It’s been 4 years since Frankie visited Osteria alla Frasca and this time we went for lunch rather than dinner and sat inside instead of in the outside tent. Without the addition of the outdoor seating it is a very small place of about 7 tables. Located on a quiet square, this structure has been around since 1903 where it was rumored to store paintings by Tiziano at one time as well as serving as a wine shop. Bruno Natural took over the place in 2012 and restored much of it to its original state including the wonderful sign on the front of the building. Soft jazz music plays in the background and natural light fills the lightly painted room from the large front window. A small window behind the bar serves as a pass through for the kitchen which offers a simple Venetian, locally sourced cuisine. Tables are covered with paper mats and alternately colored napkins.
Tables are set with a basket of bread that is good for mopping up bits of sauce.
The Scallops with citrus sauce and crisp chips were like a salad with the chips providing the crunch of a crouton. The nicely cooked scallops were in a vinaigrette sauce which worked well with the greens on the plate. It was a good starter as it was light yet tasty.
Our other starter was Grilled octopus with potato sauce. It was a huge pile of grilled octopus on top of a loose purple potato puree. The octopus had a nice grilled taste and a fun sauce to dip it in. The potatoes added more texture than taste.
For a main dish we split the Grilled fish and crustaceans plate. It included prawns, cuttlefish, langoustine, tuna and sea bass. It was not an overwhelming amount of any one thing which was good but I would have like a bit more cuttlefish – it was that good. The prawns were tasty and sweetly fresh. The tuna had a nice sauce but for both fish I might have cooked them a tad less.
We also split the Ravioli stuffed with radicchio di Treviso and swordfish. The pasta is made in house and comes with a very tasty sauce and a smear of purple mashed potatoes. The ravioli were well stuffed and nicely seasoned. The vegetable stuffing gives them a unique taste which is compelling if you enjoy the taste of treviso, which you’ll find in many Venice restaurants. The swordfish topping was quite nice.
Bruno saw we had wine left and so brought a plate of “S” cookies to munch on while we finished. They were a very crisp, light butter cookie and you will find them in many places in Venice.
We finished with the Tiramasu. It was nicely moist and well seasoned. The combintion of the cream, custard and cake was good and it was a perfect finish for a nice meal.
