Venice dining
Jan 19th, 2012, 03:42 AM
#21
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 877
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
All of my recommendations serve what I consider to be traditional Venice fare -- samples sometimes mentioned. I would put most of these places in the "good, moderately priced" category:
L’Osteria de S. Marina, in Campo S. Marina, in the Castello district: risotto carbonara, seafood cicchetti, polenta with cuttlefish, mushrooms and pesto.
Trattoria da Fiore, near Campo S. Stefano: vegetable cicchetti, polenta with shrimp, pasta with mushrooms, artichoke hearts in olive oil.
Trattoria al Sempione. This place is a little bit north of S. Marco.
Trattoria da Bepi, in the Canareggio district. On a side street off the campo and has a lot of locals eating there. Nothing fancy, just real Venice.
L’Osteria de S. Marina, in Campo S. Marina, in the Castello district: risotto carbonara, seafood cicchetti, polenta with cuttlefish, mushrooms and pesto.
Trattoria da Fiore, near Campo S. Stefano: vegetable cicchetti, polenta with shrimp, pasta with mushrooms, artichoke hearts in olive oil.
Trattoria al Sempione. This place is a little bit north of S. Marco.
Trattoria da Bepi, in the Canareggio district. On a side street off the campo and has a lot of locals eating there. Nothing fancy, just real Venice.
Jan 19th, 2012, 04:10 AM
#22
Join Date: Feb 2006
Posts: 2,355
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Venetian fare, yes, except for pesto, which is of course a Ligurian specialty and as Venetian as a cheeseburger.
The food at Santa Marina is fine, but I don't eat there since the laughable size of helpings make this an insolent rip-off IMO. I once ate there with two Venetian friends; one of them, an extraordinarily distinguished and usually very calm person, was so upset by the size of his primo piatto that he engaged in a loud and heated debate with the owner, who dared insisting that four ravioli (!) be the perfect size of a pasta dish - "quattro ravioli sono la porzione ideale", which has since become my standard phrase for qualifying pathetically small helpings.
The food at Santa Marina is fine, but I don't eat there since the laughable size of helpings make this an insolent rip-off IMO. I once ate there with two Venetian friends; one of them, an extraordinarily distinguished and usually very calm person, was so upset by the size of his primo piatto that he engaged in a loud and heated debate with the owner, who dared insisting that four ravioli (!) be the perfect size of a pasta dish - "quattro ravioli sono la porzione ideale", which has since become my standard phrase for qualifying pathetically small helpings.
Jan 19th, 2012, 09:03 AM
#25
Join Date: Oct 2011
Posts: 877
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
franco: I didn't mean to say that EVERYTHING mentioned was Venetian, just that the restaurant mentioned served typical Venetian -- if not exclusively Venetian. Honestly, I think you're at the point of picking nits about this.
Re Santa Marina: It was a couple of years ago when I ate there, and I think I do recall that the cost was a bit much in relation to the amount of food (I sometimes confuse restaurants, so I didn't want to state that flatly.) So your point is well taken. Still, I remember ( I think) that the quality of the food was good, and the menu was varied. I also take into account the service (very good) and the setting.
Re Santa Marina: It was a couple of years ago when I ate there, and I think I do recall that the cost was a bit much in relation to the amount of food (I sometimes confuse restaurants, so I didn't want to state that flatly.) So your point is well taken. Still, I remember ( I think) that the quality of the food was good, and the menu was varied. I also take into account the service (very good) and the setting.
Jan 19th, 2012, 09:35 AM
#26
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
<<But I recommend La Zucca for strict vegetarians; while the restaurant is not strictly vegetarian over the whole menu, vegetarians will find a satisfactory choice of dishes there, in satisfactory quality.>>
In the 10 days I spent in Venice in the spring of 2010, La Zucca was the one clear disappointment. At the time, it ranked among the top 20 restaurants on tripadvisor.com (Where is it now? I'm curious and will check.) Anyway, to me, the food was mediocre, the setting inside nondescript, the service abrupt. I said so on tripadvisor.com. There were some other negative reviews on the site around the time I was there. Maybe they had a bad stretch, a few off nights. Maybe La Zucca is "satisfactory" for vegetarians and even some omnivores. But I found so many more interesting, appetizing choices while I was in Venice.
