Description: We made a reservation through their website at
www.vinidagigio.com.
The first challenge was finding this place. The address is Strada Nova, the very tourist filled street which runs parallel to the Grand Canal leading away from the train station. We have learned by this time in Venice, in Italy, in fact, that the numbering system is not the Napoleonic one of odd numbers one side, even the other, nor are they always in consecutive order but we walked up and down the street three times without success. At that point, we figured we needed to start looking down side streets and indeed, that was how we found the restaurant. I guess because it faces Strada Nova, it has that as an address instead of the name of the side street where the other doors face the canal. Who knows?
The place consists of two rooms each with 6 or 7 tables. A family ahead of us without a reservation was turned away. I told the owner's wife in Italian that we had a reservation. The servers continued to indulge me by speaking Italian for the rest of the evening. We were given a choice of tables so opted for the one near the kitchen which is open and behind a counter. We enjoyed watching the busy chefs.
The place was recommended for its wine list and it is very extensive.
For antipasti, my husband loved the sarde al saor, a traditional Venetian dish of fresh sardines covered with sweet and sour onions. It came with grilled polenta which is white and much lighter than the yellow polenta we’ve had before. I had scallops which are seared and served with a drizzle of olive oil and something slightly acidic, balsamic vinegar, perhaps. They were so delicious. We had these with a Soave Classico. We split a seafood risotto which was very creamy and full of pieces of fish and shellfish.
For secondi, we had grilled scampi and osso bucco. The osso buco was different also, very little tomato, more creamy than what I've had before. It came with grilled polenta and roast potato. We had a Brunello da Montalcino to go with our secondi. I could not finish my dish, although we managed to finish the wines. Dolci were out of the question.
The food here was superb and the cost moderate. There were a lot of items on the menu, many traditional Venetian dishes, I would have like to have tried. I would definitely come back.
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