OSTERIA IL BERTOLDO
Vicolo Cadrega, 2a; about 250m north of Piazza Erbe
Despite being located just a few minutes north of Piazza delle Erbe, Il Bertoldo's storefront on a narrow alley wasn't easy to locate without a map. Only 6 tables occupied the historic half-timber floor space, making it a good idea to call ahead for reservations, which we did a couple weeks ahead of arriving in Italy.
The focus here isn't your typical Veneto fare of Seppie al Nero or Baccala alla Vicentina, but regional specialties from far away Campania hand-picked by an owner from the deep south. With limited stomach room we opted to share one Antipasto, one Primo, one Secondo, one Contorno and one Dolce between the two of us, starting with a wonderful Zuppa di Fagioli con le Vongole that tasted of the sharp briny essence of fresh Mediterranean shellfish. The picture above was my half portion of probably the best soup of our trip, and immediately we knew that we could expect raw ingredients of the highest quality with this little Osteria.
The chef then followed up with one of the best pasta dishes of our trip, a Spaghetti alla Gaetano in a chunky sauce of diced mussels, savoury tomatoes amid a mild tinge of spicy peperoncini. Again pictured above was only a half-portion as the chef was graceful enough to split the dishes for us. A full portion would have been too filling for me.
Our Secondo was a Branzino in Crosta di Patate, a nearly boneless fillet of sea bass oven-baked under a potato crust. We had a split decision on this one -- I thought it was modestly commendable while my wife really enjoyed the caramelized potatoes and the freshness of the fish.
For Contorno we had a simple order of Verdure Grigliate that turned out to be one of the best vegetable dishes of our trip. There was nothing fancy -- only the freshest organic artichokes, aubergine and zucchini, grilled and crowned with a light drizzling of an extraordinary olive oil that really brought the entire dish to life.
Finally for Dolce, a Sicilian Cannolo filled with the creamiest whipped ricotta inside a crunchy fried pastry dough. Thankfully we did have the foresight of ordering everything in split portions as the Primo alone would have been filling enough for either of us.
Did I mention the fantastic house red at 4 euros per 1/4 Litre? This wasn't one of those boring and unmemorable house wines typical of middle-of-the-road trattorie you'd come across in any Italian city -- this was an intensely berrylike and yet well-balanced Aglianico from the owner's homeland in Campania, the best house wine of our entire trip! And at 4 euros for 1/4 Litre!
From start to finish every course was skilfully prepared with exceptional ingredients, from the cheap but tasty fried dough (some of the best we've tasted, all included in the 2 Euro cover charge) to the Primo and Secondo to the house wine. We could easily revisit Verona just for one more meal at Il Bertoldo, if we ever pass by Northern Italy again.
Bill for Two Persons
| Zuppa di Fagioli con le Vongole | 8 Euros |
| Spaghetti alla Gaetano | 10 Euros |
| Branzino in Crosta di Patate | 15 Euros |
| Verdure Grigliate | 4 Euros |
| Cannolo | 5.5 Euros |
| 1/4 Litre of House Red | 4 Euros |
| Coperto | 4 Euros |
| TOTAL | 50.5 Euros (CAD$70.7) |
BOTTEGA DELLA GINA
Via Fama, 4c; about 150m west of Piazza Erbe
If Il Bertoldo was small in terms of seating, Bottega della Gina was miniscule in providing just two tables for its long queue of clientele, and taking no reservations whatsoever! Food lovers are presented with two choices -- take out your favorite Tortellini for a picnic, or wait in line with the locals for the two coveted tables. Even on a Wednesday in September we still waited 25 minutes for lunch.
Once you're inside you immediately see the appeal of this homey little joint: trays of fresh handmade Tortellini, Tortelloni and Ravioli filled with everything from artichokes to champignon to bufala cheese to whatever seasonal ingredient the storeowner decides upon. Stuffed pasta and only stuffed pasta is the main focus, and the line-up for takeouts never stopped as we waited for our food.
My dreadful Italian pronunciation notwithstanding, ordering was a simple exercise of point-and-choose with no serious consequence even if the order comes out wrong, as practically everything was priced below 8 Euros. A "small" dish of grilled vegetables, easily large enough to be shared between two or three, cost 5 Euros.
Our two dishes of Tortellini, one with a champignon filling and one with artichoke and cheese, turned out first-rate as one would probably expect of a homemade pasta specialist. My order did come out incorrect as I originally wanted the Tartufo filling, but no one should ever complain about Italian artichokes.
The friendly owner taught me a new Italian word -- Faraona -- as I asked about a quartered, skin-on bird resembling a Cornish hen on the hotplate. She looked it up on her phone and showed me the English translation of something neither my wife nor myself had ever tasted before, Guinea fowl, with its the gamey flavor and muscular texture. Paired with the richness of the Cacciatore sauce the result was pleasantly beyond our expectation of the typical chicken breast.
Two Primi, one Secondo and a Cortorno to share, no wine, and the total was just under 30 Euros. Not dirt cheap, but authentic home cooking at fair prices, and the portions were large enough to keep us from having dinner until almost 21:00.
Bill for Two Persons
| Tortellini con Champignon | 7 Euros |
| Tortellini con Bufala e Carciofi | 7 Euros |
| Verdure | 5 Euros |
| Faraona alla Cacciatora | 7 Euros |
| Water x 2 | 3 Euros |
| TOTAL | 29 Euros (CAD$40.6) |
LA VECIA MESCOLA DELL'OSTE
Vicolo Chiodo, 4; about 250m northwest of the Roman Arena
For a light dinner we decided to go somewhere more upmarket than our usual Trattorie or Osterie, but a comprehensive Ristorante with a fancier menu, just for once. La Vecia Mescola is situated on a small alley just a couple minutes off Piazza Bra, which made it 5 minutes from our hotel. But most importantly it featured one famous specialty that really intrigued the foodie in me.
A double portion of Primo, a Dolce and bottled water was all we ordered for this late dinner at 21:00. We didn't even order wine as I wanted to leave room for my half bottle of Amarone(!) in the hotel room, and the pictured Antipasto of Crostini was already included in the Coperto.
This was the one dish we came for, the eccentric local flavor of Risotto simmered in the decadence of Amarone della Valpolicella, the undisputed king of Veneto wine. Even after cooking the essence of Amarone remained so strong that my wife could hardly finish her portion, and I have to admit that it's somewhat of a complex acquired taste that may be better suited as a side for a Tagliata di Manzo or Osso Buco rather than as a standalone Primo. Nevertheless any true fan of Amarone should be satisfied with its intensity, and its relatively inexpensive price tag for just 19 Euros for the double portion.
Ironically the silky smooth Tiramisu con Amaretto could have used a little more Amaretto liquor, but that's just my personal preference. This was actually a nice restaurant with friendly service and reasonable prices for what it offers; it's just that the flavors on this evening were slightly off according to our tastebuds.
Bill for Two Persons
| Risotto all'Amarone, Radicchio e Fonduta di Asiago x 2 | 19 Euros |
| Tiramisu con Amaretto | 4.5 Euros |
| Bottle of Water | 2.5 Euros |
| Coperto x 2 | 5 Euros |
| TOTAL | 31 Euros (CAD$43.4) |
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