A Month In Venice

Eating out in Venice or Italy can be daunting if you do not want to get cheated. To get a truly Italian experience it is always best to eat where the locals eat. This means that the menu will be written only in Italian and you are expected to know what all of these items are on the menu. If you have special dietary concerns then this will be even more of a struggle if you do not understand some of the common items on the menu.

Fortunately I have gathered some of the most common terms for you and translated them so that it should be much easier to understand when you to out. I am seriously considering a Italian word of the day email to help my readers learn Italian. Or perhaps I could find a sponsor that has this that will be of service to those that read my blog regularly.

Here are some of the more common dishes used.

Antipasti – Appetizer
Antipasto misto – a mix of appetizers
Carcifi – This is some sort of artichoke dish served in oil
Gamberi el fagloli – shrimp and white beans
Prosciutto – this is a cured ham that is normally served with melons but can be used in any appetizer dish

Minestre (Soups) and Pasta
Cacciucco – this is a spicy fish soup
Cappelletti – Small ravioli with a light broth
Frittata – An Italian omelet
Minestrone – This is a beef soup with vegetables and pasta
Panzerotti – This is ra avioli filled with mozzarella, anchovies and an egg mixture
Polenta – This is a cake made of corn
Spaghetti alle vongole – This is a pasta dish with a clam sauce

Meat Dishes (carne)
Abbacchio – milk fed lamb
Agnello – lamb
Anatra – duck
Arista – Pork loin
Cervo – Venison
Cinghiale – boar
Coniglio – rabbit
Fagiano – pheasant
Lingua – tongue
Lombo di malate – pork loin
Ragu – meat sauce
Vitello – veal

Fish (Pesce)
Aragosta – lobster
Aringa – herring
Baccala – dried salt cod
Branzino – sea bass
Brodetto – fish stew
Calamari – squid
Gamberetto – shrimp
Gamberi – prawns
Gamberi di flume – crayfish
Granchia – Crab
Sogliola – sole
Squadron – monkfish
Tonna – tuna
Vongola  - small clams

This is just a small sample of what is available. Perhaps I could include a new word with each new post so as to help us all learn the Italian language. I am really kicking around some ideas here and hopefully soon I should have something in the works. Well I hope this helped someone out there.

Harry’s Bar is perhaps one of the most famous of Venice’s landmarks and it is certainly one of Italy’s most famous restaurants in the country. The service at this cultural institution is outstanding and the food unparalleled in its quality. What has made this bar so famous was the generous mention of Ernest Hemingway in his book Across the River and into the Trees and following this many other notable people have walked through the doors of this establishment. If you are going to eat out in Venice and choose to splurge a bit I would definitely drop by this place as it is well worth it. Of course I would be sure to check to see if you need reservations beforehand as you will most likely will need to do so.

This is the bar where the famous Bellini drink was first made. Also the drink the Montgomery cocktail was also invented here as well. World renowned for its cooking the bar has its own cookbooks that you can pick up in any well stocked book store or Amazon.com.

This one bar has spawned an entire line of restaurants all throughout the world. From this bar the bars Harry Cipriani, Cipriani 42nd Street and Manhattan’s famous Rainbow Room as well as a catering company. As well the Cipriani’s, the owners of Harry’s Bar, have a line of their own olive oils, cook books and kitchenware.

Now it has been said that this is an over-hyped landmark with well overpriced food but you can say that about any restaurant in your own town. If you do choose to visit this bar I w ould be sure to sit upstairs as the view is far better and you look upon the Chiesa di Santa Maria della Salute and I am sure that this view is not easily matched anywhere else. Besides do you not want to go to a place visited by some of the most famous people who have walked this Earth?

Well rumor has it that Venice is the one city you should never, ever order a pizza. Fortunately I have to disagree with that statement as I have had far superior pizza anywhere in Italy when compared to the United States. Sorry for those that come from New York but i have never had a slice from there so I do not compare it to that experience.

After talking to many undergraduates from several Universities I have discovered what should be the best pizza restaurant in Venice. The name of it is Campo Santa Margherita in Dorsoduro and I believe that the best pizza to have is Margherita Pizza which is just plain cheese, tomato sauce and basil. If you are looking for fine dining at this establishment then forget it as there are only benches available to watch the locals. Sounds perfect to me!

If you have a favorite restaurant that you would like to share please do so! Comments are very welcome on this subject!