vigna

Apologies to Joe H for not noticing that he had written $350 and not 350 Euros. I erred in adding up my meal and beverage costs -- they were only 111.50 Euros, not 122.50 Euros. But with a tip of 15 Euros, the total came to 126.50 Euros (or $158). So, on a per person basis, the costs for our meals at da Fiore were indeed fairly close. I do not disagree with him about Alle Testiere -- I have not yet had the opportunity to try it, and if it is as good as da Fiore as he maintains, it is an excellent value. I will definitely try to dine there on my next Venice visit. I would still maintain, however, that in comparison with other top restaurants in Italy (and elsewhere in Europe), da Fiore is well worth the cost. As for tipping, my Italian friends never leave 15%, even at a top restaurant in Italy. Their range is 5-10% on top of the bill. I sometimes go higher (as in the case of da Fiore), but rarely. I'd like to hear the opinion of others on what is an appropriate tip. Other Venice restaurants I enjoyed in the past two or three years were Vini da Gigio, Trattoria alla Madonna, Al Covo, and Da Mario alla Fava. None of these places came close to da Fiore (in quality and interest of the food, and in cost). Vini da Gigio was really excellent, though. I did not enjoy a meal at Do Forni in November -- fairly indifferent food and service, very crowded and smoky, and overly expensive for what I ordered -- 83 Euros for two courses, wine, and service.

I had a wonderful pranzo at Osteria da Fiore in late November. Although the meal was quite costly, I certainly think it was worth it and I am puzzled that comments in this thread indicated that the restaurant is highly overpriced for what is served. The total cost of my meal was 122.50 Euros (92 Euros for food and 20.50 Euros for beverages). On my recent trip to Italy I ate at three fantastic restaurants: Osteria da Fiore, Cracco Peck, and Le Calandre, each spectacular in its own way. I would gladly dine at any of these establishments again, even at the prices charged! Here's a description of my lunch: Finding the da Fiore was more difficult than I thought. After a traghetto crossing from Ca d'Oro, I wound my way through the San Polo quarter in the general direction of the restaurant. Due to construction work on some of the small canals, I had to detour quite a bit and even some Venetians seemed baffled by the backtracking through the maze of canals and walks. Eventually, I reached my destination but didn't recognize the restaurant due to its modest entrance and facade. After a few more minutes of walking in circles, I finally found the place and was welcomed warmly (I had faxed ahead and reconfirmed my reservation for a table for one by phone the previous day). I was seated in a long somewhat formal room, not too far from the only window looking out on the little canal. Most of the other diners were foreign and the restaurant was far from full (the host later told me that they are regularly completely full at dinner). The host was extremely friendly and I felt comfortable right away. I noticed no set meals on the lista and asked if there was a menu gastronomica. I was offered a combination of antipasti, followed by a zuppa, and portions of two secondi as an ersatz menu gastronomica and the host was very clear about the prices: 23 Euros for the three antipasti (normally, this is the price for a single antipasto course), 10 Euros for the zuppa (one half the normal portion cost of 20 Euros) and 46 Euros for the secondi (this is a normal price for one standard second course). I took the host's recommendations for each course. Very fair, I thought. Also very fair was the cost of wine. As I was dining alone, I didn’t want to order a whole bottle of wine. I was offered a half liter of house wine, which turned out to be an excellent Soave Classico, poured from a newly opened full bottle, at a total cost of 13 Euros. A liter of aqua minerale gassata was 4.50 Euros. The meal started off spectacularly with a complementary degustazione of tiny whole shrimp fried in their shells -- exquisitely fresh and sweet, served with delicious thin fried zucchini slices and a ball of white corn grits. Next, in succession, arrived my three antipasti, each a nice sized portion. A carpaccio di tonno was fantastic. The thinly sliced tuna was covered with fresh herbs and olive oil, surrounded with pieces of zucca (pumpkin), and served with slices of toasted bread (in addition to the nice toasted bread and grissini already on the table). This was the best carpaccio of tuna I have ever eaten. The next antipasto course was a mound of spider crabmeat, served cold, with a tasty mayonnaise. The crab was delicate and very fresh. Third came one large glazed scallop served very hot in a giant scallop shell (the normal portion was three of these). This was also very tasty. The next course was from the "primi," a zuppa with a leek and potato base (I surmise) and pieces of various crustaceans. I never did get the name of the soup or did I find out what the shellfish were. This was really delicious (the host had highly recommended this dish as a specialty). For the two main courses, I had first a local soft shelled crab -- moica (spelling ?) -- from the lagoon, fried in a light batter -- almost like a tempura -- very interesting delicate taste, served with delicious greens and more of the white corn grits. The second of the main courses was an extremely fresh seared branzino (the best I've ever had) served with balsamic infused pears, apples, and I think what was fresh basil. Desserts were 13-16 Euros and a cheese selection was 20 Euros. I opted for the vanilla gelato in pie crust with poached pear in a red berry sauce -- nice and refreshing, and not too heavy. With my espresso (3 Euros), I was offered a plate of cookies. For the quality, freshness, and uniqueness of this meal I did not consider the cost extravagant. (I am not sure how Joe H. spent 300 Euros for two, probably the wine was the main difference, although two people eating the meal I ordered would have spent just 184 Euros for food.) In my opinion this was at least a two star (Michelin) experience. I enjoyed this meal more than a lunch at Gambero Rosso last year, for example, but admittedly the food is not as inventive as at Le Calandre. The strong point of da Fiore is fresh, exquisitely prepared local seafood, and the atmosphere is welcoming. I will post my impressions of Cracco Peck and Le Calandre on another thread.