Editor Pick
Squid and ink dinner
- July 12, 2009
- Rated 3 of 5 by
sararevell from London, United Kingdom
Arriving back on La Giudecca very tired and hungry one evening, we decided to check out one of the few restaurants on the island. Mistra (off Fondamenta San Giacomo) had been recommended to us but the menu looked quite pricey and with an above average cover charge (2.50 euro) we felt it wasn’t really a risk worth taking.
We walked back along the waterfront and stopped instead at the quaint Osteria ae Botti. On a lovely sunny day I imagine there’s nothing nicer than dining on their terrace, which looks over the Canale della Giudecca. On a calm but chilly evening though everyone was sitting inside the osteria. With wooden beams and booths lining the long, narrow room, Botti had more the appearance of an alpine canteen than an Italian waterfront restaurant but its modest décor instantly made us feel at home. The south-American lady serving us that night turned out to be one of the owners (she runs it with her husband) so we chatted in Spanish for a while.
Looking at the menu, the emphasis is on seafood where pasta concoctions are married with cuttlefish, crab, shrimp and octopus. I decided to try the squid in ink with polenta. It’s not something I’d usually have but then I don’t often have the opportunity. That all said I’m not sure it’s something I would order again though. The polenta was warm, fresh and far superior to any I’ve tasted outside of Italy but the ink made the lukewarm squid taste a little like smoky rubber. It’s an acquired taste I think.
We didn’t have much to drink that night but at $76 for three meals it was pretty good value. It’s also a very relaxed place to be, where locals stopped in for a drink at the bar before slinking back out onto Fondamenta San Giacomo. It also felt a world away from the tourist frenzy (and price gouging) at Piazza San Marco.
http://www.osteriaaebotti.com/eng/inglese.htm
From journal Venice: Prosecco, Gelato and la Giudecca