I've been three times now and I really like this place. I just moved to University Heights in October and was starting to despair with the lack of places to go and get an interesting glass of wine. (Why are there no wine bars on Park???) Anyway - the bottle list is well thought out and eclectic and they have some interesting glass options such as a Slovenian Furmint. Tasty small plates and flatbreads, too.

Wish they were a teensy bit closer to my place so I could walk there, but beggars can't be choosers.

http://villagevino.com/

PBSF's suggestion of Vini da Gigio is an excellent one, and you can book online -

http://www.vinidagigio.com/

If the weather is good do your pre-dinner cocktails outside somewhere before dinner...

(edited to add - Vini da Gigio has disabled their online booking - color me shocked! However you can do it by fax if you want to get it done before you go...)

There are some good places to eat around the San Stae area in Venice. La Zucca is well known and you must reserve there. Il Refolo is better for ambiance than for food these days and I don't think it will be warm enough to sit outside so I'd skip it. There is a branch of the Muro chain (3 locations in Venice) close to San Stae that is very good and has something for everyone. I also really like Ostaria Mocenigo and it is good to reserve there as well.

If you get a hankering for pizza there is a great pizza place in the San Stae area - called Al Anfora. The pizzas are huge so be careful how many you order. In Campo San Giacomo dell Orio there is a great wine bar that serves sandwiches, cheese and charcuterie, and salads called Al Prosecco. For tips on other parts of Venice do a search here, but you are staying in a great area for eating so if you wear yourself out during the day, you'll not be far from a good dinner at night.

Broccoli in a burrito? Ew.

thanks everyone. I'll start carrying the license codes Stifler's mom provided in case this happens again.

Last night, a friend and I had dinner at the Cueva Bar in University Heights. We bought a bottle of wine but only drank half. For years - decades actually - I have been taking bottled wine home if it was not finished and I thought it was law that food establishments in California were all permitted to let one do so. But last night they would not let us take the wine out - the server (who I think was the owner) said that their license would not allow them to let customers take away leftover wine.

We stayed and drank it (we didn't really want it, but I wasn't about to let a $44 bottle of wine go to waste). I am wondering if there is a specific kind of license here that does not allow patrons to take home leftover wine?

yes on the cichetti and you would get to see so much more that way... some bars do close for a few hours in the afternoon though. La Merca closes between something like 3 and 6:30 (I am estimating) so go there first!

I'm with minchilli. Do a cichetti crawl on Tuesday when you get to Venice - then go to La Zucca or Al Promessi Sposi for dinner. If you are not big into fish, I'd go with La Zucca.

I usually drink and eat bar snacks at Bancogiro . I hear good things about the food, and it always looks good. And it is right on the Grand Canal. I've spent countless hours sitting at an outside table drinking wine - I love it there. Of course, if it rains you'll have to eat inside (but that will be the case anywhere.) And you will definitely feel comfortable in wedding attire.

You could check out Bancogiro. Right on the Grand Canal, I've seen several wedding parties eating there over the years.
http://www.osteriabancogiro.it/

I finally got down to Big Front Door yesterday... I really liked it too. No Sysco anywhere to be found now. (Well, unless they are hiding it well.) I went with my mom and my brother who is extraordinarily hard to please. Mom and I split the Natural - a French dip. Its not huge but the beef was really good. My brother had the Club and he had nothing but good things to say (rare for him, believe me.) The chipotle potato salad was good, the sesame slaw OK (it was a little drippy and a little vinegary for our taste.) We also had a killer chocolate cookie with pistachios and sea salt.

As the OP said they have a good wine and beer selection but you can't drink it there. Its a good place to pick up a bottle if you want something a little better than what they offer at the Sprouts next door. When they get their on premise license it will be even better.

I will definitely be back especially when I get a craving for a French dip.

I love the tortillas at that market. Totally worth the price. Also nothing like giving an out of town guest a package of so-fresh-they-are-still-warm tortillas...

I have spent quite a bit of time in northwest Spain and I agree with barberinibee - I haven't seen too many agriturismo types of places around. The advice to stay in towns and small cities and do the tapas thing is spot on - you could alternate this with a couple of rural stays in apartments where you shop at local markets and cook for yourself at home. In the Picos they have fantastic beef and of course the cabrales cheese and all you need to do is pan fry some beef and melt some cabrales on it at the end and.. well, I can tell you, it is pretty awesome.

In addition to the recommendation for Pontevedra I would add Oviedo, it has the same vibrant feeling though it is quite a bit different in the general feel of the town. I have had great tapas in La Coruna too though I was with a friend so I can't remember where. If you decide to go there, I will write to him and post here - there was one street with a lot of bars and we ate and drank for hours there.

In my opinion the food at the paradors has become so iffy I am not willing to take a chance on them anymore. Love staying at them, but the food... yuck. It wasn't always this way, I think they have been cost cutting in the wrong areas, just in order to stay afloat.

Northern Spain is such a glorious place and I am sure you will have a fantastic time. Happy planning!

Ae Oche has a location close to the ghetto. Its on the Lista di Spagna at Cannaregio 158. Also very close by is Al Timon, where you can get really tasty crostini with various toppings for 1 euro each. It is on the fondamenta just over the northern bridge out of the ghetto. They also have full meals there, but I have only had the crostini.

Another good place for crostini close by you is Vecia Carbonara on Rio Terra de Maddelena. You can order your crostini and wine/water and take it back to a nice big room with windows on a canal. There is no table service, so no worries about paying more for your crostini and wine than what you would at the bar. I often stop there for a little snack on my way to the Billa if I am staying on that side of town.

