Meals In Venice...Mmmmmmm!

I always have high hopes of actually cooking in the apartments we rent in Venice, but reality takes hold....and we end up eating out in our favorite spots. 

Needless to say, even though we are clocking in well over 20,000 steps a day, the pounds are packing on! We need to get back to The Nut and back to our regular eating routine....But not yet.

So, below are a few of the dinners we've enjoyed this past week. We have special places we like that feature good vegetarian options in this fish-forward town. 

It's always a chore to choose!

Your turn to choose!

No, YOU!

We love "La Bitta" in the Dorsoduro area. Small, romantic and a real treasure. Dinner only here. Reservations a must.

Sometimes there will be only one option for us, as in this case. Only one veg starter and one veg primi....

The best raw artichoke salad ever.

Perfectly dressed and seasoned...

The one primi choice for us was an amazing gnocchi with asparagus and pecorino. It was the taste of springtime!

Panna cotta with caramel sauce to finish..We split dessert. Thankfully, we had a very long walk back home that night!

 

On another night, we stayed closer to home for a late dinner at "Paradiso Perduto". This place is an absolute madhouse pretty much every night, with live music sometimes. It's also a must to have reservations for lunch or dinner, pretty much.

We love their vegetable antipasto plate...

Various veggies grilled, pan cooked, steamed...yum!

I had cacio e pepe pasta. It was very good, but rich!

I can't remember the name of this fat little pasta, but it was served with field greens. 
Johnny loved it!

We took a boat out to Burano one day to just soak in the sun and colorful houses (another blog coming on those!), and had a very simple but wonderful lunch out.

It was so nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy the afternoon.

I am getting so wrinkly! And where did that grey hair come from?
Anyway...I'm obviously happy!

A nice bit of water and wine...

Caprese salad and spaghetti with tomato sauce.
Done simply and perfect all around. We shared these dishes.

Next we just shared some grilled vegetables and artichokes...Nice!

We did stop for "cicchetti" once. These are small bites eaten in the late afternoon...You will find places all over Venice serving this type of thing.

Artichoke hearts, breaded zucchini and potato/onion 'cakes'.
Washed down with a bit of Prosecco.
This is a plate for two.

One last favorite...

Another place with a great vegetable antipasto plate to start.

This could be the best lasagna I've ever eaten.
Asparagus and pea, with a silky béchamel sauce...my god, it was good.

That night Johnny loved his pesto pasta!

It was tiramisu....!

So, back to Umbria tomorrow, where I'll try to do a post on the art.