Favorite place to eat

Actually, I think Rick's restaurant recommendations are where he tends to be the weakest. He admits he's not a foodie. His recommendations tend to be well known and heavily touristed. And if there is a gem he discovers, it becomes heavily touristed as well.

For foodies, the Rough Guide is better.

What cities will you be visiting? Jeff

Hi Chantielle. Last year in Venice, I had two nice non-Italian meals - so if you get tired of Italian food, these may be options! One was a Turkish-Middle Eastern place called Frary's, on Fondamenta dei Frari which is right opposite the 'back end' of the I Frari Church. That is, the end of the church that isn't the entrance. Try the rose tea. They had set menus for around 15 euro, though helpings are small compared to American servings. Later I found out that Frary's was recommended in Time Out. The other restaurant I liked was Trattoria Gam-Gam, a Venetian kosher restaurant right at the entrance of the Ghetto. Just past the Ponte delle Guglie, across the Cannaregio canal - you'll see the awnings. Friendly service - ask your waiter/waitress for menu recommendations. Mine suggested 'melanzane three ways' - aubergine prepared in three different ways - delicious. Also had the most refreshing lemon mint juice!

There is a book written by two American women. It is called Chow! Venice. It's a great resource, listing their favorite restaurants from inexpensive to very expensive (with directions and vaporetto stops, too,) We found a restuarant in the guide that turned out to be our favorite and we returned there on our second trip to Venice. It is called Alla Strega and is located in Castello near San Giovanni e Paolo. Great pizza and reasonable prices.

I have eaten at "Marco Polo" many times while in Venice, and in Rome (for authentic Roman cuisine) try "Enzo" in the Trastevere section of the city. It is a very small hole-in-the-wall place tucked away in a remote location, but people line up waiting for a table. Reservations for "Enzo" are a must if you want a table. I also like the wood-fired pizza at "Da' Francesco", a very difficult place to find just west of the Piazza Navona.

There's a really good pizzeria in Venice - Pizzeria Due Colonne, in the San Polo neighborhood. One heads-up about Venice - if you see "cavallo" on a menu, it means horsemeat. It's very popular in Venice. This particular place has a couple of different pizzas with horsemeat.

And I have to agree with the previous posting about how the restaurant recommendations are the weakest thing about the RS books.

When writing my earlier post, I forgot the name of another restaurant in Venice that I'd also recommend. Found it in my notes: the Osteria Oliva Nera in Castello district. It's pricey but the food was very good quality - fresh ingredients, and they don't try to get too fancy with the dishes. The olive oil used was absolutely wonderful and fragrant, so delicious that I ate up my entire salad (I usually find it hard to finish a whole serving on my own). They give a small bottle of olive oil to customers at the end of the meal. My meal without wine but including service charge, came up to almost 40 euros. Ouch - that immediately put an end to my shopping! I don't think I can find it again, but there are directions on their website: www.osteria-olivanera.com.

We ate at a superb pizza and pasta place with Ron of Ron in Rome during our tour of ancient Rome. It is right near the Colosseo and I think it is called Massenzio. It was absolutely the best pizza and spaghetti carbonara we had during our whole trip. We returned our last day in Rome, and there was Ron with another group! I would highly recommend it.

Our Rule of Thumb:

Menus only in Italian or written on a white board in Italian. Daughter or Son is your Waiter.

Two blocks off the Main Drag.
Not more than 10 Tables. A Place were you see the local men gathering for the evening meal after work.

House Wine. Prima only.

Have not found an outstanding place in Venice central, but La Giudecca has some of these.

Rome: There are plenty, everywhere.

Pay Cash.

If you are Carnivores and in Rome, go to Joseph's-- literally less than a block after you exit out of the Cornelia Metro Station(I'm pretty sure you exit, look right, and can see the sign). They open at 7, do take reservations, and the smallest cut is 600grams, and it melts in your mouth! It's the only place I've found in Rome that comes close to the Tuscan beef you can find grilling in Florence.
Be aware that they will not ask how you want it cooked, and it is on the rare side(which is what I prefer). Oh, it's not cheap, but not really super high.

Let me tell you that after vsiting Europe 5 or 6 times and reading and studying a lot, it seems that we can narrow down hotels but never have we been able to get to resteraunts that we find in books. Go casual, go with suggestions from the locals and have fun. All the resteraunts are a great experience. Window shopt the menues as you walk and have a great meal.
Dean

Valarie, Massenzio sounds great, but "by the Colosseo" covers a very large area. Can you give any additional information? Thanks