2015 ITALY Venice 43 - Dinner in a Pumpkin

Well, not really, but the name of our dinner restaurant was La Zucca (pumpkin in Italian) and we ate inside.

After our cat nap, we meandered our way to our dinner spot. It was recommended by our friends who recommended the hotel. They dined here twice during their stay and it offered lots of veggie options, which was wonderful for me.

The restaurant was quite a ways away. We had directions from Sunil (our hotel caretaker) and our trusty map. On our walk we crossed 13 canal bridges, admired age old architecture, and passed by many interesting stores. We browsed a bit, as we had given ourselves plenty of time in case we accidentally went astray.

Our niece who graduated from RISD (Rhode Island School of Design) with a Masters in furniture design, has turned us into "design" junkies. We especially oohed and aahed at the stores with Italian "design" products of any kind. Here are a few: scrimshaw carnival masks, glass sculpture, jewelry, and kids' toys. We saw cabinet makers and weavers at work in little storefronts. Even a cigarette machine caught our eye.

 

 In spite of all the twists and turns, we somehow arrived without much of a hitch. Outside were four tables and inside were maybe four more. We chose inside as it was a bit chilly. We had window seats, so we could watch the couples ambling by hand-in-hand.

The table was interesting, made from thick wood slates with narrow spaces in between. It was a unique shape to make the most of the odd corner area where it sat. Some of the walls were covered with the same slate effect.

We saw right off the bat why this place was highly recommended. It was cozy with a great menu. And throughout the evening folks streamed in hoping for seats, but none were available. They could wait an hour or so for a chilly outdoor table or have an indoor reservation for THREE days later.

As much as we wanted to try every veggie dish on the menu, there just was not enough room in our tummies. Each offering sounded fabulous, but we had had an ample lunch. Instead we mentally tortured ourselves with a reasonable dinner and that turned out to be a wise choice. You really cannot enjoy a great meal, if you are totally stuffed and still try to jam in more.

We had La Zucca's own brand of water and wine (although they had many wines to choose from). We started with an artichoke mousse appetizer covered in cheese and carrot "roses."

I enjoyed a hearty kale, carrot, and bean soup, served with wonderful warm homemade bread.

Mike had a pumpkin flan with cheese and sunflower seed topping.


Of course we shared gelato desserts--one strawberry and one lemon.

This eatery was quaint, wonderful, and unique. Even the bill came in a little pumpkin-colored envelope rather than a traditional slip of paper or pleather wallet. We would certainly pass along this great restaurant recommendation.

It was dark by the time we walked home. Lights reflected on all the waterways. The crowd had settled down to a whisper. Shadows gave the city a mysterious look, but no fears. We were glad to be in the queen of the Adriatic Sea, the canal city, the water city, the city of bridges, the city of masks, the floating city.