Buccacino’s is an inoffensive and unexciting place to eat. The décor is family-friendly and very yellow and orange. I did enjoy the large mural of the Italian-style patio. The tablecloths were plastic and colourful enough to hide stains easily (not that we found any). Their buffet hosted the smallest selection of any we’ve been to before, but the food itself wasn’t too bad; on par with Aalto’s. This means that everything is warming-tray cold (even though we were one of the first parties in there) and congealed.

The coffee was tepid and unappealing. The eggs Benedict were nicely runny but lukewarm. The potatoes were salty and lukewarm. The sausages and bacon were both nice, and warmer than the rest. The bacon was solid and tasty, and the sausages, while certainly the generic breakfast links I despise, were cooked thoroughly enough as to melt the hard bits. The scrambled eggs were rubbery summer-camp quality, similar to those Aalto’s. A few of our party were dismayed at the absence of an omelette station. The croissants were quite good though.

The other selections at the buffet were decent. Pasta salads and Caesar salad were tasty, but I didn’t like the boiled egg in the lemon chicken soup. The desserts were good, and I was excited for the bread pudding. I tapped a nice custard vein in the pudding, so I was satisfied. Alongside it was some chocolate mousse and half an éclair which were both suffused with sweetness.

All in all, there are plenty better buffets for an approximate price. Why they declared it “Famous” and “Winnipeg’s Best” is beyond me.

Creamy Eclairs!

January 4 2009

Buccacino’s Cucina Italiana

155 Osborne Street

Hours of operation:

Mon - Sat   11 AM - 11 PM

Sun            10 AM - 10 PM

Brunch Buffet: $11.99

1.99 coffee.

$15.66 after tax.

Breakfast Connoisseurs have done a few buffets so far, and we can earnestly tell you that Buccacino’s Brunch Buffet is better than the (now defunct) Royal Crown’s, but not as good as the Viscount Gort’s. So much for being “Winnipeg’s Best.” Ever hear of the Fort Garry? You can’t get better than theirs, but it’s almost an unfair comparison as the Fort Garry’s is fancier than most everything in the city.