Perche

Only produce.

Perche

It's right around the corner from the train station, but on the Canale di Cannareggio. There are only two canals in Venice. Grand Canal and Canareggio. The others are too small, and not referred to as canals. They are Rio's etc. people don't generally walk this canal, but it's one of the great walks of Venice, with few tourists and a fine place to stop and eat. For some reason, tourists don't seem to go there. Perhaps because you have to walk down the dreaded Strada Nuova, or use back streets from the train station?

Good food is on that street. I'd have a little caution about choosing a place because that's where the gondoliere or motiscafi drivers are. They are forbidden to leave their boat. If they leave their boat they will never work in the guild again. Where are their parking spaces to wait for for customers? Piazza San Marco, the train station, La Fenice, etc. in other words, they can't walk half a block away to get to a better restaurant down the street.

Since they can only stop at a specific place, and can only leave their boat if another driver is there to watch take responsibility, they are limited to eating within sight of their boat stop, sort of like a truck driver on the highway has to eat at a truck stop. It is usually a sign of decent coffee, but generally not food at a place where you see truckers stuck on a route.

There are many places where they go in and have a coffee or un'ombra, but dinner not so much because they are stuck in touristy areas and have to remain there. No one is flagging down a gondola or motorboat in the back alleys of Sant Elena.

But when I have no particular place to go, if in the neighborhood I'll walk down the Cannareggio Canal and stop some place to eat. Never great, but always decent.

obscure2k

Perche, will all due respect. We have known our friend for nearly 20 years. He was born in Venice and knows everyone. He doesn't always follow the rules and no one seems to particularly care. Most likely the enforcers of the "guild" attended his wedding, as did I. Also, he never parks and waits for us, we all eat and drink together and always in the afternoon as he returns to his family in the evening.

Perche

That's why it is going to be good. Canale Canareggio is a place I'm always happy to be at, and I can't think of ever having been disappointed dropping into a place there.

I just raise a mention about going where the gondoliere go. As you mentioned, they are not going to restaurants for the food. When they want to eat, they go home. In general, you don't want to have anything more than a coffee if you see the gondoliere in a particular restaurant. Their parking/waiting spot is strictly assigned. They have to be at their particular stop, so they are forced to get coffee at that corner. Motor boat drivers do have a little more freedom.

Many bars come to mind, full of gondoliere having coffee, because their gondola is there 10 feet away. If you order a wine there, you will have to go to the canal to spit it out. Gondole and taxi stops are where the tourist stops are. But I'll second you on eating there.

I don't hesitate to stop and eat on Fondamente Canarregio, the Canareggio canal, and it is almost a must-do leisurely stroll for anyone visiting Venice, as long as they can put up with walking Strada Nuova to get there. Of course, you can get there through the back streets, but anyone would get so lost that they will miss their flight home! Those tiny back streets there are incredible.

obscure2k

Two restaurants to avoid, IMHO, are Antica Mola and 40 Ladrone. Tourists visiting Canareggio seem to regard these two awful restaurants as the personification of a local Venetian trattoria:roll eyes:I was at Antica Mola once and asked how they managed to get the risotto out of the kitchen so quickly as I know that the preparation is time consuming. The waiter told me that risotto is cooked quickly in a pressure cooker.

OliverB

Got it!

Surely, there must be restaurants sourcing quality meat though. It's not like Venice is that divorced from the rest of Italy, right? As far as I know, there are no actual domestic cattle farms, slaughter houses or meat processing facilities in SF proper. Most of the beef presumably comes from either Marin County or the Central Valley. While I understand why travelers would want to focus on seafood in Venice (makes the most sense as it's local and culturally intrinsic) it shouldn't be that difficult to get quality meats shipped in. Most steakhouses in America import beef from the Midwest. Some of the best A5-grade wagyu beef in Japan is specific to certain regions, like the Miyazaki or Hyogo prefecture, yet can easily be found in restaurants throughout the country; in the same way that you could surely get outstanding Parma in most regions throughout Italy. Of course, I wouldn't expect any restaurant not catering to local residents to provide quality meats anymore than they would source fresh quality seafood. In other words, while I would prioritize eating as much local seafood as possible while in Venice and expect to see it the focus of most daily menus, a good restaurant that wishes to do so, should be able to serve quality fish or meat in Venice at an equal level. That said, I doubt if Assassini is concerned with sourcing top-grade meats. It sounds like more of a rustic kitchen with proletariat home-style comfort foods; ie. braised rabbit, boiled meats and soups. The kind of hearty winter fare that you might expect to find in homes more than restaurants in Venice. Doesn't La Bitta also focus on meats? I recall reading that they don't even serve seafood at all.

obscure2k

We had friends who visited Venice every year for so many years and they would stay for several weeks. They had some celebrity status, as he was a well known author. In southern California we were neighbors and always dined at their favorite restaurant, which was The Grill on the Alley in Beverly Hills. They were all about eating meat.
In Venice, their go-to-restaurant was Arturo http://www.venetianrestaurants.it/ri...id=665&lang=en
I have never dined there, as I love seafood. Small trivia note is that IIRC, George Clooney had his bachelor party there.

Perche

They should have read up a little about Venice for going. They might have had a chance of mind.

Perche

It's a different thing.. On the menu they have to say where the fish come from, or even if thy had to chill it, so that they buyer will know just exactly how far. Did the fish come off of just the shore or was it caught a few hundred miles out, or caught out in the open ocean in another sea, or don't let me say this, farmed, for goodness sake.,

Le Bitte is a german restaurant, and there are enough who come to need therir teste of schnitzel.The a Alto Adige is just on tope of venice. During World War I Italy stood on the right side, so they were give the gift to Algo Aidge, but the germans will never stop calling it that,no they still call it South Tyrol, of Sud Tirol, after The first 100 years and to this day, and Austrian is spoken there.

So if yu want to go to Venice and eat german foot at Le Bitte, it is possible, There will be a sixteen ounce beer, and plenty of bratwurst for lunch, and German, not Italian will be spoken

obscure2k

They died a few years ago but they remained dedicated carnivores to the end. They only went to 2 restaurants in Venice: Harry's Bar and Arturo. He always got the Veal Milanese or steak with bernaise.

Perche

Now that explains it! Ordering veal Milanese in Venice? Peccato.

Sorry about the misspellings, when going back and forth between countries you have English words spell checked into Italian and vice versa.

Harry's Bar? Oh no!

OliverB

Interesting and thanks for the info.

Are you sure that were talking about the same La Bitta though?

http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome....-bitta-venice/

I could be completely wrong, but it doesn't strike me as a German place. I noticed lots of braised meets and pasta dishes in most pictures online, but nothing ever suggested a German angle. Perhaps you're thinking of some other place with a similar name?

LonelyPlanet mentions sausage and cabbage so I guess I can see some influence, but they also highlight seasonal pastas like tagliatelle with local artichokes, so it doesn't sound like a purely German restaurant:
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/ve...rante-la-bitta

PWMTrav

I'd eat there, for whatever that's worth.

Perche

They feature potato dumplings (why not call it gnocchi on the menu?), cabbage with rock Cornish hen, rabbit, and they feature their huge selection of beer? Not in Venice, not for me.

ckendall

Who invented Fegato all veneziana?

http://ricette.giallozafferano.it/Fe...veneziana.html