PlanetEye

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.

Last night I was in Padova having a spritz with a friend of mine from Australia. After having a couple of glasses of Prosecco, we started talking about where to go for dinner as we were both enjoying the evening and preferred to dine outside rather than inside. It’s the summer, so warm summer nights always have a certain excitement and buzz when it comes to dining in a piazza. She suggested a restaurant/pizzeria near Prato della Valle, which is the second largest piazza in Italy following Piazza San Pietro (St. Peter’s) in Rome.

The restaurant’s name is Zairo and from the outside you would never guess that this is a place for locals. Although located at Prato della Valle and next to a major street serviced by many buses and cars, the restaurant was extremely quite and quaint with minimal traffic noise. There is outside patio dining under a canopy as well as multiple rooms inside that are all uniquely decorated and adorned with southern Italian style. The restaurant is divided into two halves, one half serving pizzas and the other half as an authentic Southern Italy restaurant offering wonderful dishes from Puglia as well as other regions.

The restaurant has a wonderful character with high vaulted ceilings and wonderful decoration giving it a very elegant yet friendly atmosphere...this also includes the two massive marble statues that are standing at the entrance of the main dining room for the restaurant side.

The food is affordably priced but you get far more than what you pay for. The pasta dishes are overflowing, the pizzas don’t fit on the plates, and if you have no worries in the world, the wine list is complete and extremely tempting.

The staff is friendly and extremely attentive. More than likely you will find the owner, Franco, quietly circling the restaurant making sure everything is running smoothly and insuring that all of his guests have everything they need.

If you plan on going, I suggest sparing no expense. Some of the appetizers include cheese plates that you can choose yourself, clams, and other seafood. The first plates have a wide selection of meat, fish, or pasta bases and this follows suit for the second plates, or main dishes. The desserts are wonderful. We enjoyed some fantastic limoncello and a sorbetto (which is like an ice-cream slushy but with a tinge of vodka added). The combination of these two things was extremely pleasing because both of them were extremely cold and refreshing on a warm summer night. 

I also recommend making reservations for Friday and Saturday night if you want to dine outside as it might be difficult to obtain a table, especially if there is something happening in Prato della Valle; i.e. a concert or celebration. You can find more information here, such as history, the menu, and directions...however, the site is in Italian so you may have to use a translator to get the basic information.

Zairo Ristorante - Pizzeria
Prato della Valle, 51
35123 Padova (PD)
Italy

Phone: 049-663-803
Email: info@zairo.net
CLOSED ON MONDAY and for Summer holiday from July 20 - August 10

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

Venice is a beautiful city. It has history, culture, and an endless supply of places where you can sit and peruse endless menu upon menu of Venetian cuisine. However, sometimes it becomes difficult to find a truly authentic restaurant where the price is low and the quantities are large, especially in Venice. More than likely, if you stick to the main streets you are going to pay a lot more than what you should for a lot less than what you should get. Unless, of course, you know where to go.

Located not in Venice at all, but only a short 25 minute train ride away in the city of Padova is the restaurant called Trattoria Le Sette Teste (Literally translated: Trattoria The 7 Heads). This little restaurant located in the historic center is affordably priced (€20-30/ person) and the portions will satisfy just about anybody who thinks that they never get their money worth. If you are planning on ordering the traditional first and second plates with desert and wine...perhaps sharing a dish is the way to go.  

If you are planning on heading to Padova on a Friday for a day trip and you're thinking of stopping in for dinner before heading back to Venice, I suggest calling and making a reservation because you will absolutely need to. Walking in the front door on a Friday night and expecting to get a table is impossible. This is a local restaurant and you'll be contending against the population of Padova for a table.

The atmosphere is not as cozy as some other places in Venice or Padova, but the food more than makes up for it. There is no outside seating, so if you're looking for that type of atmosphere, you're probably better going to Piazza Singori. After the mean, I suggest trying one of the many liquors that they serve that are in the same category as Limoncello, but made with other fruits such as Peach, Strawberry, and Coconut...you won't be disappointed and the "digestivo" is exactly what you need after the meal.

Trattoria Le Sette Teste
Via Cesere Battisti, 44
35121 Padova (PD)
Phone: 049 664 753

Open all Year, closes at 2am

If you would like to contact me directly about this, or anything else going on in Venice or northern Italy, visit me HERE. 

Are you tired of those bars that only serve alcohol with no chance of something interesting happening? Are you looking for a lively, spirited, fun place to hang out when you visit and don’t want to hang out where the old people are? Well then, I have got the best "after hours" bar in Venice that serves food too!

Being a musician I am always interested in the local Jazz Bar. For me it doesn’t matter if it’s classic jazz or modern funk fusion, just as long as the roots are there and there is the word "jazz" in the title I’m usually happy. Venice is not to be left out. Bácaro Jazz is a lively bar near Realto Bridge that is lively in the evening with music and drinks and even some food if you’re hungry. 

The bar seems to be more like a dance club with the low lighting and transient jazz pouring through the entire place, but relaxed and inviting at the same time. I didn’t eat there, but the menu of mixed drinks had a variety of Italian favorites as well as American Standards like Long Island Teas, Manhattans, and yes the Blue Cosmopolitan. The cocktails are a little pricey and they are definitely geared towards the tourist crowd, but the atmosphere and liveliness makes up for this fact.

I was surprised to find out that there is also a tradition in this bar. It appears that the tradition is for women to leave their bras behind. You can’t see them from the street but casually concealed on the ceiling of the bar are hundreds of bras, all of them tacked into place next to each other to add a colorful and interesting touch to the place. If you don’t believe me, check out their gallery photos here. So if you’re bored in Venice and want some excitement, I suggest heading down for a drink or two. There’s happy hour every day from 5pm to 7:30pm. Open late - from 4pm to 3am, closed on Wednesday. Enjoy!

Bácaro  Jazz

30124 Venezia,  Italy

info@bacarojazz.com 

Ristorante-Pizzeria Malibran prepares authentic, Venetian cuisine and is attached to a Hotel, although you'd never notice it by walking in the front door. Despite being part of a hotel, the food is not priced higher like the case usually is. The food is priced according to what it actually should be priced for Venice, and the portions are excellent! Friday night I opted for the Seafood platter which came with a variety of shellfish, squid, sea bass, and octopus. Superb!

Ristorante - Pizzeria Malibran

Cannaregio 5864

Corte del teatro Malibran

30131 Venice

Italy

Phone: 041-523-9243