Housed in a former warehouse boiler room, hidden away down an unsuspecting alley, Buca has got some serious style. The up-scale Italian eatery on King St. W. was recently listed as one of Canada’s Top 50 Restaurants — an honour that comes as little surprise, considering the ongoing buzz this place has received since it opened in 2009.

Though we’re not exactly Buca clientel (I’m talking slick ad exec types), we thought we’d venture along with John’s parents, who were down in the city for the night on a symphony double date with us. (More about that delightfully unusual experience here.)

Buca is known for their rustic Italian cuisine, the kind you’d see at the family dinner table, except bumped up a notch to create that fine-dining illusion. Meat is hung in the open, cured in-house for all to see. Menus are printed daily and stamped each morning. On that day, we shared their cured meat platter: house-made bresaola, prosciutto, spicy salsiccine and four-month-old Berkshire salami, with heirloom tomatoes and pickled eggplant on the side. We thoroughly enjoyed all our mains, including our home-made gelato (vanilla corn maple and chocolate cherry). Our server – a cute, very Italian fella – served us well with attention and care. No complaints whatsoever.

Overall, Buca lived up to all the hype. If you’re looking for a classy place to take your sweet, or doing a research paper on the lifestyles of the slick and slicker, check this place out. We all highly recommend.