Trattoria Ca D'Oro alla Vedova

This is the second review I've done on Trattoria Ca D'Oro alla Vedova in a week. I contribute to Tripadvisor and saw a few bashings that made me feel very protective of this delightful little dining establishment in Venice's Cannaregio neighborhood. The first time I stepped through the portal was on my honeymoon. We could barely fit into the small bar area for cichetti as the place was packed. The second visit I dined alone while exploring Venice on my own for a few days and the last time I took my nephew there for lunch on a whirlwind day in Venice. I wanted him to get a good impression of the city, in the hope that he might elect to return one day, so going to my favorite places for espresso and pastry, lunch, and cichetti were squeezed into a short 7 hour span of time. Trattoria Ca D'Oro's atmosphere was perfect for setting the Venetian mood; old, compact and a bit brooding and dark, veiled in mystery, not only because of it's napkin draped lighting, but because of it's small labyrinth of rooms.

That being said, I came here for the food and the quiet, since the restaurant sits at the end of a very narrow alley off the busy Strada Nova. My nephew and I needed a little down time from our hectic blitz through Venice and although the service was fast, Ca D'Oro provided a needed rest for us. I'm sorry to note that we dug into the polpette (meatballs) so fast, I forgot to take a photo, but this restaurant is famous for them and at 1.5 euro per plate of 2, they are well worth ordering.

Their seafood antipasto plate comes in two sizes with the half portion for 9 euro being quite sufficient to sample a variety of seafood, mostly cold, but all good with the exception of the sliced item in the right hand corner of the photos above. I have no idea what it was, but it was overly chewy and had little flavor. Left to right there are boiled shrimp, a grilled baby octopus, stuffed mussels, the sliced mystery fish and the classic Venetian Mantecato, a fish spread made of bacala, olive oil, garlic and parsley. I've experienced several versions of this and some are more appropriately called a fish mousse made with potato and mayonnaise.

My nephew ordered the scampi with spaghetti dressed with the tomato sauce that had been used to cook the prawns, so it had a mild shellfish taste to it. It was light and flavorful and came with the scampi facing one another from both sides of the oval plate like warriors about to engage in mortal combat, a combat I'm afraid to say, they both lost. Speaking of the combative, the shell, in relation to food service is quite beautiful in the plating, but impractical in the eating. In an effort to use utensils and not dig in with both hands, my nephew lost his own battle with the first scampi. Just as he was managing to get the tail out of the shell, it went flying onto the floor.

Twice now I have had the pleasure of ordering the vegetable lasagne. Both times it was not what I had thought I was ordering, but better. The menu states that it's a vegetable lasagne, but on my first attempt at ordering it, the waiter apologized and said they only had a seafood lasagne available. That also sounded good, so I had no problem with it. The lasagne that I received was redolent with fresh porcini mushrooms layered with Grana Padano and a rich, unctuous bechamel sauce. It was a melt in your mouth experience of large proportion. On this last visit, I again ordered the vegetable lasagne and once again it was the porcini lasagne, just as delicious as the last time I had ordered it. Maybe their vegetable lasagne is supposed to be porcini, it matters not; I just love this recipe.

Calle del Pistor 3912 (an allley off of Strada Nova)

Cannaregio VENEZIA
Vaporetto stop: Ca D'Oro (turn left at Strada Nova and walk up a few blocks looking on your right for the small alley)

Ristorante Ricchi

Ristorante Ricchi was well worth a second try. We found this restaurant the first time in 2005 and were amazed at the proprietary versions of classic Italian recipes that it was serving along with very unique modern cuisine. Nouvelle Italian is what I would call it although Nuovo Italiano is probably what the locals called it. On the right side of Piazza Santo Spirito in the Oltrarno neighborhood of Florence, this restaurant specializing in seafood was a great find.

On our first encounter with Ricchi many of the courses we ordered were refined and elegant, with some of the dishes even employing foams. My 1st course had been fried goat cheese coated in panko crumbs, with black olive pate over a salad of radicchio. For the secondo I ordered sesame encrusted duck breast with honey orange sauce and leek foam. My travel notes described it as a triumph of taste and texture. Other members of our party ordered seafood pasta that included lobster; sea bass on a bed of creamed spinach; and a smoked lamb prosciutto. The following year one of our party who had loved the restaurant reported a disappointing meal, saying that the seafood pasta was not what it once had been. I noticed it had also fallen off a website restaurant recommendation list and wondered what had happened. I wanted to find out.

There is good news, Ricchi is still open and ready for business with a competent staff and a very good chef. There is also bad news, the restaurant is struggling after several years of management missteps. It no longer seems to specialize in seafood, as the non fish offerings were broad and therefore the focus isn't as sharp, nor are the dishes themselves. No more foams, fusion, nor nouvelle approaches, but good solid Italian classic dishes with modern twists. As you can tell by the photo on the left, the Caprese salad was nicely plated and a grassy, Tuscan olive oil was on the table ready to pour over it. My dining companion ordered the pear and Gorgonzola tortelloni that was delicate and luscious.

