EATING OUT
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FOODS Not only Eastern merchandise but also Eastern art and
artists flowed into Venice, adding Arab accents to its buildings, its
food, and its culture and creating a city still unique for its blend of
European and Eastern elements. Eating out in Italy is generally a multi-course affair,
beginning with an antipasto, then a pasta or rice dish, and continuing
with a meat course and then dessert. Bacari are local wine bars
that, along with inexpensive wines, offer cicchetti (chick-KEHT-tee),
or snacks. These range from simple, grilled eggplant and cuttlefish to
elaborate miniature sandwiches and canapes; the only requirement for a cicchetto
is that it be bite-sized. Often Venetians and visitors alike will gladly
skip a meal to hop from bar to bar, sampling local wines and snacking
along the way. Traditional Venetian food is based around the sea. Sarde
in saor are a common appetizer, sardines marinated in oil and
vinegar, often with raisins, pinenuts, and peppercorns. Granseola
is local spider crab, served in the shell. The tasty tentacles of
cuttlefish and calamari appear in numerous dishes, as do folpetti,
baby octopus. Risotto is very traditional to Venice: the main
ingredients (often seafood) are cooked along with the starchy rice,
creating a soft, creamy texture. Scampi, a variety of langoustine
(not prawns as commonly known in other countries), are popular in
risotto or grilled whole. Venetians are passionate about wine, and
knowledgeable visitors may well find a few jewels in local wine shops
and bacari. Most wines sold in Venice are young and light to
complement the seafood. Of whites, Soave Classico from nearby Verona is
popular and good, while a good Tocai from Italy’s Friuli region can be
exceptional. Valpolicella, a light, internationally-known red, can be
quite good when young. Among the best reds in the Veneto is the often
superb Amarone di Valpolicella, dark, potent, and strong. Dry Prosecco
is Venice’s answer to champagne, unassuming but often surprisingly
good, and perfect as a light aperitif. |
Cafe
Below the Terre dell’Orologio (Moorish clocktower) is
Quadri’s, one of the larger and better known of the piazza cafes. Its
big rival is Florian’s across the square, a café which dates back to
the eighteenth century and where you will find yourself sitting in the
same plush-covered atmosphere known to Byron, Goethe, George Sand and
her lover de Musset, Wagnerand many other celebrities. Florian Coffee Scattered all over the city, there are famous "Bàcari", which are almost regarded as an institution in Venice. They are small establishments where the typical "cicchetti" can be eaten and an "ombra" of local wine be tasted. There are many of them and almost all of them offer best quality seafood as a speciality, to be perhaps tasted while standing by the counter...
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