From Rhino romper room to fantastic family-style feasting, this is
one occupant turnover that is likely to be well received in
Huntington Beach.
Next month, Buca di Beppo will open its doors where the old Rhino
Room used to be, at 7979 Center Ave., just across the street from the
new Bella Terra shopping center.
The rapidly expanding Italian eatery is famous for its
family-style dishes and boisterous atmosphere that recalls the
Italian American supper clubs of the 1940s and '50s. It's also well
known for its table in the kitchen, nearly spitting distance from the
chef.
"To say we're excited is an understatement," said Randall Lopez,
vice president of marketing for Buca di Beppo. "We've been looking to
open one in Huntington Beach for a while. We've had success in Garden
Grove and Redondo Beach, and this one ties it all together."
It belongs to a quickly growing chain, dotting all corners of the
nation. This will be the third in Orange County.
The name, Buca di Beppo, stands for Joe's Basement, coined after
the first was opened in a Minneapolis basement in 1993.
"It's a very good restaurant, one that we're quite happy to have,"
said Dave Biggs, director of Economic Development for the city. "It's
a nice, quality dining experience, a very desirable tenant."
Buca di Beppo will open its doors June 29.
Huntington State Beach closed for 2,000 feet
Huntington State Beach remains closed for 2,000 feet after a
blocked sewer line overflowed and spilled into the ocean on Monday.
The Orange County Health Care Agency closed the area from the
mouth of the Santa Ana River to 1,000 feet up coast of the Talbert
Channel to swimmers and surfers Tuesday.
"We don't want anyone swimming in water that could be potentially
contaminated by sewage," said Larry Honeybourne, program chief for
the health care agency's water quality section.
The spill, which occurred between 6 and 10 p.m. Monday, was caused
by a blockage in the Huntington Beach Mobile Home Park's sewage
pipeline, which overflowed into the storm drain system and ran down
the flood control channel and into the ocean by way of the Talbert
Marsh.
"The tide was at high tide, and everything in the marsh would have
been pulled out to the ocean," Honeybourne said. "The closure was
instituted as a precaution, We don't know how much impact there is,
if any, on the coastal water area."
Regulators will know more after they get the results back from the
water samples taken Tuesday and Wednesday, and the affected area will