I opted for a salad that was large enough for 2-4 servings. Very atypical of Italian salads, it combined mixed greens with green apple, walnuts, fresh strawberries and parmigiano cheese. Again, the dressing was left up to the guest so I used the balsamic and olive oil for a bright, crisp taste. Finding a large salad in Italy is getting easier, but finding one with anything more than lettuce or tomatoes is another matter. I appreciated the variety of ingredients in this salad.

Since we didn't bother with the English menu my secondo was somewhat of a surprise, a good surprise. The Italian menu read Mille Foglie and included the words chicken and porcini. I thought it would be like a pot pie with puff pastry. What I received was dish of layered boneless chicken breast, thick slices of porcini mushrooms and parmigiano cheese. It was delectable and so very fragrant, a delight for the olfactory nerves as well as taste buds. The chef is obviously creative and modern in his use of seasonal ingredients, but his talent will not scare off the local clientele who may not have been ready for the gastronomic high jinks of foams, nor the fusion direction some of the older menu items had.

The flourless chocolate tort was decadent, though not overly sweet, so the restraint made it very Italian in my mind. It was almost a pure ganache. The staff comped us a nice dessert wine. Usually on my reviews I add a link to the restaurant's website and even though I wrote it correctly, it is nowhere to be found on the Internet. Unfortunate, since it would be nice to see their menu. While you're in the neighborhood, you might want to stop by their cafe one or two doors down for the lightest, creamiest gelato we have found in Florence.

RISTORANTE RICCHI
Piazza Santo Spirito 8/R

50125 Florence, Italy
Tel: (+39) 055 280 830

Closed Sunday

Open 7:30 - 11:00 p.m.

Snack Bar

Sometimes a name is just a name when it comes to restaurants, but this one is a description. On the north side of Piazza Barberini in Rome, there is a nice little snack bar where we had our morning meal, while staying at a nearby bed and breakfast in the neighborhood. The hotel charged 15 euros for a breakfast that sent you around the corner and out of the building. As an independent traveler, I didn't want to be tied into a breakfast, unless it was served in the hotel. That turned out to be a good call, since friends we recommended the hotel to also opted out of the breakfast, but went to the recommended restaurant and were charged over 40 euros for a cappuccino and croissant for two on the Via Veneto.

This latte and pastry is what I ordered for 4 euro at Snack Bar. My traveling companion went in each morning like clockwork for 5 days in a row. By the time I joined in, they set up his order before he even opened his mouth (on day 4) and allowed me to sit at the small table (one of only 4) without charging extra for the privilege.

I really think we struck gold with this find. In a country where customer loyalty is rewarded, we as tourists don't get many chances to see it in action. Never before in Italy, has taking a seat at a table not cost me nearly double the price, and I'm usually happy to pay the extra fee, in order to sit and savor my food or drink. The sandwiches were brought in daily and looked every bit as good as the pastry. My friends reported that what they tried were very good and again, very reasonably priced.

Trattoria Barberini

On our first visit to Trattoria Barberini, we accidentally found it after trying to replace a lost passport at the American Embassy on Via Veneto. Losing a passport is a rather psyche rattling experience, so my nerves were frayed (especially after seeing my new passport photo taken after a sleepless night on a train from Sicily to Rome...10 more years, oh no). I needed comfort food fast and this restaurant was the first we found as we walked west, away from the embassy. All I remember from that visit was a delicious pasta with porcini mushrooms. We tried finding it on our next trip, but no such luck. We didn't have the name and what we remembered was walking downstairs into a small dining room; that was the physical description we had to go on. Even when we saw it again, we weren't certain. It was small indeed with four tables on the ground floor and only four more downstairs. This hardly seemed like the kind of place where you'd get a great meal. But after a quick peek downstairs I realized, this was it.

It was only lunch and I wasn't hungry, but I ordered 2 courses anyway, since I wanted to review the restaurant and share it with others; difficult with only 2 items. So my first choice was the ceci (garbanzo) and clam soup, the oddest sounding item on the menu and the classic Roman gnocchi. Even though his beloved Spaghetti Carbonara was on the menu, my dining companion ordered the Pasta Puttanesca. It had regular black olives instead of salt cured olives which are more pungent, and fresh tomatoes instead of sauce, but they both proved to make a nice departure from the classic recipe. The soup was good with a mild flavor of the sea that did not dominate the soup, but enhanced the flavors, much as anchovies do in many classic Italian recipes. I'll be attempting to recreate it at home.

