And, come to think of it, I've eaten plenty of lobster out of the shell in restaurants.

Sorry suze to fly off like that, but it just doesn't seem that hard to me to understand that in Italy, it would be considered "fishy" if a restaurant owner DIDN'T let you pick your own fish. What's he hiding? And fish should be filetted at your table, and prepared with the bones in, for flavor, not left sitting around, cut up, exposed to the air.

So what is good Italian cooking practice that results in a tastier meal is somthing Americans should appreciate. However, good fish, well-prepared, will cost you in Italy -- and it will cost you by the size of the fish you pick to eat.

"Usually sold as filets"??? It would be awfully hard to order an entire swordfish, dont't you think? Or a tuna, for that matter.

Yes, and I will have the 40kg tuna per favore!!

<i>So, since we would need to order 20 per cent less, it follows we would pay 20 per cent less. </i>

It doesn't follow at all. If they priced the fish without the head, etc., they would just pice it at a few &quot;cents&quot; more per kg to make up the difference.

What? how do you think the restaurant buys the fish? He pays for the head, (which is tasty), the scales, bones entrails, etc. when he gets it from the wholesaler. If this is such a dilemma for you, here is the solution....STAY HOME!!!
Whew, I thought I was going to blow a fuse on this one. Don't try and be a cognicenti if you do not know the customary rules!!!!!!!!!

Zeppole

Good point, the heads do make for good stock.

Neo

You're right, it could be hard to ask for exactly the right amount if the fish only of certain sizes.

How to explain. Around here, we have an expression: &quot;so what's that got to do with the price of fish!&quot; - a reference to one of the major local industries. What can I say, last night over too many beers, friends talked: Fish quotas, fish stocks, ground fish, shell fish, everywhere a fish fish.....and yes, fish prices. I fear I may have caught the disease. So, next time I bring forth too much analysis, just grab a wet mackerel and plug my mouth with it - should save you and everyone a lot of grief....

So, moving on to other topics....how is Britney Spears doing these days?

Good grief! I just read the last few responses.

It must have been my use of the word 'gimmick' -I knew I should have boned it first.....

&quot;So, moving on to other topics....how is Britney Spears doing these days?&quot;

Oh, I get it. Speaking of bottom feeders. . .

longboatkey wrote: &quot;Don't try and be a cognicenti if you do not know the customary rules!&quot;

For some reason, that greatly appeals to my sense of irony.

Pretty funny, that one, Padraig.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the title or with the post. I think it's very helpful. And I don't at all get a bad impression of the restaurant, but rather an understanding of a practice that I didn't know about and would have also been caught off guard in the same situation. Thanks to LynAK.

&gt;&gt;&quot;Usually sold as filets&quot;??? It would be awfully hard to order an entire swordfish, dont't you think? Or a tuna, for that matter.&lt;&lt;

Tuna or swordfish in Italy is also prepared as speidini, or involitini, or as carpaccio, or affumicato, or in a ragu... not just filets, but *usually as filets* -- like I think I said.

Yeah, I got it, Zeppole. The topic of the thread has been about ordering the whole fish. Whatever.

Still interested to know how big this fish was and how many it was for, or how much per kg it was. If it was 2kg then &euro;35 per kg would be a not-too-bad price in a restaurant. However as a frequent buyer and eater of sea bass I've never seen one in either Italy or the UK that was anywhere near that big - they are usually more like 200-500g, although I can imagine them possibly going up to 1kg.

Isn't sea bass a very endangered fish?

Most of what we get here now is farmed.

Much of the sea bass sold in Italy is farmed as well, I believe.

So..how many people ate this fish?

Hi all,

We had this fish while at Acqua last October and the waiter said it was Dentex, a fish off the adriatic waters of Croatia.

It was incredible and melted in our mouth.

Ripped off? Who knows, but we were in Venice and it was worth every penny! And...we inquired about both the fish type and price before we committed.

Wow..I hadn't looked at this thread for some time. It certainly has struck some chords.

Anyway, the answer to the question about how big the actual fish was: I don't know! It was supposed to feed 2, according to the waiter, which was about right. As I said before, this restaurant is known for giving you large portions, which is a plus, but this one was about right for 2. We had more than 2 people, but were sharing dishes.

The display tray held about 4 whole fish, heads, tails and all. Again, I admit to our error in not asking more questions at the start and for my inflammatory &quot;beware&quot;...never do that again!

But obviously this practice which is definitely commonplace at Acqua Pazza, and apparently other fine restaurants, is something that many travellers don't fully understand. As I said, it was our last night; we were celebrating and we knew that the fish would be more expensive than something with a fixed price off the menu...we aren't that dumb...but what surprised us was that it was so much more. That is what I was trying to convey in my inelegant warning.

If you go to Acqua Pazza (which I would recommend) and you inquire about ordering fish, you will likely be offered whole fish for you to pick. At that point you should say: &quot;About how much will that dish cost when prepared?&quot; instead of making an incorrect assumption that it is going to be in line with the other prices, just a bit more. It is probably/possibly going to cost a LOT more. This is good to consider whether you are at this restaurant or anywhere that does this &quot;pick your fish&quot; practice.

I do not accuse Acqua Pazza of a scam. I never have said that. We were happy with everything else that we ordered, and as I said the fish dish was delicious. No problem with the quality of anything. I just wish we'd understood better about the practice and the pricing of the fish we ordered. We have bought fish dishes &quot;at market price&quot; in the US, and our experience has been that it was more costly but not so much more. But we weren't in Venice with all that means. Point well taken about the costs of providing anything there. We have never picked a fish off a tray. This was an unfamiliar practice for us and I expect it is for many travelers.

So go to Acqua Pazza knowing what the program is there, and you will enjoy it from start to finish.

Pad....Wow, at least one Fodorito is not in Zombie land....lol Even though it took a while....lol

PaloQ...Yes, it is the Chilean Sea Bass, (Patagonian Toothfish) that is being severely overfished. This fish is relatively slow growing; taking over 6 to 9 years to reach sexual maturity. For me, it is not a fish that I order/buy, as it is not a sustainable fishery.

Right, so it fed 2 - so it's highly unlikely to have been bigger than 1kg and was probably actually somewhere between 500g and 1kg, which means that the price per kg was extremely expensive - at least &euro;35. *Not* a scam, just *extremely expensive* !!

B*gger - I meant the price per kg was at least &euro;70 !!!

Isn't Venice that part of Italy where coffee can run you $15? A coke $12?

In other parts of Italy, in a white tablecloth and crystal stemware restaurant, I would expect to pay 24 euro per person for fresh whole fish, cooked and served to order. A 10 euro hike in Venice doesn't surprise me.

While I never bought a whole fish I also never paid $15 for a cup of coffee in Venice.

Chilean Sea Bass that is exported is normally very large(30 lbs plus - My local fine restaurant imports it and makes an incredible stew from it), I doubt that was the fish mentioned. Im guessing this fish is a Branzino, very much like the Spainish Lubina - its quite common and very good

I would bet that the fish was not a Chilean sea bass! It would also be nice to know that it was a wild local fish...

Anyway, Lyn had a good meal and a good trip and that is what counts!

&quot;While I never bought a whole fish I also never paid $15 for a cup of coffee in Venice.&quot;

How heavy was that suze?


Muck

I am a crazy Texan going to Venice (first time) in 10 days. We are staying in the San Marco area. This thread has definitely inspired me to go to Acqua. Can anyone advise me on how far and/or directions from the Hotel Luna...yip, I'm a very naive and inexperienced world traveler...it's simply more fun that way. Shall i need reservations for this establishment? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks &quot;ya'll&quot; :)