Ate at Eight: Unforgettable Meals in Venice, Italy

By Cynthia Good

Last time in Venice, as a college student on $5 a day, my three girlfriends and I could only afford a slice of pizza at a stand-up bar. What followed resembled a bout of food poisoning. So, as I returned to Venice with my husband, in celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary, I vowed to select restaurants based on cuisine rather than cost. But initial inquiries showed it might be as hard to get a good meal in Venice as it would in Disneyland.

That’s when we put our research skills to work.

Our source? National media and travel magazines, blogs and well-travelled friends who’d been there and who we knew had excellent taste. We scoured reviews and met with The Bauer Hotel concierge at length before and after our arrival.

Our first day, we realized the importance of planning ahead. A bustling spot near busy St. Mark’s Square, but not on our list, tempted us. While waiting for a table we noticed all the food being reheated in the microwave. We didn’t come this far for a microwave meal.

We did come this far to fall in love with these eight restaurants for their food, waiters, vibe and atmosphere.

Each night, actually getting to these restaurants was like being on a treasure hunt. We passed waterfront cafes serving whole fish with big signs to lure in tourists. But we kept walking and turned down narrow alleys, in search of more.

We found ourselves lost, traversing over small canals, in Campos with charming churches, frustrated by confusing meandering paths—but so happy to be here in Venice, to be in love, to be alive! And someone would always help us find our way. And all that made discovering, and now sharing, these gems, that much more delicious.

These were our favorites, in this order:

1. Alle Tester: With just 23 seats, you’ll want to reserve your table and arrive early. You won’t be sorry. If you’re lucky, owner Luca Di Vita will wait on you. It’s casual and all about the food. Try the steamed seafood platter with local fish (crab, octopus, giant shrimp, baby scampi, scallops). Have a Caprese salad with giant scampi. Also, black ink cuttlefish pasta with artichokes,  carrots and tomato.
For desert, try the panna cotta, only because of the five deserts ordered by the next table, this disappeared the fastest. Now we know why! You have not tasted a better panna cotta. For wine, I suggest Malvasia Borgo Del Tiglio: dry, white, full-bodied. For dessert wine, try Verduzzo. A fellow at the neighbouring table told the waiter, “I have no idea what you said but I’ll have it.” You would be wise to do the same.
And order the cookbook, too!

2. Al Cova: With fewer than two dozen tables, this romantic, friendly, old-world place is small enough to feel as if you’re at a dinner party with close friends. They served us crusty white bread, Monkfish with artichokes and Sordfish tartare. Try the appetizer copper skillet of local clams and white beans—perfectly seasoned, sweet razor clams found nowhere else, muscles in olive oil and garlic with a small handful of beans and topped with a sprig of fresh basil. The fragrance hits you first. And don’t miss the homemade lemon spaghetti with spider crab sauce!
Wine selection: Dry, light red wine Vlpolicella from a vineyard between Venice and Verona (Monte Dall’ Ora classico superiore). It tastes like a million bucks for 31 Euro. Diane Benelli and her husband own the place. She grew up in Lubbock, TX and claims she was raised “eating canned pears with mayonnaise and pepper.” She married Cesare, a restuarateur, from nearby Lido island. She told me it makes her happiest when locals and people who just care about great meals come for dinner. Her signature decadent dark chocolate cake will make you cry.

3. Antiche Carampane: Hidden in the back streets near a charming square behind the Rialto bridge, it’s casual and charming, with white tablecloths on just 15 tables crowded together. Try the tiny fried fresh fish served in a paper cone, the tagliolini with baby octopus or the tuna tartare. Wine selection: Nembo—dry white, volcanic wine from the Campania region. For dessert, try the tort with chocolate and pear.

4. Fiaschetteria Toscanna: Very elegant and romantic! Be sure to reserve a table upstairs. Our favourite dish in all of Venice is their black tagliolini with lobster sauce. Also, have the colourful misto or mixed salad from the Rialto Mercato with giant artichoke hearts, and chocolate mouse cake for dessert. The food is beautiful—like the brightly lit restaurant; wonderful flavours and textures.

5. Trattoria Do Forni: A well known and well loved spot. Loved the giant scampi (it’s like a really a tiny sweet lobster, caught right nearby—flawless). We ordered the whole doraddo, spaghetti in black ink and spaghetti scampi with asparagus. It’s pricey with very intense waiters, but the place is wonderful and worth your time—and Euros! Wine choice: Try the dry red Blauburgunder pinot nero ’09.

6. Totorria Alla Madonna: Over the Rialto Bridge and to the left on della Madonna. It’s simple, clean with white linens and eclectic art. Dry white local wine: Friulano. We ordered the caprese salad and whole sea bass. Wonderful!

7. Naranzaria: Perfect for warm weather, with outside seating right on the canal or in a window seat upstairs on a rainy day. Tucked almost under the far, right side of the Rialto Bridge. Try the sushi with the vino locale.

8. Cooking with Maria Genovina De Cicco: It’s not a restaurant, but it was one of our favorite meals—and we learned how to cook it ourselves. She met us at the ferry in the Santa Croce district, past the maddening crowd. She led us down cobble stone paths to her tiny walk-up apartment with it’s breezy rooftop terrace. Window boxes of fresh herbs and flowers frame her tiny kitchen. She’s a terrific teacher who used humor, simple common sense and lots of wine to teach us to make salt encrusted branzini, zucchini pasta, crepes and zabaglione. For more than four hours, we cooked enough for eight with just a few eggs and handfuls of flour. Then we dined at her table and toasted to our love and the amazine taste of life in Venice.