travelswithalice

September 08, 2013

The food & restaurant report

In Venice, we stuck to the out of the way restaurants in Sestiere Cannaregio, close to our hotel.

40 LADRONI

First night out was a disappointment. Although not exactly as badass as its name suggests, 40 Thieves, the food was nothing special. The garden setting was nice though.

OSTERIA L'ORTO DEI MORI

Rolled sardines in saor, sea bass, and a wonderful rich cake with folds of chocolate and cherries. Read more in Venice, Day 2 post.

AL TIMON Steakhouse & Tapas Bar,

Practically jumping with a lively Saturday night crowd.

All meat. Emphatically no, they don't serve fish. I had grilled lamb chops with potato wedge chips.

But the highlight of the evening was the 2-person band. They were good. Some boomer songs- I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Norwegian Wood, Proud Mary, but also Amy Winehouse.

We sat by the canal, where a floating barge served as a bandstand as well as a lounging area where people lay on the floor, rolled joints, and looked up at the stars.

ANICE STELLATO

I was lucky to be seated directly opposite the wildly busy kitchen. I watched a fascinatingly well choreographed frantic to and froing, punctuated by short bursts of rapid verbal exchanges.

When my order finally came, it was fabulous. First was seared tuna cubes encased in a nutty crust, with a tart cabbage salad. Next, a bright green vegetable, I forgot what it's called but it looks very much like wilted kale, in creamy burrata cheese. Followed by veal liver cooked the Venetian way, sliced thinly, with onion compote.

But always, before and after all the other places to explore, we return to one of the nicest places on earth:

DEHORS AT THE PARK BAR

PARK HYATT

Via Silvio Pellico, Milan