PlanetEye

So you're in Venice, you've tried the pizza, the pastas, and wine, and the local aperitifs. The restaurants in Venice are great and all of them have lots of character but they also have an element of sophistication and class, including the small Osterias that have been owned by the same family for generations. However, if you travel just across the lagoon to the mainland you'll find a place called BEFeD Brew Pub that will give you a relaxed place to dine that will be as close as you can get in Italy to a "sawdust joint".

BEFeD is a great place to get a roasted chicken dinner. Upon arrival there is a barrel of peanuts at the door for you to nibble on while you are waiting for a table. Don't worry about finding a place to put the shells, just chuck them on the floor!

While you're waiting, take a stroll up to the bar and order a beer. The beer is made in house and has a nice full bodied flavor without being super bitter and heavy in your stomach. For an additional 10 Euro, you can buy a special 2 Liter jug and take it with you, bring it back for a refill anytime!

The BEFeD chicken                (slightly spicy) is cooked in their very own particular                manner (which you can view from the window), served with french                fries, a slice of toasted bread and their own homemade sauce.

The prices are extremely cheap and I guarantee that you won't be disappointed after making the trip over the lagoon, especially if you need a good relaxed night out in Venice.

BEFeD Brew Pub - Mestre
Viale Ancona, 20 (Ex discoteca Terminal)
Tel: 041-5318866
E-mail: brewpubmestre@befed.it

If you would like to contact me directly about this, or anything else regarding Venice or northern Italy, visit me HERE

I have always been a firm believer in "the smaller the place, the better the food". Generally this holds true and it has never led me to a small restaurant with bad food so I’m still fairly sure that it’s a good rule to have. But this rule could be shaken by a restaurant that I met a friend at the other day for lunch.

Located not far from Saint Mark’s Square, the area known as San Zaccaria, you can find da Roberto. In fact, you can’t miss it. It located on the corner of Salizada S. Provolo and Campo S. Provolo with large blue awnings with "da Roberto" spelled out in big white letters.

It’s an elegant restaurant occupied by mostly tourists but that didn’t change the quality of the food. The dishes that were served were a wide selection of Venetian pastas and meat dishes, as well as a wide selection of pizzas, however I didn’t find them outrageous or to die for, they were really nothing special. The wine list was complete and offered some very high end bottles, but also more of the mid-range quality and price as well. There was nothing on the wine list that I would personally stay away from knowing that it might almost be vinegar. The meals are a bit more pricey, mainly (in my opinion) because of the tourist clientele, but the staff is courteous, fast, and ready to fix any problem that you might have.  

If you’re looking for a more affordable night out with you and your loved one, then I recommend da Roberto. It’s classy, but not chic, affordable but not too cheap or expensive, and it’s located minutes away from Saint Mark’s Square. A reservation might be necessary on Friday and Saturdays, especially after 8pm.

It can also be reached by water bus, #51 #41 #1 and #2. Just get off at S. Zaccaria or San Marco.

CLICK HERE for all the information about the restaurant, Menu, Where they are,  and other links. The menu on the website is not in English, but it is at the restaurant, as well as other languages.

Souvenirs! What would a vacation be without a little memory from the place you visit? In Venice, you have many things, gondolas, models of the Rialto Bridge or the Bell Tower of Saint Mark's. But for those of you who want something a little more personal, special, and elegant, I suggest purchasing a Venetian Carnival Mask...but not from the vendor or shops that you'll find dotted everywhere along the way. I suggest having it custom made.

Along the Ca' del Sol in the Castello district you will find a mask shop that looks like all the others, it's called Ca' del Sol Maschere. This little place produces their own masks for Movies, Theatre, or Carneval. All of their masks are either hand painted like the others OR made with fabric...and this is what makes them unique.

The fabrics that they use are of typical Venetian style, color, and design. They apply the fabric to the surface of a porcelain or plaster mask and then decorate it as you wish with vibrant feathers, gold beads or pearls, etc. When everything is said and done, you find that you'll have a very elegant souvenir of Venice that is completely unique to you and your tastes. Of course, you can buy off the shelf too, but what fun is that?

If you would like to contact me directly about this, or anything else regarding Venice or northern Italy, visit me HERE

In my opinion, the best food in Venice is not found at any restaurant, but rather the Osterias and Trattorias that are abundantly available. The food is more traditional, cheaper, and generally better quality than that of which you would find at a restaurant, generally because the food at the restaurants (again in my opinion) could be frozen moments before it’s placed on your plate.

Having dined in Venice multiple times, I have had my fair share of tourist moments when I want a dining experience that is not only good for the palate, but also nice on the eyes when it comes to the environment in which I’ll be sitting for a couple of hours. It’s because of this second reason that I stopped at Trattoria "al Ponte del Megio" for dinner.

