Trattoria Dalla Marisa

Finding this restaurant on your own would not be impossible, but highly improbable, since it is an establishment known almost exclusively to locals. Also improbable was the fact that I recently met a Venetian who had moved to San Francisco and we discussed this restaurant. He mentioned the reasonable price and I had to question him as I paid 40 euros for my 5 course meal, which in itself doesn't seem too bad when the dollar is doing better against the euro, but for that particular time it was a $60 meal for one and no bargain to my estimation. He told me that it was 25 euro for locals (harrumph!)

I knew little about this restaurant except that it was recommended in Biba's Italy and was one of the few Venetian restaurants to specialize in meat and fowl rather than fish. I trust Biba Caggiano's recommendations and have used her cookbooks as travel guides for years; she always lists her favorite Italian restaurants. So I went by the restaurant on my first night in Venice and was surprised to see that there was no sign only a closed door and the number 652B on the small building. I even asked a passerby if that was the location for Marisa. He basically said..."of course", like I should have known better. I waited for it to open until dark, then gave up and tried a place down the canal. It turns out Marisa's is closed on Tuesdays.

The next night I went down about 20 minutes before it officially opened and was told that is wasn't open, but they had at least hung a sign on the wall so one could recognize that it was indeed a restaurant. I said I'd wait and was then told that the restaurant was fully booked, but was offered an outdoor table, so I sat and waited again. I asked to see a menu and was told what was on offer that night and it turned out they were only serving fish. I was disappointed until I heard about their seafood lasagne and decided on the spot that it would make a perfect light dinner. When a plate of polenta was placed on my table, it occurred to me for the first time that this was a fixed price and no option establishment. Whatever was being cooked is what I was going to be served. Not such a great position to be in with only 40 euro in my pocket. So in my limited Italian I asked the price and because I could manage it, decided to stay because of all the time I had already invested in attempting to eat there.

The next dish placed on the table was a stewed cuttlefish in a rich tomato sauce. I ate it with the polenta as quickly as I could, since the wind was coming in off the lagoon and was cooling the food down rapidly. The waiter offered me wine but with only the 40 euro in my pocket I declined. Later I discovered it was included in the price.

The next course was mostly very good. A marinated raw fillet of some fish was quite good as were the stuffed mussels, but the bacala manticato was very "fishy" and unlike the traditional recipe, did not include potato, just cod and mayo, much too strong for me. The fritto misto was beautifully prepared as the main course and included prawns, calamari, and a small fillet, but I couldn't identify the mild tasting fish. I could barely finish it.

Finishing the secondo was difficult because the star of the evening's menu came before it and was so satisfying, I could have stopped eating after finishing it. That would be the seafood lasagne pasta course. Delicate in taste, silky in mouth feel, this was the dish worth coming for. I only wish I could duplicate it. With a rich bechemel, nutmeg, and a mild fish like sole, I may be able to come close.The one thing I did notice on this trip was that each lasagne I had eaten was cooked so the pasta was what most people would consider overcooked.

The last course was composed of biscotti with a very sweet mascarpone. The biscotti themselves were not sweet or flavorful and perhaps used just as a vehicle for getting the mascarpone into one's mouth and cutting the sweetness of it just a bit. When I go back to this restaurant, I'm having my hotel make a reservation so I can sit inside and I'm definitely going to drink the wine.

652B Fondamenta San Giobbe
Cannaregio Venice
As you walk down the Lista di Spagna from the train station, this location is to your left before crossing the first bridge. Walk past Ponte Tre Archi to find it.