Hi J,

You weren't cheated. You just assumed too much.

Branzino (a sea bass native to the Venetian Lagoon) runs about 500 - 1200 g.

Thanks for the heads up.

We all now know to specify how much fish we want.

The same is true of Florentine steak. It is charged by weight, and you will usually be given about 1 kg if you don't ask for less.

I would guess that the branzino the OP ate was not from the Venetian lagoon but was farmed. There has been lots of success recently with farmed branzino. When you walk through the Rialto fish market, take a look at the fish...the origins are always indicted and much of it comes from a long way away from Venice and much of this fish is farmed, not wild. Same thing with turbot and many other fishes. A sad commentary, in my opinion.

Here is another tip when ordering fish in italy. If it has an asterisk net to the name on the menu, it is frozen.

I'm curious. If they brought a bottle of wine not on the list and showed you the label, would you have accepted it because you didn't want to appear tacky by questioning them, and then screamed when it ended up costing $500?

Your guessing at what something would cost -- even AFTER you admit you knew it was a lot bigger than expected and even more than you wanted, was your ONLY mistake. Chalk it up to experience and the next time ask them how much "that fish" will cost.

you were sold something you didn't want. you can't get a CC refund because you willingly went along with it. no fraud involved. they could have been more helpful to make you understand what you were getting and what it would cost but as the customer it is your role to ensure you get what you want. it's his role to sell you the most/best he can.

if you owned a restaurant that catered to mostly tourists and someone ordered a fish without indicating what size fish they wanted, would you reach for the largest fish in the chest or the smallest. me too.

A server friend of mine is always getting into trouble with management because when they offer a "special" not on the menu and it is a lot more than the average entree, he casually mentions the price when he desribes it. Management insists he is only to mention price IF the customer asks. Yet, Doug feels better saying that this special dessert is $11 when all the other desserts are $7. Or mentioning that the filet stuffed with lobster tail is $48, nearly double the price of most of the other items on the menu. The only reason they don't fire him is that he has more requests as a waiter than anyone else.

Some of my wealthier friends are embarrassed when we eat out together and after hearing every single special, I'm asking, "And how much is that one?" But hey, if they're not paying for the meal, I want to know.

JamesBBB - I feel your pain. I hold on to such things and have a hard time letting go because I do not want to feel screwed.

I think restaurants absolutley take advantage of vulnerable tourists. There are a million examples on this board through the years.

Try and let it go. happy New Year!!!!

For anyone who is interested, here is a follow-up to my post above which mentions that the fish you ate was likely to be farmed, not from the Venetian lagoon. I realize, James, that this will make little difference to you now but perhaps it is instructive as it talks about the high price of fish in Venice. There is also some great information on eating in that city and the article was written by one of the great journalists and gourmands of our time, R.W. Apple, who passed away recently:


http://www.istrianet.org/istria/news...0303venice.htm

Look at it a a blessing in in disguise, if only to others reading this thread!

Right. One thing it proves is that you have to be caref ul in Venice when choosing a restaurant and when ordering. Same holds true anywhere, but even more so in that city. I thought the article I linked above was fascinating and informative.

You assumed the restaurant would be reasonable. The restaurant assumed you were a gullible tourist and would not ask or complain.

How many times have I told my kids, "never assume"! That's why we ask the price of 'specials' when it is not mentioned.

Be 'tacky' (politely) when you are not sure. It is your <i>right to know</i>. Better 'tacky' than sorry.

Chalk up your experience to the learning process.

&quot;The restaurant assumed you were a gullible tourist&quot;

Sorry but I disagree with Jed: the restaurant assumed you KNEW what you were doing when you ordered.

But perhaps Jed has eaten in this restaurant and knows it first-hand

I don't see this as any different than a restaurant in Maine listing lobster as &quot;market price&quot; on the menu.

You may consider it safe to assume you'll be getting a 1 pound lobster at the same price you saw in the local fish market, or $5.99/lb. But that's not a safe bet.

I agree with the others - chalk it up to experience, and we thank you for the reminder to the rest of us.

No, Dukey, I don't think I ate there.

Who assumed and who KNEW will forever be one of those mysteries of life.

Have a nice day.

&gt;...lobster at the same price you saw in the local fish market, or $5.99/lb.&lt;

Go ahead, make me feel bad.

$12.99/lb is considered a sale price down here in GA.

I don't see this as any different than a restaurant in Atlanta listing seasonal fruit platter as &quot;market price&quot; on the menu.

You may consider it safe to assume you'll be getting 1 pound of fresh Georgia peaches for the $3.00/lb you saw at the local supermarket. But that's not a safe bet.

I agree with the others - chalk it up to experience, and we thank you for the reminder to the rest of us.

Restaurants are not in business to fleece or cheat customers. Restaurants assume that the customer knows what he is ordering. The menu and its prices and details provide a kind of contract. European restaurants offer customers opportunities to minimize their bill. You pay for what you eat/have served. Devour all the bread sticks on the table and later you will note a charge for each one! A second cup of coffee, another charge. USA restaurants include all these costs in the base price of the meal. Don't hesitate to ask questions!

I agree and would further suggest that everyone learn the &quot;metric system&quot;.
M

&gt;&gt;Restaurants are not in business to fleece or cheat customers&lt;&lt;

I'll agree if you add &quot;most&quot; to the beginning of that sentence. It's nonsense to say that all restaurants -- especially in touristy spots like Venice -- are upstanding establishments.

James, perhaps you care to share the name of the restaurant with us. I am truly sorry for your bad experience. I don't believe that they were necessarily trying to cheat you; as I said above, for two pastas, two branzino and a bottle of wine, the price you paid (125 Euro) would not be considered high for Venice. Any time you order a dish based on market price, you leave yourself open to ambiguity, as in the examples above of lobster and fruits.

I also do not think that a &quot;fancy&quot; place would necessarily be better..some of the best (and most expensive) places to eat in Venice are rather unassuming. (Alle Testiere, etc). And fresh fish is very costly in Venice, and in many other Italian cities (and in most other places as well); check out the prices given in the article I posted and read there the Rialto market prices for fish a few years ago. The supply of wild fish is dwindling and the prices we are seeing, and the preponderance of farmed fish, is just the beginning!

Again, I am sorry that the meal left a bad taste in your mouth (not trying to be funny here...); at least you learned something, right?