I think my number one reason for traveling is the food, so after spending a week in Venice, I think its about time to talk about the food. It's safe to say that its been a good week. Highlights have included prosciutto e funghi pizza from the little place over in San Elena, the little fruit-filled pastries that can be purchased for a euro at the bakeries scattered throughout the city, and the seafood risotto at Sotoportego, which I would definitely say is the best risotto I've ever eaten. I've also had at least one gelato every day I've been here, which I know I'll miss once I get back home. I've been posting a photo of each gelato on Facebook for the entertainment of my family, and I'll include them at the end of this post as well. The biggest surprise for me was probably the polenta. As it turns out, Italian polenta and the American version of it bear almost no resemblance to each other.
Most of this post, however, deserves to be devoted to one meal. A few of us decided that we needed to have a proper multi-course Italian dinner before the end of the trip. On Dr. Felluga's recommendation, we headed to Osteria alla Staffa on Wednesday. We arrived promptly at 6:30, but being on Venetian time, the owner didn't open his doors until 7 or so. Upon going in, it was immediately apparent alla Staffa didn't cater to tourists so much, as evidenced by the Italian-only menu.
Virtually helpless in our efforts to understand the menu, we told our waiter, who was also the owner, our desire to experience a full Italian dinner and asked for recommendations. As a passionate restaurant owner always is, he was delighted to help us out. He wanted us to experience the most Venetian meal we could, so virtually everything we ate was seafood based. He had us start out with two antipasti: one a platter of all things fish and the other something resembling a crab cake.
There was a small raw octopus on the seafood platter, which didn't phase me much as a sushi lover. However, it was a source of apprehension for the others. Erik Swan was brave enough to eat the head. When I had a scallop, I realized that this was probably going to be the start the best meal of my life to date, and I was right.
For the primo, the owner gave us half portions of two different pastas. I know one had some sort of cod based sauce, but in truth, I have no idea what they were. I have eaten nothing like either of them before, and the only description of what they tasted like that I can give is really, really, REALLY good.
At that point, I thought it couldn't get any better, but then came the secondo. It was a fish similar to flounder along with some baked vegetables. I thought this dish was a good example of how really good cooking makes a collection of ingredients come together to be one food completely different from its constituents. It had vegetables in it, but was if they had ceased to be vegetables. They had seemingly become something completely new, and this new thing was delicious.
Then there was tiramisu. This tiramisu indisputably proved that Plato's idea of universals not physically existing to be false. It was the perfect tiramisu. It was the perfect texture, it had the perfect balance of espresso and chocolate, and it had the perfect sweetness. Thankfully, the owner gave us an American sized piece of this life-changing tiramisu. It certainly ruined all other tiramisu for me.
We finished up with macchiatos, which were quite nice. Upon looking at time, we realized that we had been happily eating and socializing for nearly three hours without anyone looking at their phones, along with everyone else in the small restaurant. I took two things from that observation. One, the Italians know how to enjoy a meal, and through that process, their friends, a lot better than us. I wish that dinner would always be such a grand affair for us as well. Two, with the hours that alla Staffa operates, they essentially have a single party per table for the whole night, in contrast to the American standard of frantically turning tables.
Eating in Italy makes me appreciate just how beautiful it is to sit down over a meal with your family or friends. There is perhaps no better way to simply enjoy the people your with.
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