In the 10 days I spent in Venice in the spring of 2010, La Zucca was the one clear disappointment. At the time, it ranked among the top 20 restaurants on tripadvisor.com (Where is it now? I'm curious and will check.) Anyway, to me, the food was mediocre, the setting inside nondescript, the service abrupt. I said so on tripadvisor.com. There were some other negative reviews on the site around the time I was there. Maybe they had a bad stretch, a few off nights. Maybe La Zucca is "satisfactory" for vegetarians and even some omnivores. But I found so many more interesting, appetizing choices while I was in Venice.
Jan 19th, 2012, 11:53 AM
#27
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,960
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
dkrause:
My sister and brother-in-law are going to Venice in May and asked me for restaurant suggestions. In 2010 I wrote capsule reviews of various restaurants after staying in Venice for 10 days. Maybe this will help you in some way:
VENICE RESTAURANTS
EXCELLENT, EXPENSIVE, WORTH THE EXPENSE
A BECCOFICO http://www.abeccafico.com/
My personal culinary tour of Venice last month included A Beccafico one evening, and I was very happy with what I found and ate there. After a complimentary bruschetta, I had a terrific pappardelle in tomato sauce and arugula with squid and shrimp, followed by sesame-encrusted tuna seared to perfection, all of this beautifully supported by a chianti wisely recommended by my very able and amiable waiter. I finished with a delightful mandarin orange and lemon sorbet. Naturally, I told the waiter how wonderful everything was, and he responded by placing a bottle of lemoncello on my table along with the bottle of another after-dinner drink. The simple message was: "They're all yours." A little later, as I was leaving, I was asked by someone I took to be the owner how I came to dine at A Beccafico. I told him that it was rated among the top Venetian restaurants by the reviewers at tripadvisor.com. He smiled and said a staff member had referenced the website and told him about it and that he'd be taking a look at tripadvisor.com soon enough. (If he does: "Thanks again for a great meal!"
OSTERIA ANTICO GIARDINETTO http://www.anticogiardinetto.it/
I ate twice at Osteria Antico Giardinetto within a week during my recent 10-day stay in Venice, and my only regret is that I can't go back there again tonight. Twice I had their superb gilthead sea bream filet with orange sauce and Cointreau. I also had their excellent sauteed clams and mussels with toast one night for an appetizer, and their very fine tagliolini with scallops and asparagus another night for a first course. Both times I had the heavenly panna cotta with strawberries. I was also treated to a complimentary grappa. Larisa, the chef Virgilio's wife and the server for the evenings, was very sweet and attentive. (She even managed to store away the small umbrella I forgot on my first night there and returned it to me a few days later when I dropped in to make another dinner reservation.) The two experiences at Osteria Antico Giardinetto were so good that I photographed Larisa and Virgilio together before I left that second night — because this was a place I wanted to remember.
VENICE RESTAURANTSLA CARAVELLA http://www.restaurantlacaravella.com/
Ten years ago I had a fabulous meal at La Caravella — fresh marinated fish with toast, green linguine with small clams, sea bass fillet with french fries so thinly cut they melted in my mouth, a lemon ice cream mousse with wild berries, a half-bottle of Gavi, and two grappas. I made a reservation to dine there again, but I became ill later on the trip and never returned. Last month I finally did, and La Caravella was as good as I remembered it —from the pumpkin ravioli and filet of sole to that lemon mousse with berries, and the wine and grappa. The service is impeccable, the ambience, with a nautical twist, is warm and comfortable. Very highly recommended!
