Da Sandro, Venice

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Any restaurant, cafe or trattoria that has been in business for 38 years MUST be doing something right, no? For a quick basic lunch, staff at our hotel pointed us in the general direction of a neighborhood eatery just 7 or 8 minutes away. Da Sandro looked like a typical tourist trap offering a dozen or more of the local “Top 20” dishes, and little alarm bells were ringing… But when we sat down indoors, and realized two or three out of four tables actually had locals chit-chatting with with the owners/staff of the restaurant like “regulars”, we were very hopeful… We figured we would order the basics that the locals were also eating and see how it went from there… For the teen a small whole cheese or plain pizza with just enough sauce and a light sprinkling of dried oregano, a bowl of pasta a la vongole (clams) for Mrs. MM, and a tomato pasta for me.

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The pizza that arrived piping hot out of their oven was very good. The crust perfectly done with a bit of singeing on the edges, and not overly sauced. The Teen was very happy. Mrs. MM’s favorite vongole more than passed muster, eyes rolling with the first few mouthfuls.

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My spaghetti with tomato and basil sauce was just right. A bright flavorful sauce coating perfectly cooked noodles. I don’t know what it is about eating this dish in Italy, it is so much better than trying to replicate the same thing elsewhere on the planet. And don’t forget the cheese! This was exactly the kind of lunch we wanted and were so thrilled I think we ate here once or twice more during our stay. At roughly Euro10-12 per person, it was also reasonably priced. Da Sandro, address/details in photo below.

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10 Responses

  1. When you find a jewel in an unexpected place you tend to treasure that place with lots of memories to cherish….unfortunately that is not true in the Philippines with most of the old places a history now.

  2. Why did I read your post? It made me even more hungry!!! Please continue sharing stories to us, MM!

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    I guess it’s just like eating lechon on a banana leaf, in the PI – won’t taste the same anywhere else ;)

    I like pasta a la vongole, although my favorite is pasta a la arrabiata

  4. Your impression about the superior quality of pasta dishes (and pizza) in Italy reminds me of David Lebovitch’s admonition to those trying to master macarons, just go to Paris and enjoy them there. There is this risibly easy minimalist pasta dish called alio e olio which only begins to border on the edible with perfectly cooked pasta which few among us non Italians and living outside Italy have the inclination and persistence to master.

  5. All of that food looks fantastic. Since moving to Asia, I haven’t even thought about other kinds of cuisine, however, I could definitely eat some Italian food soon! Really nice pictures!

  6. I had the best spaghettini al nero (squid ink) in Venice. Pity that I don’t recall the name of the restaurant. It was tucked into some quiet alley and we just chanced upon it while strolling. I would love to come back to this place.

  7. @Footlose, I do love alio e olio either cooking it at home or ordering it at my favorite italian restaurant. Although not many places serves a good one :(

  8. Can’t forget the hole in the wall pizzeria on the way back from the Accademia. It was so good. Yes, why does cappuccino or espresso taste so much better in Italy? Of course, just like adobo never tastes better anywhere else but in the Phils. :)

  9. Hey MM, the next time you visit Venice, try what the locals call “bàcari or ciccheteria”- place where you can have a seafood finger foods and local vino…try alla Vedova in Ca d’oro- they serve Sarde in Saor, Frittura,crostini col baccalà and of course il polipo…

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