The best dish of the afternoon was the gnocchi made with semolina flour instead of potato and all purpose flour. I've always seen it cut into disks, so the hearts were a creative device for making the plate look more appealing. They had a polenta type texture with a pasta taste and the creamy sauce was very buttery and quite good. For a little hole-in-the-wall, with a young chef I would be happy to dine here again.

http://www.degustibusroma.com/

Via Della Purificazione 20

00187 Rome Italy
39 06 4743325

info@degustibusroma.com

Il Peperone

If you find yourself on the Via Veneto in Rome and are strapped for cash, but hungry and in need of a meal, Il Peperone may be just the ticket for you. The food is not classically Roman nor is it the best you'll ever have, but it's adequate, filling, and most importantly inexpensive compared to every other restaurant on the street.

The above photo is not of a Cesar salad, although it does employ some of the basic ingredients. The anchovies were very tasty however this salad could have been so much better. Most salads in Italy fall short on inspiration and few if any have onions, an essential ingredient for flavor enhancement.

The suppli or arancini were not hot enough to allow the cheese to melt thoroughly, so it would be pulled thinned out like thin telephone wires (long story), but they were good enough to eat, so eat them I did.

Of everything offered on their menu, Il Peperone did best with their pasta courses. I selected the farfalle (butterfly) pasta that we Americans usually refer to as "bow ties", because I had yet to taste a pasta sauce made with fresh tomatoes. This selection also introduced zucchini to the mix and that was also appealing to me, since it seemed more like a recipe made at home, rather than at a restaurant. It was a decent selection and it was filling.

My dinner companion selected Spaghetti Bolognese that he never seems to go wrong with, and it was also a decent rendition of a classic recipe, though not the best ever made nor tasted. In a pinch we'd come back here, but with so many great Roman restaurants, it will not be any time soon.

http://www.ilpeperone.it/

Via Vittorio Veneto 97

00187 Rome Italy

Tel 064884592

il peperone@ilpeperone.it

Le Bon Vivre

Le Bon Vivre is a lively brasserie recommended by a friend who had traveled to Toulouse a year or so ago. I trusted her judgement and of the restaurants we tried in this city, this was the best, and would still have been the best, even if the other restaurant hadn't been so terribly bad. It was a  very good call.

As is the custom, we were first served bread and what better to go with that than foie gras. Really, I can't even think of going to France without ordering some, and for all those who think French geese are mistreated, they should take a look at the poultry industry in the USA.

This foie gras was served in generous portions and I was only sorry we did not have enough time for a second meal at this restaurant. I would have been totally satisfied ordering this for lunch, and my calorie "dance card" would have been full with little consequence to my wallet.

Perhaps the best reason for visiting Le Bon Vivre would be to order the cassoulet, perfectly executed with an oven crisped top and succulent duck and sausage underneath, nestled in creamy beans. Toulouse is the perfect city in which to order this nationally acclaimed dish. Eating it should be a travel requirement for visitors to southern France.

I couldn't resist trying the side dish of fava, but ended up returning it to the kitchen. They were not fresh, but dried beans, and the plastic canister they were stored in must have cracked because my side dish came with a plastic "garnish". Trying potatoes fried in duck fat is another must order at a restaurant in France, but I'm sorry to say these were a bit soggy, as though they had been covered after frying, and therefore became steamed from their own trapped heat.

It hardly mattered, not only did they taste good despite the texture, but the roasted duck breast dominated the plate and my attention. If the menu at this restaurant doesn't inspire a person, there were many more restaurant on this street to choose from and many had outside seating, just perfect for a warm evening.

http://www.lebonvivre.com/

15 Place Prés Wilson

31000 Toulouse, France

05 61 23 07 17

Le Parvis in Albi

Albi is such a charming town, it was no surprise to find a very nice restaurant, and especially one directly across the street from the Saint Cecilia Cathedral. When we stopped here for tea that afternoon, we took a look inside and placed a reservation for dinner. They had an early reservation available, but the restaurant filled up fast, so we were lucky to get a table at all.

Escargot, the dependably good starter to any dinner in France was excellent; garlic laden, buttery and tender, it was a great way to assess the kitchen.

Duck Gizzard Salad, how could one possibly resist something not seen on a menu before? I jumped at the chance and thought the gizzards were very flavorful and much less chewy than I had expected. I'd order this again, if the opportunity ever presented itself.

Cassoulet is not quite the same in each restaurant, but the basics are. This particular interpretation was not bubbling over the edges of the casserole dish nor was it very crisp on top, but it was made with the right ingredients.

Besides the beans, duck confit and sausage, the Le Parvis cassoulet had a nice piece of thick cut bacon added. The multiple meats contributed more complex flavor to an already outstanding dish.

This particular duck breast arrived as a thick cut rather than a whole breast. I couldn't help but wonder what happened to the rest of it. Was it so big it was divided between two patrons? There were more things to worry about on the plate. The duck fat fried potatoes weren't crisp, but perhaps they were roasted and not fried. Not being able to read French, the nuanced description from the menu was lost on me.

White chocolate mousse over a sponge cake with a caramelized apple dollop on top was creamy, sweet and spicy with cinnamon. This restaurant is worth visiting again. I've linked their website, but I'm afraid it has no menu listings.

http://www.restaurantleparvis.com/en/presentation