VERY GOOD, VERY EXPENSIVE
AI MERCANTI http://www.aimercanti.com/
I had a wonderful dinner three weeks ago at Ai Mercanti — lasagna with pigeon, rare tuna in tarragon, a mixed fruit sorbet (banana, kiwi, and lemon), excellent breads (the terrific breads in Italy are all too ignored), a bottle of soave classico, and a grappa. The low-light elegance of the room, which was considerable, was marred by the odd appearance of two large and rather frightening dolls, which were sitting among several bottles of aperitifs and cordials in a well-lit display. When I asked my server about the dolls, he said, rolling his eyes, "The chef likes them." (Given the high quality of the food, I guess it's wise finally to placate their eccentric chef.) The service was excellent at the beginning, but, as is sometimes my experience as a solo diner, it began to break down as the restaurant got busier.
OSTERIA DA FIORE http://www.dafiore.net/
I enjoyed my experience at Da Fiore, with reservations. The maitre d' was welcoming, the service excellent, and the food was fine, though I've found better value for the money elsewhere in Venice. I started with a perfect Grey goose martini (9 euros) and some wonderful baked oysters (30 euros). My main course was not quite there — the steamed bass wrapped in artichokes and accompanied by stewed apples in balsamic vinegar (48 euros) was finally rather bland. My dessert was superb — vanilla gelato in burnt whiskey sauce (15 euros). I had a half-bottle of outstanding red wine (28 euros), so outstanding I wish I remembered its origin. The total bill came to 135 euros, for me alone. (You live once.)
One very jarring note: A loud and obnoxious little girl, maybe eight years-old, burst into the room ahead of her family and demanded to be taken to an alcove where open glass doors let out to a small private dining area outside overlooking a canal. She wanted to be photographed there and was indulged, despite the fact that a couple was dining in the alcove inside. The couple looked surprised, at the very least, but obviously could do nothing but wear pasted smiles as the turmoil went on. A member of the child's family — The mother? An older sister? An aunt? — then decided that she too wanted to be photographed near the open doors, and this too was permitted. What should the restaurant staff have done? I'm not sure, but it compromised the experience, especially for that timid couple in the alcove.
VERY GOOD, REASONABLY PRICED
AL MASCARON http://www.osteriamascaron.it/
I had a great lunch here two weeks ago when I was in Venice and wandering about the Castello sestiere. Al Mascaron is a lively, authentic, and comfortable place full of locals and, in one room, full of amusing artwork on the walls, including whimsical drawings of fishes. I started with a deceptively simple plate of mozzarella with sliced tomatoes and basil, the kind of essential meal that you dream about when you're flying to Italy and know you'll never get again when you return to the U.S. My second course was a hearty and heartfelt tuna in tomato sauce and pasta that was utterly fresh and completely satisfying. I conveyed my sense of satiated pleasure to my server who I believe was also the owner, a compact, friendly fellow with a lion's mane of white hair. He was so appreciative of my enthusiasm that he shook my hand vigorously and gave me a complimentary grappa. He also later gave me the restaurant's card, hoping, I imagine, that I would soon return, which I gladly would've if I'd had another day or two in Venice. For anyone who has a day or two in Venice, you'll do yourself a favor by dropping in at Al Mascaron.
