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It was unpleasantly warm at lunch over the last few days (36C yesterday), and forecasts suggest it will be almost as hot on the weekend. I'm sorry that I have nothing to add regarding high-end dining... --PR

We were at Willi's Wine Bar for lunch today, and there is a bar at which you can eat. In fact, that is the only place in the restaurant at which you can eat a la carte in the evening, if I read the menu correctly, which I may not have. (Our meal was terrific, by the way; I will report at length later.) --PR

I would say that it is not tourism alone that has killed dining in Venice, but tourism combined with the lack of any other serious basis to the local economy. Paris, for example, seems perfectly capable of dealing with its tourists and still offering excellent fare, and that is because of sufficient critical local patronage to keep the restaurants on their toes. Venice's population is aging and shrinking as younger people starting families move to the mainland. I think the mode of tourism is also important: I read somewhere that the average length of the visit for a Venetian tourist is seven hours. tsquare, I think you are right. Food lovers visiting Venice must go with modest expectations, and focus more on what the city does best. --PR

From the front windows of the apartment in which we stayed on our 2004 trip, we could look down and to the right and onto the tables of dalla Marisa. This was an inconvenient location for sightseeing, but a good one for eating, as many of the newer and more exciting restaurants in Venice are in Cannaregio. (Bux: I would also recommend Anice Stellato, a bit to the east of dalla Marisa.) The notes I have from my meal at dalla Marisa (in my post in the pinned Venice restaurant thread) sound identical to Robert's meal, except that we were served baccala mantecato, a specialty of the region, in which the cod is pounded with milk, olive oil, and garlic, but no eggs are used. Perhaps that is what you had, Robert? It is white and stiff, and looks like it has mayonnaise in it. The Osterie d'Italie entry for dalla Marisa spends much of its time on the meat dishes, which are legendary, apparently. But when I reserved (first thing in the morning, in person, same day), I was told the meal would be "pesce", which was fine by me. They're also open for lunch, so you can combine it with an exploration of Cannaregio.

Our favourite in Florence (based on two weeks of solid research) was Neri, on the street of the same name curving away from the Piazza della Signoria to the southwest. Carabe does some flavours superbly (mostly the ones that rely on ingredients imported from Sicily) and others not so well. (I'm sorry, divina, this year we only had a few hours in Florence before catching a train, and I wasn't going to take a chance on the new Grom and miss Neri.) The place in Castellina-in-Chianti is called Antica Gelateria, just outside the pedestrian zone to the north (across the main highway). It's good, but the Gelateria di Piazza in San Gimignano (in the most touristed location possible, right in the central piazza) is better. --PR

On our recent repeat visit to Rome, Cremeria Monteforte was the surprise winner in the gelato category, beating out San Crispino. A few of the San Crispino flavours were not as intense as they should be, while everything at Monteforte was excellent over several visits. Della Palma was a disappointment; loads of choices (some absurd), but major attitude from the server, and no one was very impressed with the product. Divina is right. (By the way, divina, I appreciated the information on your Web page, especially the recommendation for Bar dell'Orso, a place I would never have glanced at otherwise.) My cup of Sant'Eustachio coffee was gritty at the bottom, as they hadn't stirred it enough to dissolve the sugar. It, like the one I had on the last visit, was nothing special. Tazza d'Oro was better this time, but still couldn't match Caffe Farnese. None of the other espressos I tried were worth mentioning. (I roast my own coffee and pull my morning doppio ristretto on an Elektra, so I am hypercritical in this category.) The granita at Tazza d'Oro is good, though I'd prefer the frozen crystals to be just slightly smaller. --PR

