Truth be told, I do most of my eating as the locals do—in the many osterie and bàcari all over the city. In most, the clientele is strictly Venetian and the food caters to their demanding taste. There are two such places that call themselves osteria, but they are, in reality, much more than the word suggests. At the tiny Osteria alle Testiere, the menu changes daily according to what the sea provides. Shellfish is always a good choice, particularly the caparozzoli allo zenzero (clams ennobled by gratings of fresh ginger). Look for a splendid grilled soaso (tiny Adriatic turbot taken from the lagoons near Venice). All this, and a superb wine list, too. Osteria La Zucca is a paradise for vegetarians, though meat is also plentiful. Here you can enjoy the gentle service and intelligent wine list in the attractive dining room with conversation-friendly acoustics and a no-smoking section. Two special dishes are the pumpkin flan and the carrots with yogurt and curry.
It is common in Venice to go from one wine bar to the next, ordering a dish or two at each place plus a glass of wine to match. The Veneto produces some very fine wines, and the neighboring province of Friuli-Venezia Giulia is one of Italy’s top three wine producers, responsible for the nation’s best whites. I would start at Osteria Bentigodi da Andrea, near the old Jewish quarter. Everything here (but the pasta) is delicious. On one visit I ordered a glass of Müller-Thurgau with my endive, Pecorino, and walnut salad, and the medley of flavors was positively stereophonic. At Bentigodi I make an exception to my rule of having only fresh fruit for dessert. For it’s impossible to resist the salame di cioccolato (chocolate “salami”—a slightly crumbly roll with pine nuts). And, unlike most Venetian osterie, which are cramped and rustic, this one is light and airy.
Nearby is the Trattoria Ca’ d’Oro, also called Osteria dalla Vedova, one of the most reliable in Venice. Starring dishes include baccalà mantecato and polpette (cold veal meatballs served with a vibrant tomato sauce and perfect vegetables). The soups, pastas, and accompanying wines are all really good, too. Then go to Osteria alla Bomba. You can tell you’ve found it by the peals of laughter from men engaged in hearty discussion while feasting on superb salami from Treviso, local cheeses, vegetables, and grilled and fried fish. The pasta e fagioli is one of the best.
At Osteria ai Assassini, near San Marco, the pasta is mediocre but the soups are delicious. Fish dishes are thoughtfully cooked and presented: Cappe sante al pomodoro, when available, are made with crushed tomato and herbs and baked in the shell—the most perfectly cooked scallop dish I’ve had in Venice. And the welcome is warm and genuine. Nearby, in a little cul-de-sac off the Frezzeria, is Osteria da Carla. If you arrive around eleven in the morning, you can make the first selection from gorgeous fish and vegetable preparations. There is arguably no better lunch in town.
When darkness begins to envelop the city at around 4 p.m.,I head for Cantinone già Schiavi, near Locanda Montin. Herethe mamma makes wonderful baccalà mantecato, plus open-faced sandwiches of caviar, sardines, tuna, vegetables, cheeses, salamis, or ham, while the papà and the figli pour wine from one of the best selections in all of Venice. (You can buy bottles to take home.) A local woman told me that she loves to come here and eat the sandwiches and have a glass of wine with her neighbors. “At home,” she said, “I would be all alone with a bowl of pasta.” This is indeed the most cheerful place I know, and genuinely Venetian. Nowhere feels warmer on a wintry evening.
At the close of day, I often find my way to the Piazza San Marco, a spot I avoid in other seasons. From a seat at the Gran Caffè Ristorante Quadri or the Caffè Florian, over espresso or hot chocolate, I admire the piazza’s grand form, its sense of being an outdoor drawing room. Sometimes I will walk to the center of the square and stand completely still to absorb the silence of the centuries, breathe in the mist, and draw in my memories of another uniquely Venetian day.
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