Going down the Merceria, an arrow painted on a
wall directs you the way to go to the Vapore, a very
distinctively Venetian restaurant, by the vapore, Ponte
Ponte Pignole. It can also be reached Pignole
by water, but I have always found my way to it by
the narrow alleys with the help of arrows on the
walls. As one sits in the farthest room close to the
three windows, which are generally kept hermetically
shut, the reflection of light from the water of the
canal dances on the ceiling, and the passing gondoliers
look in over the little blinds and envy the people who
sit at lunch or dinner. There are three rooms in the
Vapore, all yellow and brown in their decorations, and
one of these has a skylight as a means of giving light
and a certain amount of ventilation to it. There are
ventilators in the other rooms, which, when the smoke
gets dense, are opened, and a current of fresh air comes
into the rooms. The cooking at the Vapore is de-
cidedly good, and distinctly Venetian and cheap.
Pasticci di Macheroni , Capretti , scrambled eggs and
tomatoes are some of its specialties. A lunch I
ordered there consisted of a frittura of all kinds of
little fish ,gropetti romana (v$al with a rich sauce), Gor-
gonzola cheese, and a half bottle of the white wine
of the house — for the ordinario , both red and white,
248 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe
of the Vapore are sound wines — and my bill came to
1. 2.90.
The Panada, in the Calle del Specciehri, a cut-throat-
looking alley which leads off from the Calle Larga San
Panada, Calle Marco, is a stuffy place in hot weather,
del Specciehri but the cookery is quite good. It is
very busy at lunch time, for many of the business
men of the busiest quarter of Venice go there for
their mid-day meal.
The Bella Venezia is a large, very plainly decorated
restaurant close to the Goldoni Theatre, but its cookery
calls for no special comment.
The Bauer Grunwald, Via Ventidue Marzo, can
scarcely be called a Venetian restaurant, for all its
attractions are German ones. It has two gardens.
One with plenty of trees, and with a miniature statue
of Liberty — a reduced copy of the New York one —
faces the Grand Canal, the other, a smaller garden, is
on the street side. It has high rooms, German decora-
tions, a supply of papers of all nations, and a specialty
of Munich beer.
The Pilsen, at the north-west corner of the Piazza
San Marco, has a garden protected by a canvas roof,
Pilsen, Piazza and walls of green trellis with creepers
San Marco growing over them, and a hedge of
privet which prevents passers-by from looking in. It
is pleasant enough in summer time, but in winter
time, when the meals are served in a low-ceilinged
room, the atmosphere leaves much to be desired.
The Quadri, on the north side of the great square,
and the Florian on the south side, are the two best
known cafes of Venice. The Quadri used
Quadri tQ ^ a restaurant, but the last two times I
have been in Venice I have found that it was only
doing a very flourishing business as a cafe.
The Florian keeps open all night through in the
summer, and various reasons are given for this beside
Italy 249
Page 136
Presented as published in 1903. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
Going down the Merceria, an arrow painted on a wall directs you the way to go to the Vapore, a very distinctively Venetian restaurant, by the vapore, Ponte Ponte Pignole. It can also be reached Pignole by water, but I have always found my way to it by the narrow alleys with the help of arrows on the walls. As one sits in the farthest room close to the three windows, which are generally kept hermetically shut, the reflection of light from the water of the canal dances on the ceiling, and the passing gondoliers look in over the little blinds and envy the people who sit at lunch or dinner. There are three rooms in the Vapore, all yellow and brown in their decorations, and one of these has a skylight as a means of giving light and a certain amount of ventilation to it. There are ventilators in the other rooms, which, when the smoke gets dense, are opened, and a current of fresh air comes into the rooms. The cooking at the Vapore is decidedly good, and distinctly Venetian and cheap. Pasticci di Macheroni , Capretti , scrambled eggs and tomatoes are some of its specialties. A lunch I ordered there consisted of a frittura of all kinds of little fish ,gropetti romana (veal with a rich sauce), Gorgonzola cheese, and a half bottle of the white wine of the house — for the ordinario , both red and white,
248 The Gourmet's Guide to Europe
of the Vapore are sound wines — and my bill came to
1. 2.90.
The Panada, in the Calle del Specciehri, a cut-throatlooking alley which leads off from the Calle Larga San Panada, Calle Marco, is a stuffy place in hot weather,
del Specciehri but the cookery is quite good. It is
very busy at lunch time, for many of the business men of the busiest quarter of Venice go there for their mid-day meal.
The Bella Venezia is a large, very plainly decorated restaurant close to the Goldoni Theatre, but its cookery calls for no special comment.
The Bauer Grunwald, Via Ventidue Marzo, can scarcely be called a Venetian restaurant, for all its attractions are German ones. It has two gardens. One with plenty of trees, and with a miniature statue of Liberty — a reduced copy of the New York one — faces the Grand Canal, the other, a smaller garden, is on the street side. It has high rooms, German decorations, a supply of papers of all nations, and a specialty of Munich beer.
The Pilsen, at the north-west corner of the Piazza San Marco, has a garden protected by a canvas roof, Pilsen, Piazza and walls of green trellis with creepers San Marco growing over them, and a hedge of
privet which prevents passers-by from looking in. It is pleasant enough in summer time, but in winter time, when the meals are served in a low-ceilinged room, the atmosphere leaves much to be desired.
The Quadri, on the north side of the great square, and the Florian on the south side, are the two best known cafes of Venice. The Quadri used Quadri tQ ^ a restaurant, but the last two times I have been in Venice I have found that it was only doing a very flourishing business as a cafe.
The Florian keeps open all night through in the summer, and various reasons are given for this beside
Italy 249