Vini Da Arturo
The chef at this tiny, Venetian trattoria prides himself on the fact that, in a city laden with fish-focused restaurants, there’s no seafood whatsoever on the menu here. Instead, chef Ernesto Ballarin focuses on vegetables, meat and pastas and boy do they do justice to pasta!! You’d be wise to order more than one. We sampled the just made Pappardelle with Radicchio. The radicchio is simmered with cream for four hours until it becomes something that mimics the texture of creamed spinach. It’s the perfect foil for the perfectly al dente ribbons of pappardelle and a simple, yet tremendously satisfying bowl of pasta. Just as good is the Spaghetti alla Siciliana, which translated to a tangle of spaghetti mingled with eggplant, tomato and mozzarella.
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Osteria Da Fiore
First things first, request the one, precious two-top, overlooking the canal when you book a reservation here. It’s the best table in the house by far (though we did drop our credit card into the canal when we paid the bill, so watch out for that!). Known as Venice’s best restaurant, Da Fiore is perhaps the most universally recommended spot in these parts. What’s all the fuss about? Perhaps it’s the simply grilled Red Mullet, which tasted like it had just been plucked from the water, smartly paired with blood orange and olives. Then again, it could be the excellent Calamarata Pasta (shaped like calamari) tossed with calamari and peas along with a spring pea puree. If you want to sample the spectrum of fish Venice has to offer, try their Fritto De Mare, a salty, crunchy mix of lightly...
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Boutique Del Gelato
You can’t go to Italy and not have gelato. Seriously, that’s like a crime or it should be anyway. If you happen to be in Venice, this is THE gelato shop to visit. This teeny, standing room only shop doesn’t look like much from the outside, but it’s peddling some crazily creamy gelato. It’s no nonsense, sadly no sampling approach to frozen treats makes it hard core, but we’ll happily put up with it because the gelato’s just that good. Over the course of four days, we sampled a bevvy of flavors, but our favorites were the Banana, Zabaglione, Straciatella, Coconut and Dark Chocolate. The only flavor they’re missing is pistachio, but we’ll forgive them and order another scoop of Dark...
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Osteria Alla Testiere
If it’s fish you’re after, this teeny tiny restaurant with just nine tables is a terrific spot to sample Venice’s seafood traditions, albeit with a contemporary and creative touch. In fact, the fish is so fresh and dependent on the market that the menu is printed daily. We sampled Scallops baked with a lovely combination of tomato, leeks and orange, and a simple but splendidly fresh Steamed Spider Crab dressed with nothing more than salt, pepper and olive oil. And there’s a bevvy of whole fish to choose from nightly. While the atmosphere is laidback, the food is thoughtful as is the wine list, which is filled with an excellent variety of local bottles and half-bottles. The seafood is also used to good measure in the pasta section, like Broccoli & Ricotta Ravioli scattered with Shrimp and fresh Tomatoes and...
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Do Forni
This spot has been around for a long time and apparently for good reason. It serves solid Venetian cuisine with an emphasis on seafood. Just take a look at the ice display as you enter the dining room. While we noticed plenty of tourists at nearby tables (not always a good sign), we also observed just as many locals (a better sign) chatting away in Italian and feasting on baked whole fish served in a salt crust and bowls upon bowls of pasta. Spend a little time with the wine list here, which is extensive and filled with interesting, local bottles. And start with an order of Venice’s terrifically fresh Scampi. Here, they’re served boiled and dabbed with just enough herbs and olive oil to flatter the shellfish without adulterating its pure flavor. The Mussel Soup is another...
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L’Osteria Di Santa Marina
This charming restaurant takes a sophisticated, often modern approach to Venetian cooking without losing the integrity of the classics. Take the Squid Dumplings, for example, which aren’t dumplings at all. (We assumes they were ravioli stuffed with squid.) Instead what arrives is a delicate arrangement of grilled squid molded into the shape of dumplings and dressed with a flavorful duo of pistachio sauce and tomato sauce. I don’t want to get ahead of myself as the house always serves an appetizing amuse bouche, like a dish of sweet white polenta crowned with a salty foil of anchovies — a simple, satisfying dish that wreaks of Italy. There’s great attention to detail at L’Osteria Di Santa Marina where they make both the bread and pasta in-house as well as all the pastries. In fact, the bread comes right from the oven...
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