I know Holly gets a big kick out of jabbing me and I'm quite happy to give her a source of joy, even if it's vengeful.

However, truth be told, I did have a lovely lunch with the kids at Brek in Venice. This is no American-style cafeteria: everything we ordered was made fresh before our eyes in a clean, bright, cleverly merchandised space.

The risotto was surprisingly delicious and the rigatoni were perfectly <i>al dente</i>. The roast chicken thigh was succulent and moist with just the right amount of sea salt on a beautifully carmelized skin. For 15 &euro;, how can anyone hungry (and on a budget) go wrong?

Contrary to Holly's snide bitterness, sometimes you CAN find good, cheap eats in the most unlikely places. I call it as I experience it.

Happy eating to everyone, even those plebs who don't quite understand the special quality of Michela Scibilia.

I wasn't jabbing you, Snobby. I will admit, though, that I do find it entertaining that someone so pretentious would stoop to recommending a place as lowly as a cafeteria. It's just so ... out of character. That's all. No vengeance whatsoever. Certainly no bitterness.

&quot;Happy eating to everyone, even those plebs who don't quite understand the special quality of Michela Scibilia.&quot;

Especially eating to you then, NYCFoodSnob. That was a great recommendation you gave.

Hey NYCSnob/Pleb, in case that comment was too subtle for you, let me get straight to the point:

&quot;If you're going to be pretentious, at least (try to) have some substance before staking your claims to pretensions to being a snob. To put Scibilia's book on pedestal when a 24-hour tourist like me can buy it in the Accademia bookstore is just laughable.&quot;

I freely admit to being a pleb. But then, I wish you realize that you're also one, and realizing that makes me laugh.

It's obvious that the only point of several posts on this thread is to put a certain Fodorite in her place. If only we could rid the world (especially this forum) of such lowbrow immaturity and contempt. (I wonder why it always seems to be the same people?)

There are many in this world (and on this board) whose merit and distinction is justified. Those of us who aren't easily threatened by such attributes can recognize the difference.

If someone can't understand why a born-and-bred Venetian perspective on authenticity within the vast restaurant community of Venice would not be important and beneficial information to people seeking such knowledge in a good-looking, comprehensive listing, then maybe he/she shouldn't waste his/her money on Michela Scibilia's book.

Sounds to me like someone desperately wants to belong to something.

I wish I could have my 12.90 euros back.

Or you know, as a consolation, I could have that NYT article on the Borghese Gallery (the &quot;little diddy&quot;) someone promised but never sent to me by e-mail (by an agent, even).

What happened to that gift?

oops -- sorry, gift should be &quot;gift&quot;.

Forgot the important quotation marks.

&quot;If only we could rid the world (especially this forum) of such lowbrow immaturity and contempt.&quot;

I know. How I wish that a certain immature fella wouldn't post with two identities. A bit like pot calling the kettle black, and so typical of that poster.

So Pleb, in fact.

By the way I didn't say Scibilia's book isn't useful.

I don't know why a certain someone put it on a pedestal.

There's a difference and stop putting words in my mouth and irritating me.

If you can't read, go back to school.

And by the way, Scibilia is not a &quot;born-and-bred Venetian.&quot;

http://www.teodolinda.it/

She was born in Treviso in 1966.

Please learn to read.

Ha!

How sweet, aev, but don't waste your time on that &quot;little&quot; boy. There are a few posters here I will <b>never</b> acknowledge no matter how much they scream and whine, and he's one of them.

Really? Then why bother addressing a thread to me and getting an agent to e-mail me? Granted, that was a long time ago. I'm sure whatever I said struck a nerve, just it's striking a nerve now.

Actually now that I think about it, Scibilia was born in Treviso and moved to Venice in 1986 (so she says on her webpage).

This story reminds me of a certain pleb on the forum from the midwest (who said so herself) who moved to NYC and is a self-proclaimed snob.

I guess the book is not by a &quot;born-and-bred Venetian,&quot; and that could be why I didn't get why it's so special. But it obviously appeals to a few other plebs in this circle.

But as I said, I'm willing to be enlightened and to learn, but I'm glad that there're others who're even more dense than I am, and that's comforting.

Oh, I forgot to add that the poster originally from the midwest (but now a snob in NYC) &quot;sounds to me like someone desperately wants to belong to something.&quot;

Topping for more comments

This has turned into a very ugly thread.
Don't we have bigger fish to fry?
(Could not resist.)

What has happened to the NYCFoodSnob/TravelSnob anyway?

Taking on another identity perhaps?

Where can one buy that Scibilla food book here in the US? That website did not give buying info that I could find.

I think Maureen Fant's guide is excellent. I read Plotkin before a trip to get an idea of food in general in a city, but do not take it along with me.
WWW.chowhound.com is a great resource for me. So are the Cadogan guides...very savvy on where to eat.

Ekscrunchy,

Michela Scibilia's book is available (in Englisb) from amazon.com. It seems there is a new edition that just came out in January 2006.

But I think they must order it from somewhere; &quot;ships in 3 to 6 weeks.&quot;

P.S. Her teodolinda site has been revised since I posted it.

P.P.S. To find it on amazon.com, you have to spell the name right: SCIBILIA.