OSTERIA LA BOTTEGA AI PROMESSI SPOSI Calle dell'Oca, 4367 Venice, Italy (0412412747) No website found
I was very happy to come upon this small restaurant after a long morning jaunt last May through the Cannaregio district. I knew about Osteria La Bottega ai Promessi Sposi, having read positive reviews of it by travelers on the Fodor's online travel forum, and I was not disappointed. I had a signature Venetian dish, its spaghetti with small clams, and it was perfect. I was glad to sit in the room near the bar where locals came in for a glass of wine and a little conversation. (There's a larger adjacent dining room.) The waiter was very prompt with my meal and wine and was quickly accommodating when I later asked if I could have a copy of the day's printed, hand-written menu, a prized souvenir that I put in my travel journal, along with my other ephemera. All in all, I highly recommend this authentic, unpretentious restaurant, for its food, house wine, service, and its pleasing ambience. (Here is another diner’s review: http://foodloversodyssey.typepad.com...-ai-sposi.html
DISAPPOINTING, REASONABLY PRICED
LA ZUCCA http://www.lazucca.it/
I just got back from 10 days in Venice, and after eating at several tripadvisor top-rated restaurants in the city, I can clearly say that Osteria La Zucca was the standout disappointment. Given its forgettable ambience, I found the notion of seating times rather pretentious. The abrupt young woman who took my order couldn't have been more charmless. I've seen more animation in a police officer giving a traffic ticket. I didn't expect her to break out into smiles or entertain me with jokes, but I would've felt better if I hadn't thought I was intruding on her. (Though perhaps as a solo diner, I was.) My spaghetti with gorgonzola was okay. As for my main course, the chicken I had reminded me of my college days when I was content with the so-called "chicken" I ate at third-rate Chinese restaurants. The rice was equally bland. La Zucca is certainly not the worst restaurant I've ever dined at, but I'm baffled by its high reputation.
BEYOND AWFUL
AI DUE VESCOVI (Believe me, you don’t want to have the phone number or the website; it’s near Piazza San Marco, where it spins its web for innocent victims)
My wife and I "celebrated" our 10th anniversary at Ai Due Vescovi in 1993, on the recommendation of the New York Times, no less, which had just published a positive review of the restaurant in its Sunday travel section. (I know this is an old review, but the nightmare we experienced at this hole is still all too fresh in our minds when the word "Venice" is uttered, and I am encouraged to add my evaluation, however tardy, after reading on Trip Advisor that Ai Due Vescovi hasn't lost its touch when it comes to making naive tourists miserable.)
What I recall most about ADV is how, after being given menus and aperitifs, we were largely ignored the rest of the evening. After we ordered our meals, the waiter nodded to us from time to time as he whisked back and forth attending to others. He even deigned on occasion to give us the estimated time of arrival for our food. The criminal neglect only grew worse as the restaurant filled with regular customers the owner and waiter knew and cared far more about. Travel neophytes, we stoically endured the rest of the evening, eating something, I guess, because we did pay the exorbitant bill.
Bottom line: Avoid Ai Due Vescovi at all costs. And think twice about believing a favorable New York Times restaurant review.
My sister and brother-in-law are going to Venice in May and asked me for restaurant suggestions. In 2010 I wrote capsule reviews of various restaurants after staying in Venice for 10 days. Maybe this will help you in some way:
VENICE RESTAURANTS
EXCELLENT, EXPENSIVE, WORTH THE EXPENSE
A BECCOFICO http://www.abeccafico.com/
My personal culinary tour of Venice last month included A Beccafico one evening, and I was very happy with what I found and ate there. After a complimentary bruschetta, I had a terrific pappardelle in tomato sauce and arugula with squid and shrimp, followed by sesame-encrusted tuna seared to perfection, all of this beautifully supported by a chianti wisely recommended by my very able and amiable waiter. I finished with a delightful mandarin orange and lemon sorbet. Naturally, I told the waiter how wonderful everything was, and he responded by placing a bottle of lemoncello on my table along with the bottle of another after-dinner drink. The simple message was: "They're all yours." A little later, as I was leaving, I was asked by someone I took to be the owner how I came to dine at A Beccafico. I told him that it was rated among the top Venetian restaurants by the reviewers at tripadvisor.com. He smiled and said a staff member had referenced the website and told him about it and that he'd be taking a look at tripadvisor.com soon enough. (If he does: "Thanks again for a great meal!"
