Anice Stellato has 2 rooms with low ceilings and lots of wood. A beautiful terrazzo floor is set against the wood carvings on the side panels and otherwise minimal decorations. The good sized tables are tended to by friendly servers, ours being the co-owner, and set with paper linens. There is a cozy and peaceful vibe to the place even though it was filled to capacity that night. They have a small menu that is presented in both Italian and English, but Italian seemed to be the main language I heard.
After ordering we all received an amuse bouche of fava beans, cardoon flan and Jerusalem artichoke chips. It was mildly flavored but tasty and the chips gave it the needed textural contrast.
For first plates we split the spaghetti with shrimp. It had a fabulous sauce on the perfectly cooked pasta but was a tough dish to eat. They did supply you with a shell cracker and hand wipe to aid you but as I didn’t want to risk red sauce all over me in the process I probably missed some scampi but was happy to feast on the pasta and savory sauce and the nice chunk of body meat.
Our friends had the octopus and chickpeas. The octopus had been cooked and then finished on the grill. It was tasty and chewy – a nice dish.
For second plates each couple split an order of deep fried fish and vegetables and a plate of seasonal vegetables. Unlike other orders of fritto misto I’ve had this contained a lot more vegetables than seafood. Of those, the pumpkin slices and onions were particularly tasty; there was a lot of treviso in the vegetable medley. The seafood was several small fish and squid. One order was plenty for two.
For dessert our friends enjoyed the tiramisu. We tried the cookies and sweet wine which came with a variety of crisp, short cookies to dip in the cool sweet wine. The cookies were all good and make for a sweet, light dessert fix. We also tried the Bonet al choccolato, which was a chocolate “pudding cake” sitting on lines of caramel and dusted with sugared hazelnuts. It was a sweet, heavy dessert fix and totally yummy. We downed all our sweets with a couple different glasses of grappa and Frankie passed out from the fumes! A totally fun dining experience was had by all. I thank and credit Marisa Convento of Venetian Dreams for her contribution of some photos and the video of Frankie as well as a map about the location of the best Prosecco producer.
Dear Elisa Pantano, I am so sorry for all the terrible times that you are going through. I visited Venice several years ago by myself. I was on my way to a technical meeting in the country at the most northern part of the old Yugoslavia, Slovenia. The floods were not there when I was in Venice. It is so sad to see what has happened to Venice. If I could magically tele-transport myself to your restaurant, I would do so immediately to be able to experience the beauty to Venice again. I am on the faculty of the University of Florida College of Engineering. John Schert. I am a Garbologist. I loved visiting Venice. You have a beautiful island. And, you tell the story of Venice so beautifully. You are a very beautiful woman. I am 68, an old man. I love Venice.
I like Frankie. I see darkness under your eyes. Are you OK? John Schert
ps- What is the best way to buy the wonderful cheese that you see in gigantic round blocks (Parmesan) in the grocery stores in Italy? I think that this cheese is from a certain region of Italy. I also love the dark sweet, thick “wine” (I don’t know the proper word) that is so delicious on cheese or fruit. What is the best way to buy the delicious thick liquid that is made from many years of sitting in wooden barrels? Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. For use here in the US, what is the best way to buy Parmesan Cheese and thick Balsamic Vinegar. I love these two things. I hope that you are well. I loved the video.