Our family has had many good experiences at Buca since the mid 90s. We visited the Maple Grove location tonight for an overpriced dissappointment. the Summary: Made reservation for 7:30, seated at almost 8. Maybe just tell us they havent changed their "no reservations" policy instead of pretending to hold a table. We missed our movie. Silverware all had scum on them...not bacterial scum but hard water scum. Plastic glasses, same scum. Keeping this stuff off your silverware is restaurant 101. Buca used to have fresh, warm bread. Not inspiring, but fresh passable. This Saturday night we had day old cold insipid bread. It was a bad omen. Ordered house salad, calamari and Frutta di Mari. Salad has been cheapened to exclude parmesan cheese and artichoke hearts it used to contain, not to mention olive oil of some flavor. New version of house salad is totally bland and overpriced. Anywhere else the same $10 salad would cost $4. And you would not order it. Calamari was soaked in oil...looking like maybe it had been fried, then re-fried to re heat. Nothing like previous experience, which delivered light, crisp calamari that would make seafood converts of Iowans. Seafood pasta was consistent with previous experiences...but lacking in mussels around the perimeter of the bowl, with lemon wedges as they used to do. Overall, it seemed clear the managing company has taken steps to cheapen the food, raise the price, and pocket the difference. We eat out quite a bit, are cooks at home, and are certainly willing to pay for a good meal. Tonight we paid about $30 a person for an experience we wont be repeating. Check the Buca website and Planet Hollywood (new owner) website. You wont find a "contact us" option. No way to provide feedback to them....it is telling.
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