and some interesting beers, including artisan beers from Italy. Every Monday is BYOW, when patrons can bring their own wine without paying a corkage fee.
The pizzeria is open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, making it an appealing option for locals in search of a casual meal, drinks with applies or a light lunch. To entice folks in the off-hours, they’ve got special mid-afternoon (3 to 5 p.m.) and late-night (after 9 p.m.) deals on pizza and small plates.
With neighbours like Delux Burger Bar, Care it Urban Deli and next month, a satellite of fine-dining spot XIX Nineteen moving in, this sparkling new complex is sure to help fill the culinary “hole” in St. Albert.