Historical Venetian Gastronomy & Rare Wines in Bistrot de Venise, Italy
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Just around the corner of the many alleys near St. Mark’s Square lies a charming and inviting restaurant called Bistrot de Venise. Sergio, owner, chef and founder of this fine establishment did not hesitate to share his passion for food with us on our latest visit to Venice. It is very unique for us to have an owner so passionate about Venetian cuisine that he also provides free local annual culinary events throughout the week from the months of October to April where he shares his knowledge of the Venetian culinary culture. Engaging in an enjoyable conversation with Sergio will educate you that Bistrot de Venise highlights genuine, authentic 14th to 16th century Venetian dishes. We were also introduced to his fabulous sommelier, Alesio, who meticulously paired two impeccable wines with each dish we enjoyed, recipes that may have been served to Old Italian royalty.
Our first dish was a luscious salmon with exquisite ricotta cheese mouse. The mouse was very light and smooth. Wine Pairing: Verona and a suburb Venetia. The suburb venetia provided a sweet scent a smooth texture.
Immediately after, we enjoyed a succulent cod fish marinated with delightful grapes smoked over wood for 24 hours. Surprisingly, the fish was not dry at all and, instead, had a very evident savory flavor. It was also served with creamy horseradish that provided a balanced essence.
Another dish we enjoyed was the delicious scampi derived from a 14th century recipe. It was certainly quite rich and very flavorful. The sauces and onions around it accents and harmonizes the crawfish’s zest without hindering its wonderful texture. Wine Pairing: Casa Roma & Ronchi di Cialla’s Rosso Ribolla Nera.
Our fourth course was an enticing ravioli dish with saffron and romaine. This dish felt very light, which was quite unexpected as most raviolis I’ve had are quite hefty. If you like saffron, you will absolutely love this as I did, as its flavor is quite delectably distinctive.
Coming up, we sampled their tasty homemade lasagna, which contained flavorsome nuts, raisins, and goose ham. The goose ham guises like bacon but is much more lean and mouthwatering. It went very well with the red wine provided. The wine truly accents the meal. I am very thankful that it is heavy on the garnishes and no so much on the weighty pasta. Pairings were unique and unusual wines which excited our taste buds. Wine Pairing: Camillo Donati {from Crete} & Raboso Wine.
We were very keen to have found out that our next dish is an exceptional duck served with duck liver with tender pork sausage. It certainly reminds me of how much I enjoyed duck pate in Paris. This dish was served with a side of pleasant chutney. This experience was contrasting any other duck gastronomy I’ve engaged in. When I combined the duck liver, pork sausage, chutney and the wine in my palate, the flavors created such a wonderful blend. Food paired specifically with a specific wine creates a completely different feasting rendezvous. The next dish was the wonderful Venetian eel. Its cross section is rolled in a leaf, prepared with cinnamon, pepper, olive oil, white wine and breadcrumb. The eel was very soft and opulent in flavor. The texture feels and tastes thick, very rich, and extremely savory. The eel melted so wonderfully in my mouth. The wine pairing with this dish further accents its superb features of the eel.
Sergio believes that every meal feels complete when it concludes with dessert therefore offering free dessert for all of his guests. He offered various torta capriella, which is comparable to chocolate covered almonds. It was quite a good and satisfying dessert, perfectly clearing the palette in preparation for additional gratifying desserts. I also sampled an exquisite cookie platter highlighting carrots, coconut, chocolate with paladin wine, apricot, and vanilla cookies. Our final dessert was a white cake with ricotta cheese mouse served with a scoop of ginger ice cream. It also had a side of dried fruit pieces. The wine pairing each accented a different flavor of the delectable sweets. Dessert Wine Pairing: Cantina de Castello’s Cortepittora & Vino Cecchetto Raboso Passito.
I believe that Bistrot de Venise truly cares about delivering the proper feeling of warmth and friendliness to all its patrons. Moreover, they are outstanding and knowledgeable with their wine pairings. The experience I had with Sergio and his team really helped accent flavors of the dishes. The service you will receive at this fantastic restaurant will exceed your expectations. A well-informed sommelier truly creates a one of a kind culinary event. I am thankful to Bistrot de Venise for a fantastic and authentic Venetian encounter.