La Buca means hole, and can even refer to a subterranean trattoria, but La Buca di Ripetta (literally “the hole in Ripetta Street) is a far cry from a “hole.” We average dining here about once-a-year. We should come here more often. It is very close to the lively scene at Piazza del Popolo, but down a quiet street.

Small, reservations usually necessary. Intimate yet not dull, lovely service.

As we continue our avoidance of white foods and sugars, this week La Buca replaced pizza night. This is our third Friday without pizza. We’ve each lost a few pounds — not as much as we’d like — but we are not crazy enough to give up wine. As Ben Franklin said, “Wine is constant proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.”

One of four antipasti in our selection, salmon tartar. Silky and delicious.

We started with an antipasto misto of four items, but we ate two before I remembered my mission to capture the dinner for the blog. Avoiding the bread basket while quaffing sipping our wine, we were hungry! The butterflied shrimp were divine, and because there is never enough octopus, we had carpaccio. The two remaining items, pictured here, we practically fought over.

Moscardini in umido (baby octopus in sauce), another antipasto. We made short work of the lovely butterflied shrimp before I remembered to take a picture.

Moving on to our main course, having two preparations as an antipasto was not enough, so Ric ordered the grilled tentacles. How we will miss these options when we come back to the U.S! If you know of a place in the U.S. that does a great job with octopus tentacles — NOT deep fried — please comment!

My Saltimbocca alla Romana was classically prepared and did, indeed, jump into my mouth. The roasted potatoes served alongside were evil, but luckily they served a controlled number and Ric was kind enough to help me.

This is fine dining and the price tag certainly exceeded a pizza night out, but we gladly paid it for a quality Mediterranean meal. Yes, there were some tourists here, after all, it is a stone’s throw from party central in Piazza del Popolo, but there are many locals dining here as well. Including us!

Saltimbocca alla Romana with roasted potatoes. Yeah, not on the lo-carb plan, but Ric helped me eat them.

Ric’s grilled octopus tentacles.

Certainly we have to have our greens, too. Cicoria, our favorite Italian veg.

Wouldn’t you like to have your name on a plate? I am thinking “Casa Barton.”