Casual rehearsal dinner near(ish) Northcross?

[salsera]

Hey-- getting hitched in April. The church is very close to Northcross Mall. Looking for a decent, casual (not expensive, so sushi is out, dang!) place to bring a big crowd of out-of-towners, relatively handy to the church. Failing that, somewhere on the way up north to the 183/Oak Knoll area would be OK too. No BBQ (I can't stand Texas 'cue, I'm a Virginia gal.)

I considered Trudy's North Star, but they don't do any reservations/roping-off/separate room stuff. Suzi's Chinese was considered, but the food the following day will be mainly Filipino, so I don't want to overdose the non-Asian guests with Asian food. Brunch the day after will be at Freda's Seafood Grill.

What do you think of Buca di Beppo? (I have searched for and read the Buca posts, thanks, just curious about specific opinions for this specific context. We'll have at least 30-40 people so I don't think we can fit in the Pope table.)

We thank you in advance for your suggestions!!

[salsera]

Thanks everybody! I, too, am happier when not thinking of Buca, xalapenocharlie, and your comment made me laugh. As it turns out, we'll have about 55-60 people at the rehearsal dinner. We are probably going to go with Brick Oven. I love Houston's but too expensive; not crazy about Mirabelle; Chez Zee is lovely but pricey; I walked inside Veranda and was not impressed with the ambiance so I didn't stay to eat. We haven't checked out NXNW yet, but if Brick Oven's room looks too small, that's our next stop. Many thanks everyone for the suggestions (and keep them coming...)

[singlemalt]

I don't have any idea how fancy you want to get, but have you asked Houston's, right across the street from NC, what they could do for you? They have a section on the Burnet Rd side that could be roped off for a private party.

[barbglaser]

Chez Zee (Balcones/2222) is a good choice...and they have private dining area as well. I also recommend Mirabelle,

[xalapenocharlie]

In the area - Mirabelle, NXNW, and Mimi's all have separate party rooms and take advance reservations. If you are going super casual, Mangia on Mesa has a separate party room too. For me, it would be NXNW. If the weather is nice, you could possibly groove on their outdoor patio where there is a bandstand that could be put to good use. One of their house bands - Too Blue - plays R&B favorites and is rea$onable when it comes to weddings, etc. NXNW could give you the contact info. BTW, I think very little of Buca, and my stomach is very happy with that, especially when I don't think of Buca at all.

[jamsand]

My coworker was looking for a reasonable rehearsal dinner location up north last year. She ended up having it at Iron Cactus. I think she was pretty happy with the results. Brick Oven was another one of her options.

[amykragan]

Try Veranda. It's in Northcross mall, has a huge selection, great food, full bar and will probably work with you on reservations, etc.
It's worth a shot!
http://www.theverandarestaurantbar.com/

[rudeboy]

I was going to suggest Veranda as well. I'd definintely choose that over Buca di Beppo (which may be too loud and crowded for that type of dinner). Veranda is likely to be less crowded on a Saturday afternoon, and they could potentially rope off an area for you.