Here are some places we enjoyed in July 2004. Emily Wise Miller's "Food Lover's Guide to Florence" was quite helpful, not only for restaurants, but for wine stores, light meals, bakeries, and gelato. Meals for the four of us cost from 35 euros (Trattoria Mario, meat menu) to about 100 (Osteria Castelvecchio). Trattoria Mario: everyone's favourite (we ate here three times). The "market workers' canteen" ambience is gone; all the diners were tourists. But the restaurant hasn't compromised its approach, and the food is excellent for the price. Go at least twice, once for a regular weekday lunch (the tagliata con rucola was excellent), and once on a Friday, when they serve seafood. Quattro Leoni: nice piazza setting, good service, and a treatment of Tuscan classics that remains respectful while introducing some fresh notes (e.g. fiaschette with fresh pear and Taleggio). A very pleasant meal. Cibreo Trattoria: also full of tourists (we were the only ones who attempted to speak Italian) but the food made up for it: not flashy, but very solid, with a quality I am tempted to call "clarity". A lot has been written about this place, so I will just say that it lives up to its reputation, and you can count on there being a number of standards on the menu, plus a couple of daily specials. Il Pizzaiuolo: across the street from Cibreo. The best pizza we had in Florence, and the only one comparable to ones we had in Naples. Spring for the mozzarella di bufala. Only drawback is no wine on the menu, only beer (I don't really care for Italian beer). Nerbone: Simply a great boiled-beef sandwich. My kids kept asking to go back for breakfast. Vecchia Bettola: Owned by the Nerbone people. They overdo the "rustic" theme a bit, but the food is excellent, particularly the gnocchi (called topini here; we had them with sugo di coniglio, or rabbit sauce) and the roast duck. No English heard (maybe because it's way out near the Porta San Frediano); waiters and kitchen (visible through a small delivery window) were working pretty hard. Osteria de Benci: An interesting menu, with dishes such as spaghetti dell'ubriacone (boiled in red wine before being tossed with oil, garlic, and pepperoncino) and large, well-garnished plates of grilled meat. We were stuffed after primi and secondi. (Siena) Osteria Castelvecchio: Creative food with a vegetarian emphasis. This was our favourite restaurant when we spent a week in Siena several years ago, and its quality has not dropped. Here's what we had on the 25-euro tasting menu: crostini misti, but with a twist: instead of chicken liver, these were all-vegetarian, with finely-diced zucchini, spinach, eggplant, and peppers (intense and pleasant tastes). Then came gazpacho, served with an ice cube in it (not quite appropriate for the weather, which was cold and rainy, but it tasted good). After that came two primi on one plate: penne in sweet pepper sauce, and a risotto with diced zucchini and carrot. Then we had slices of arista (roast pork) with an apple-prune compote, and a slice of grilled beef with oregano. Dessert was a chocolate torte with chunks of apples in it, and a scoop of some kind of citrus mousse. Nice wine list, so I had a bottle of Castello del Poppiano Riserva 1999 (Chianti Colli Fiorentini) instead of my usual carafe of house red. Pleasant vaulted interior. (Pisa) Osteria dei Cavalieri: A better meal than we had any right to expect in touristy Pisa (which, once you get away from the concentration of sights, is not that touristy after all). Genuinely friendly service, good food (notably tagliatelle ai funghi porcini and grilled squid), and a nice house white. You'll find it on the way from the Campo dei Miracoli to the market. There are a couple of places in the market piazza itself that looked good, but they were only open for dinner.

