“Romance” is the word that comes to mind to describe this city. Venice, capital of northern Italy’s Veneto region, is built on more than 100 small islands in a marshy lagoon in the Adriatic Sea. It’s stone palaces seemingly rise out of the water. There are no cars or roadways, just canals, and boats. The Grand Canal snakes through the city, with many narrow, maze-like alleys and small squares.
During our travels to Italy in 2015, we had a stopover in Venice. We hope you enjoy this video we created and you can take a mini-escape with us to this beautiful place.
This is where we discovered our favorite food during our journey through Italy. I want to share two places with you, let me start with the best lasagna and eggplant parmesan we have ever put in our mouths, it was at Osteria A&E Do Marie. I had never eaten a seafood lasagna before in my life; it was decadent. This place is off the beaten path and visited mostly by locals. I was so amazed by the delicious flavors of their food that I forgot to get information about them and I can’t find any online, so here is the only thing I have to recognize the place by this picture.
Another must stop “Taverna da Baffo.” Nestled in one of Venice’s many squares with a canal running alongside is an ideal romantic place to enjoy a meal with your love or a terrific spot to meet good friends. While you sit there eating a delicious meal, from time to time, a street performer will stop by and serenade you. To me it was complete ecstasy, the square was serene and charming. There is nothing better in life than to sit with the love of your life in this surreal environment.
Enough about the ambiance, let’s get to the important stuff, the food. It was out of this world. After trying many pizzas, I was thrilled to find the perfect one at Taverna da Baffo. This thin-crusted wood-fired oven pizza, with a delicious topping and just the perfect amount of mozzarella, was mind-blowing. As we all know the mozzarella in Italy can’t be topped.
My husband will tell you that his fish was delicious and one of the best he has ever had. That is saying a lot for him since he is a fish connoisseur. We spent 3 of our evening in Venice in this quaint square having romantic dinners at Taverna da Baffo. The first night he ate the “Branzino” a delicious sea-bass and the other evenings he enjoyed the “Rombo” turbot a local fish. In his words “Wow.”
During our first lunch, oh yeah I forgot to tell you we found this place by accident in the middle of the day while strolling the narrow alleys of Venice, that is when we had the pleasure of meeting Alex Barcaru, the owner. He is such a friendly charismatic young man, always making sure his customers are happy. During our visit to the restaurant we also got the honor to get to know Diana and Andrei two very personable and knowledgeable waiters. They were so helpful in sharing what the dishes to enjoy at their restaurant. We felt like we had made some great new friends in Venice. Oh wait, I must mention the chef, I meet him, but for the life of me, I forgot his name, must be the excellent wine we were drinking. Always stick with their house wine you will not be disappointed. Buon appetite!!!
Kendal Knetemann, founder of LingoHut. Like us Facebook.