OSTERIA ANTICO GIARDINETTO http://www.anticogiardinetto.it/
I ate twice at Osteria Antico Giardinetto within a week during my recent 10-day stay in Venice, and my only regret is that I can't go back there again tonight. Twice I had their superb gilthead sea bream filet with orange sauce and Cointreau. I also had their excellent sauteed clams and mussels with toast one night for an appetizer, and their very fine tagliolini with scallops and asparagus another night for a first course. Both times I had the heavenly panna cotta with strawberries. I was also treated to a complimentary grappa. Larisa, the chef Virgilio's wife and the server for the evenings, was very sweet and attentive. (She even managed to store away the small umbrella I forgot on my first night there and returned it to me a few days later when I dropped in to make another dinner reservation.) The two experiences at Osteria Antico Giardinetto were so good that I photographed Larisa and Virgilio together before I left that second night — because this was a place I wanted to remember.
VENICE RESTAURANTSLA CARAVELLA http://www.restaurantlacaravella.com/
Ten years ago I had a fabulous meal at La Caravella — fresh marinated fish with toast, green linguine with small clams, sea bass fillet with french fries so thinly cut they melted in my mouth, a lemon ice cream mousse with wild berries, a half-bottle of Gavi, and two grappas. I made a reservation to dine there again, but I became ill later on the trip and never returned. Last month I finally did, and La Caravella was as good as I remembered it —from the pumpkin ravioli and filet of sole to that lemon mousse with berries, and the wine and grappa. The service is impeccable, the ambience, with a nautical twist, is warm and comfortable. Very highly recommended!
VERY GOOD, VERY EXPENSIVE
AI MERCANTI http://www.aimercanti.com/
I had a wonderful dinner three weeks ago at Ai Mercanti — lasagna with pigeon, rare tuna in tarragon, a mixed fruit sorbet (banana, kiwi, and lemon), excellent breads (the terrific breads in Italy are all too ignored), a bottle of soave classico, and a grappa. The low-light elegance of the room, which was considerable, was marred by the odd appearance of two large and rather frightening dolls, which were sitting among several bottles of aperitifs and cordials in a well-lit display. When I asked my server about the dolls, he said, rolling his eyes, "The chef likes them." (Given the high quality of the food, I guess it's wise finally to placate their eccentric chef.) The service was excellent at the beginning, but, as is sometimes my experience as a solo diner, it began to break down as the restaurant got busier.
OSTERIA DA FIORE http://www.dafiore.net/
I enjoyed my experience at Da Fiore, with reservations. The maitre d' was welcoming, the service excellent, and the food was fine, though I've found better value for the money elsewhere in Venice. I started with a perfect Grey goose martini (9 euros) and some wonderful baked oysters (30 euros). My main course was not quite there — the steamed bass wrapped in artichokes and accompanied by stewed apples in balsamic vinegar (48 euros) was finally rather bland. My dessert was superb — vanilla gelato in burnt whiskey sauce (15 euros). I had a half-bottle of outstanding red wine (28 euros), so outstanding I wish I remembered its origin. The total bill came to 135 euros, for me alone. (You live once.)
One very jarring note: A loud and obnoxious little girl, maybe eight years-old, burst into the room ahead of her family and demanded to be taken to an alcove where open glass doors let out to a small private dining area outside overlooking a canal. She wanted to be photographed there and was indulged, despite the fact that a couple was dining in the alcove inside. The couple looked surprised, at the very least, but obviously could do nothing but wear pasted smiles as the turmoil went on. A member of the child's family — The mother? An older sister? An aunt? — then decided that she too wanted to be photographed near the open doors, and this too was permitted. What should the restaurant staff have done? I'm not sure, but it compromised the experience, especially for that timid couple in the alcove.