Speaking of the Billa - it is a large supermarket on the Strada Nova, east of the ghetto. You will definitely run into it at some point.

Casa Mia is also walking distance as is Alla Strega though that is a bit more of a trek.

You are definitely in a good area to eat reasonably - just look for places with locals in them, and don't go to any places with menus in 5 languages or guys trying to lure you in.

thanks for the report! I will definitely check it out too.

Where will you be staying in Venice? Here are some good places for families - and lots of local families eat at them:

Alla Strega in Castello (pizza, fries, and salad - that's it)
Casa Mia in Cannaregio (pizza, pasta, meat etc.)
Taverna San Trovaso in Dorsoduro (same as above but fish too, portions are huge and prices are reasonable)
Ae Oche (good local pizza chain with three Venice locations)

You will also see bars everywhere with tramezzini, half sandwiches with all manner of assorted fillings that you can eat at the bar (sitting down will raise the price, of course.)

It does help to know where you are staying, wouldn't want you to have to traipse across town for a sandwich....

Has anyone been to the San Diego Soup Shoppe? Its a bit farther out than Hillcrest, but I just moved into the 'hood and keep passing it and wondering.

http://sdsoupshoppe.com

Go to La Cantina for sure - on the Strada Nova (Campo San Felice) in Cannaregio. Excellent food and wine, and you can get great seafood there as well as great meat. Expect to pay 50 euros per person (but you get a lot for that 50 euros.) Seriously, the meat here will make your hubby happy. Vini da Gigio - very close to La Cantina - is also great for meat eaters.

If you want pizza with a good wine list, go to Antica Birreria La Corte in Campo San Polo.

With 17 people in Venice, and over the Grand Canal from Santa Lucia, I would make reservations at Ae Oche on the other side of the Scalzi Bridge from your hotel (in other words, on the Santa Lucia side.) It is not going to be "authentic" or glamorous, but they have good pizza and pasta and they can easily seat 17 people.
http://www.aeoche.com/index_flash.htm
(You want the one at Cannaregio 158. It is very reasonable and lots of locals eat there.

I love Antica Birreria La Corte that Jen Kalb mentions above, but it is in Campo San Polo (not Campo San Toma) - they can also do large parties. It would be better to take the vaporetto to Rialto and walk rather then try to navigate that many people down from the train station area. Other places I know can do that large of a group are Muro near the Frari and Taverna San Trovaso, both quite reasonable (unless someone gets crazy with the fish at Muro particularly) but with both of these you'd need to take the vaporetto....

hi sockii
It might be too late for you to see this...

I stayed in Campo Sant Angelo last May and basically looked down at Aqua Pazza and Hostaria Galileo from my apartment. I thought I would eat at Aqua Pazza but after watching for awhile I decided against it - but I DID try Hostaria Galileo, a restaurant I have walked by a gazillion times but never tried. It is kind of a cool place - the chef there is deconstructing Venetian dishes and doing some kinds of sushi among other things. I really liked part of my meal, part was just OK, but the setting - in the campo - is stellar and the staff is very nice. It was moderately priced too.

I was intrigued enough to recommend it.

da Fiore has decent cichetti, but it is better to go up to Cannaregio or over to San Polo for cichetti.

Al Pesador did take over Riviera, NOT Fontego dei Pescatori.
http://www.alpesador.it

I haven't eaten there since it changed hands, but I've heard it is really good.

Great report! Thanks so much for taking the time to write it...

thanks for the info! I love Birrificio Montegioco's Rex Grue - try it if you have not already...

Thanks for the tips. Vace does not carry any (I love that store though, go there everytime I am here) and neither does Ace but Schneider's does have a few so I'll be heading down there tomorrow....

-----
Vace
7601 Airpark Rd Ste A, Gaithersburg, MD 20879

Hi.... I am visiting D.C. for a few days and I need to find some Italian craft beer for a tasting. I've seen some on menus at beer bars/restaurants, but this time I need to buy it to consume elsewhere.

Has anyone seen any Italian craft brews (not Moretti, and not Peroni, which is what many store clerks have suggested when I ask for these) on the shelves of any beer/wine stores around town?

I am staying in Cleveland Park if that helps.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give.

Thank you so much for this recommendation of Euro Food Depot. I didn't even know about this place but went out there today. The owner is so nice!

Anyway the scoop on the cassoulet is, he will have it Monday. It comes in vacuum packed bags so, will last for a bit. $25-$28 for each bag which will is for 2, but when he told me what was in there... sounds like it could feed 3.

For now, duck rillettes in the fridge.. mmm.

Well, it definitely came in handy! More than my Spanish food dictionary did. :)

A lot of menus are in Gallego - not Spanish.... check out this webpage and cut and paste the food dictionary here into a document and bring it with you to Galicia. I cannot tell you how helpful it is!
http://www.colindavies.net/P-Eating%2...
(Scroll down for the food dictionary.
)There is other helpful info on this website, too.

salziger hund - you might check with Palma Hansen. I have been to parties she cooked for and she is fabulous. She's a lot of fun and the food is fabulous. Check out her blog:
http://www.slowtrav.com/blog/palma/

I couldn't find her contact info on the blog, but if you are interested in contacting her go to the clickthru for Palmabella's Italy and her email address is there.

Thanks for the great report! MFoie burgers... intrigued.

A couple of weeks ago I made caramelized bacon ice cream (from David Lebowitz's website) and served it with Pedro Jimenez sherry. Highly recommend this combo. :)