Here are some places we enjoyed in July 2004. Our meals for four, with copious amounts of sparkling water but only a half-litre or single bottle of house wine, came to between 100 and 130 euros. Alla Zucca: The reviews above do a good job of describing it, so I'll confine myself to recommending that you reserve the single table in the centre room with the canal view for a Monday meal, when the fish market is closed. Desserts were as inventive as everything else on the menu. Trattoria do Mori (Giudecca): Reportedly a former chef from Harry's Bar. We wanted to sit inside, but they discouraged this, and later, when we went in to wash, we found the interior full of men -- they looked like workers having some sort of communal lunch. Out on the fondamenta, we had seafood risotto, gnocchi al grancino (crab), and some nicely grilled fish (branzino, sogliole, orate). Good view over the Giudecca canal. dalla Marisa: On the Fondamenta San Giobbe. Reserve in advance, especially at weekends, for a set meal on the fondamenta (the interior looks as if it would hold about three people). We, along with everyone else, had: a series of antipasti: raw branzino (sea bass) marinated in lemon, olive oil, and herbs, served with rucola and thin strips of red pepper; baccala mantecato with a thick texture, not beaten into a paste; whole small octopus (polpo or folpeti) cooked in a spicy tomato-based sauce; mussels topped with breadcrumbs and baked; and a large platter of polenta. For primi we were served seafood lasagna: no cheese, no tomato, but fresh pasta, besciamella (bechamel sauce) and bits of mixed seafood. Finally there was a frittura mista of squid, scampi, and flatfish. Dessert was crema di mascarpone (mascarpone custard), thick, rich, and alcoholic, served with thin rusks. This was the largest restaurant meal we had in Venice, and it was a good thing we were staying quite nearby. The matriarch comes from a family of butchers, and her meat dinners are supposed to be legendary. Osteria da Rioba: We had to eat here, because it replaced a very nice salumeria that we used to frequent. Dishes included schie con polenta (not actually the tiny gray schie, which I couldn't find at the Pescheria either, but slightly larger pink gamberetti); filet of branzino on shaved fennel; orate ai ferri (grilled sea bass); coda di rospo (monkfish) on bed of roasted zucchini and carrots; spaghetti alla busara (with fresh tomato sauce and scampi); torta di pere e cioccolato, tiramisu, crema di mascarpone con amaretti. A little austere, but good attention to presentation, and an attempt to let the food speak for itself. Mentioned in the Slow Food Guide. Ribo: out near the Papadopoli Gardens, this is the place to go if you want a fancier experience (covered garden seating, waiters dressed better than you are) at not too great a cost. We had baccala mantecato served with grilled two-colour polenta; saltata di caparozzoli e cozze (steamed clams and mussels); moscardini lessi (small octopuses, cooked and served cold on shaved fennel); filleta di sogliola in saor; spaghetti ai caparozzoli; gnochetti con scampi (shelled, much to my daughter's relief) e porcini; ravioli di branzino con granseola. All was good, and we had the place mostly to ourselves at lunch. Anice Stellato: a really nice meal. Take along Jeffrey Steingarten's list of Venetian seafood terms to translate their extensive daily specials. We had a mixed plate of cichetti along with capelunghe (razor clams) and folpeti (baby octopus); then penne with sugo di baccala, diced olives and capers; calamaretti fritti (small whole squid, about an inch and a half long), and a frittura mista. These last two plates arrived straight from the fryer, and unusually for Venice, included many fried vegetables as well (e.g. slivered eggplant, zucchini). Vecio Fritolin: We were headed for Bancogiro for our last lunch when we came across this place (also mentioned in the Slow Food Guide) and changed our minds. Double antipasti misti (sarde in saor, canoce, folpeti, baccala mantecato on white polenta, alici), tagliolini con canestrelli (small scallops) e fiori di zucca (zucchini flowers), and fritti misti that were closest to the "bottom of the net" ideal we remember from our earliest trips to Venice. There was only one other party in the restaurant.

Can you post some specific recommendations? I mean Chinese grocery stores in Mississauga in general. You don't have to know for sure if they carry duck legs. Just list a few that you would try if you were looking for it. Many thanks. --PR

Can anyone point me towards a source of duck legs with good quality-price tradeoff, in the GTA or as far west as Kitchener-Waterloo? Fresh if possible, frozen I can live with. I would like to try making my own duck confit at home. (Any sources of confit that doesn't cost an arm and a leg would also be appreciated.) Many thanks. --PR

Thanks, Chad. I have a finely grooved steel I've always used on my Chicago Cutlery knives (20+ years old) and it's one of those that is dented. I am being quite careful with the Lee Valley knife with respect to rinsing and drying it -- in fact, after reading your article, I've started doing that with all of my knives, just to develop the habit. I bought knife guards from Lee Valley for everything that isn't in a block. So, in terms of behaviour modification, you've been quite successful. --PR

Chad: I hope you are still available for questions. After reading your very informative article, I ordered a Spyderco 204, and the Japanese utility knife from Lee Valley (both are quite nice). It doesn't seem as if the 204's preset angles are right for the utility knife; how would I maintain this blade using the 204? Also, what does one do if one drops a knife and dents the edge? Thanks. --PR