VERY GOOD, REASONABLY PRICED
AL MASCARON http://www.osteriamascaron.it/
I had a great lunch here two weeks ago when I was in Venice and wandering about the Castello sestiere. Al Mascaron is a lively, authentic, and comfortable place full of locals and, in one room, full of amusing artwork on the walls, including whimsical drawings of fishes. I started with a deceptively simple plate of mozzarella with sliced tomatoes and basil, the kind of essential meal that you dream about when you're flying to Italy and know you'll never get again when you return to the U.S. My second course was a hearty and heartfelt tuna in tomato sauce and pasta that was utterly fresh and completely satisfying. I conveyed my sense of satiated pleasure to my server who I believe was also the owner, a compact, friendly fellow with a lion's mane of white hair. He was so appreciative of my enthusiasm that he shook my hand vigorously and gave me a complimentary grappa. He also later gave me the restaurant's card, hoping, I imagine, that I would soon return, which I gladly would've if I'd had another day or two in Venice. For anyone who has a day or two in Venice, you'll do yourself a favor by dropping in at Al Mascaron.
OSTERIA LA BOTTEGA AI PROMESSI SPOSI Calle dell'Oca, 4367 Venice, Italy (0412412747) No website found
I was very happy to come upon this small restaurant after a long morning jaunt last May through the Cannaregio district. I knew about Osteria La Bottega ai Promessi Sposi, having read positive reviews of it by travelers on the Fodor's online travel forum, and I was not disappointed. I had a signature Venetian dish, its spaghetti with small clams, and it was perfect. I was glad to sit in the room near the bar where locals came in for a glass of wine and a little conversation. (There's a larger adjacent dining room.) The waiter was very prompt with my meal and wine and was quickly accommodating when I later asked if I could have a copy of the day's printed, hand-written menu, a prized souvenir that I put in my travel journal, along with my other ephemera. All in all, I highly recommend this authentic, unpretentious restaurant, for its food, house wine, service, and its pleasing ambience. (Here is another diner’s review: http://foodloversodyssey.typepad.com...-ai-sposi.html
DISAPPOINTING, REASONABLY PRICED
LA ZUCCA http://www.lazucca.it/
I just got back from 10 days in Venice, and after eating at several tripadvisor top-rated restaurants in the city, I can clearly say that Osteria La Zucca was the standout disappointment. Given its forgettable ambience, I found the notion of seating times rather pretentious. The abrupt young woman who took my order couldn't have been more charmless. I've seen more animation in a police officer giving a traffic ticket. I didn't expect her to break out into smiles or entertain me with jokes, but I would've felt better if I hadn't thought I was intruding on her. (Though perhaps as a solo diner, I was.) My spaghetti with gorgonzola was okay. As for my main course, the chicken I had reminded me of my college days when I was content with the so-called "chicken" I ate at third-rate Chinese restaurants. The rice was equally bland. La Zucca is certainly not the worst restaurant I've ever dined at, but I'm baffled by its high reputation.
BEYOND AWFUL
AI DUE VESCOVI (Believe me, you don’t want to have the phone number or the website; it’s near Piazza San Marco, where it spins its web for innocent victims)
My wife and I "celebrated" our 10th anniversary at Ai Due Vescovi in 1993, on the recommendation of the New York Times, no less, which had just published a positive review of the restaurant in its Sunday travel section. (I know this is an old review, but the nightmare we experienced at this hole is still all too fresh in our minds when the word "Venice" is uttered, and I am encouraged to add my evaluation, however tardy, after reading on Trip Advisor that Ai Due Vescovi hasn't lost its touch when it comes to making naive tourists miserable.)
What I recall most about ADV is how, after being given menus and aperitifs, we were largely ignored the rest of the evening. After we ordered our meals, the waiter nodded to us from time to time as he whisked back and forth attending to others. He even deigned on occasion to give us the estimated time of arrival for our food. The criminal neglect only grew worse as the restaurant filled with regular customers the owner and waiter knew and cared far more about. Travel neophytes, we stoically endured the rest of the evening, eating something, I guess, because we did pay the exorbitant bill.
Bottom line: Avoid Ai Due Vescovi at all costs. And think twice about believing a favorable New York Times restaurant review.