Located in Santa Croce, on the corner of a small sidestreet and canal, it appears to be a typical Italian trattoria. There are tables outside situated along the canal and the interior design offers a warm and welcoming feeling from the street. However, after ordering pasta all’arrabiata I found that it is nothing more than a tourist trap. The food tasted like something that might come from a can marked Chef Boyardee and the wine was a poor quality that resembled vinegar more than wine by the taste.  

I went to dinner there with two friends who were visiting me for a couple of weeks and I was completely embarrassed by the poor quality of the food. We ended up paying the bill and leaving without finishing the plates of food and heading back to the center of Venice to a restaurant that I have known for sometime as a good staple of quality. We found a table on the patio and ordered and paid for a second meal.

For me, if you are starving and need something fast and want a great setting, then go ahead and eat here...one could argue that it’s romantic in the location,  but it won’t be the quality that is available in other places.

If you would like to contact me directly about this, or any other event in Venice or northern Italy, visit me HERE

Getting lost in Venice is the only true way to see Venice, however during the summer time it can become extremely tiring because of the heat. Personally, during the summer I find that the bars and cafes with outdoor seating are more enjoyable than the others because it gives you the opportunity to people watch more. Don’t get me wrong, a nice air-conditioned restaurant is also an oasis, but for a quick ice-cold beverage...there isn’t anything better than a shaded table in the middle of a piazza.

This is where my Dutch bar comes into play. Located approximately half way between San Marco Square and The Rialto Bridge you’ll find this small bar at the back of a small piazza on a secondary tourist route. Most of the clientele were actually tourists or ex-patriots living in Venice, but that didn’t take away from the cheap prices, great drinks, and wonderful little munchie items.

There’s not much of a wine list, but the primary drinks that are served are beers and spritz. I don’t recommend eating dinner there as the menu is pretty bland compared to a larger restaurant, but then again, this place is basically a bar and nothing more. If you need a quick refreshment and you’re in the area, stop on by. It’s good for a couple of hours of people watching. This bar could quickly become one of my standard stops for a mid-afternoon drink or when friends visit because of the proximity to the two major sites.

Taverna L’Olandese Volante
San Lio, Castello 5658
Tel: 041-528-9349
Hours: 10am - Midnight

While I was on my weekend wine tasting adventure there were times when food was absolutely necessary. Luckily, this was not a difficult problem to solve. On the edge of the Euganean Hills you will find the small town of Arqua Petrarca in the providence of Padova. This little restaurant is affordable, offers portions that are filling, has nice staff, and has a view of the valley that is magnificent if you are sitting at the correct table on the open air patio in the back.

The restaurant specializes in Prosciutto, loosely translated it’s ham. Some of the prosciutto specialties are:

Prosciutto cotto al Tartufo Nero
Prosciutto del Kaiser
Prosciutto di Montagnana
Prosciutto d’oca
Prosciutto di cinghiale
Soppressa

Other specialtes not related to prosciutto include:

Nidi di patate al ragu
Fettucce caserecce
Carpaccio
Tagliolini al petto d’oca
Fagottini alle pere con taleggio e rucola

The town itself is also intriguing and I suggest spending at least half a day there if you have the time. Try the local liquor, Brodo di Giuggiole (Jujube broth). It’s a little sweet, but if it’s chilled very cold it’s perfect on a hot summer day. Or, you can serve it at room temperature for a nice cordial in the winter.

I had the opportunity this week to enjoy a lunch outside of my normal environs, which basically means outside my apartment. The Osterias in Venice are always a treat because you can rely on them to serve authentic cuisine and bargain basement prices. However, this has been made slightly more difficult by the summer season and the chaos that surrounds the Italian Hotspot that is Venice herself.

However, if you venture just outside the main drag near Rialto Bridge you can find Osteria Al Portego tucked quietly away on a very busy corner, but if you’re not looking you’ll walk right past it. I guess you could say that it’s hidden in plain sight. This small Osteria has seating for about 15 people. It’s extremely small, but has enormous character and style.  

The past week has been extremely hot, so when I stopped in for lunch I knew that i wanted something filling, yet light and refreshing. The menu is extremely short but offers excellent choices for seafood dishes primarily but also has the old Osteria foods at the bar that you can enjoy in any combination and amount. The wine selection is also rather short, but the selections that they carry are premium wines that are worth the stop if for nothing else.

For lunch I decided to do it "ala carte" and chose my selections from the bar. I ordered 4 fried shrimp, calamari (squid), and a tiny octopus that was marinating in a wonderful basil/olive oil seasoning (which I highly recommend). All of this was warmed up right in front of me, of course you can eat it cold if you desire, and served with a glass of fantastic Raboso. All in all I paid 8.50 and was content when I left. The staff is friendly and smiling and very attentive, making sure that my wine was always full and that any empty plates were removed immediately. All in all this little Osteria is perfect for a light lunch or heavier dinner in Venice.  

Osteria Al Portego
Castello S. Lio 6015
Venice
Phone: 041-522-9038
Hours: Monday - Saturday 10:30am-3pm, 6pm-10pm

If you would like to contact me directly about this, or any other event in Venice or northern Italy, visit me HERE.