Six meals in Venice!

[BJinNM]

Love La Cantina (ate there twice last Fall) and daAlberto (3 times). Also like Casa Mia a lot (ate there twice). Alla Staffa, I believe, was bought by new people but we had an excellent meal there, none the less. Nan said the old owners are looking for a new place. We met Nan one night at Osteria alla Frasca in Cannaregio. It is way off the beaten tract past the Widman Campo (Campiello?) on the way to Foundamenta Nuove. Small place, great food, great wine. Worth looking into and we certainly hope it will be there in 2015 when we return. We also ate lunch at Tre Archi in the northwest area of Cannaregio. Very good lunch and really fun waiters. BJ

 

[gaia]

Surely in May it worth to have lunch or dinner outside in the area of the "Fondamenta della Misericordia". I would stop at "Al Timon" and, if this is full of people (not unusual), at "Il Paradiso Perduto" , a very special place, loved by student of arts, usually the "frittura di pesce" is good. I would also try the new restaurant in "Campo ai Mori" I have never been there but have read nice reviews.

 

[Ruth]

Now that Agli Alboretti has been taken over by Paolo of Vini da Gigio, and is run by his son, Nicolo, it is one of our favorite places in Venice. They always have a vegetarian option in both primi and secondi, and they are delicious. Colleen, are you a no living critter vegetarian or just no meat? If you eat fish at all I would put, al Paradiso, Carampane and Vini da Gigio at the head of my list along with Agli Alboretti. All three are favorites and never disappoint, but I am not sure how many vegetarian options they offer. Ristorante Riviera used to have at least one delicious vegetarian dish on every menu, but we have nto been back since they changed hands - too heart breaking not to see Monica in the kitchen.
On a more modest note, we always enjoy the Birarria in Campo San Polo - they have fantastic pizzas, and some vegetarian dishes on their regular menu. Be forewarned - they will happily serve the same table pizza and offerings from the regular menu, but your dishes will not arrive together. They have greatly improved their wine list too.
I could easily make a lunch out of the fresh fruit - you can buy filled containers or choose your own selection at Dersut alongside of the Frari. Poste Vecie is another favorite, but they seem to be under new management, and sadly, I have read some negative comments about them. When we were there in April, it was still very good though we only saw one or two familiar faces, but April is now more nearly nine months in the past.
My problem with many places is too many dairy filled dishes - especially pastas - so I understand that it can be difficult to rule out categories of food and still find the meal of your choice at the restaurant everyone else wants to visit. Giordano at al Paradiso and Franco at Carampane will probably go out of their way to fill your desire for something vegetarian especially if you give them a little notice when you make your reservation. Mamma mia do I wish we were gong this spring! Ruth

 

[Colleen]

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions!
Ruth, I'm a pescatarian vegetarian who is eating less and less dairy as I age! LOL
I think I'll start a spreadsheet and do some cross checking to help me decide where to go for my Six Meals in Venice.

 

[Colleen]

We met Nan one night at Osteria alla Frasca in Cannaregio. It is way off the beaten tract past the Widman Campo (Campiello?) on the way to Foundamenta Nuove. Small place, great food, great wine. Worth looking into and we certainly hope it will be there in 2015 when we return.

I think Shannon and I met Jonathan there for lunch one day, several years ago. I recall it was very good! Thanks for the reminder.

 

[Susie L]

Ruth, regarding Poste Vecie, we just ate there at the end of December. I am happy to report it was as good as I remembered it to be. It still doesn't beat out Vini da Gigio or Antiche Carampane for me though.

Next trip, I really would like to try Agli Alboretti, thanks for posting about it.

 

[jonathan]

Yes, Colleen, I remember that Alla Frasca meal! It's a difficult place to find - I always find myself stumbling upon it by accident when I'm wandering, slightly lost, through that eastern end of Cannaregio. I know I've mentioned Anice Stellato once already in this thread, but your pescatarian mention reminded me that the menu here would suit you really well, I think.

 

[Ruth]

Thank you all for your wonderful suggestions!
Ruth, I'm a pescatarian vegetarian who is eating less and less dairy as I age! LOL
I think I'll start a spreadsheet and do some cross checking to help me decide where to go for my Six Meals in Venice.

As a rule Venetians do not use dairy with fish. Because I cannot eat dairy products from a cow, I always ask if there is burro, latte, panna or formaggio, and am always told in a tone of patient politeness, "Ma, SIgnora, c'e pesce."
Vini da Gigio is a place in which we usually eat meat, but they have wonderful fish dishes there, and we always ask ourselves,"Why don't we order fish here more often?"
Da Ignazio, which I thought had gone down hill, served us a fantastic all fish dinner last spring. I was advised by a friend to ask for the owner and consult with him rather than a waiter. I will check on his name if you think you might need it. Very near da Silvio is Ca' Foscari al Canton. There fish dishes are good; it is a relatively inexpensive trattoria, but the owner is putting time and effort into upgrading the menu, the plating and the overall appearance. It will not be as wonderful as Vini da Gigio, Carampane, which is fabulous, or al Paradiso, but for hte price you will eat very nicely. You can eat outside on the fondamente near the University and the firehouse. We used to love al FOndaco di Pescatore, but could not bring ourselves to go back after Lolo had to give it up. I don't know anyone who has eaten there, but maybe someone on this board has. I think a few people have mentioned LA Bitta. We ate there in 2008 and 2011, but not this trip. I think you may ha ve to extend your say in Venice or try to fit four or five meals into each day. Ruth

 

[Colleen]

I'm counting on Joan to continue taste testing all these suggestions after I go home!

 

[Susie L]

Ruth, we have not been back to al Fontego dei Pescaori either, since Lolo left.

La Bitta serves no fish, FYI. They may have some vegetarian offerings, but like La Zucca, may be a bit heavy on the dairy products.

So no one has mentioned Al Covo. Mark and I used to dine there often, but long ago. I think the last time we were there was in the '90's! We took a long break from Venice to spend more time in other regions, and once we started to return to Venice, we just have not gotten around to going back. I only mention Al Covo as it came up several times while in conversation with people from Torino, and a few Venetians, whose opinions regarding food I respect. They all spoke highly of it and we are thinking about giving it a try on our next trip. I think their coperto is a turn-off maybe?

 

[Christine]

All these restaurants with fish sound fabulous. Unfortunately my spouse is extremely allergic to scaled fish (not shell), so most places are out. I usually don't even try to eat fish in the event we get to smooching, and we tend to smooch a lot when we are on vacation. Which begs the question: why did I book a room and dinner for two at The Willows on Lummi island for our wedding anniversary in June? Blaine Wetzel will have to be a little creative when it comes to feeding him.

A confession: on our last trip, we had eaten so much wonderful food that by the time we got to Venice, we were a little overwhelmed. We discovered the Hard Rock Cafe one night and polished off some burgers, fries, and a strawberry-lemonade with a belt of rum. It was a wonderful meal. We have yet to go to a HRC anywhere else, but it was a lot of fun. Of course at the table next to us was an attorney from Seattle munching on fajitas.