Lunch
We missed our planned lunch on the shores of Lake Garda, so we ended up at a “truck stop” where we had some very excellent food. The Foodies shared a Speck and Brie hot sandwich, for $3.95 per serve. Not only was our sandwich excellent, but everything our group ate was not just “good for a truck stop,” but really excellent food, period.
Dinner
If our late lunch set the bar fairly high, our dinner moved it even higher. After an extended walk from our Venice apartment on the Grand Canal, to San Marco where we ended up at Ristorante Algabbiano, one of the many harbor-side restaurants, but one our guide had been to before.
Foodie Greg had the Scallop Risssot with Lemon and Saffron, which was very good. Foodie Philip had a house speciality that was very rare Roast Beef with a sauce that in Italian said “was infused with the flavors of the Mediterranean” (while in English it detailed the Garlic, Thyme, Rosemary…). By itself the Roast Beef was very good, but the Mediterranean Sauce was transformative. The Beef became a totally different flavor profile.
It turns out it is a family owned restaurant and the recipe was from our waiter’s grandmother. Unfortunately he declined to share the recipe, but we hope to get back again for another chance to have this exceptionally good dish.
With wine and appetizers etc, it was (coincidentally) $56.50 per serve.