Locanda Aurilia

Locanda Aurilia: Hotel, Ristorante, Enoteca in Padua, Italy. On our recent trip we had to rent a van to accommodate 8 of us. It was a very scenic drive from Venice to Padua. Our driver Michele Roppa was informative and entertaining. When it came to dinner time, he suggested a place that was out of the way. He was friends with the owner of the hotel. He quickly called him up to make a reservation. We looked forward to it as this was no ordinary restaurant. It has been run by the same family since 1952 though the place has been there for 150 years and was previously a tavern with a stable.

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by the owner and sommelier Ferdinando as he whisked us over his very impressive wine cellar. He has won multiple awards for some of his collections. He had prepared some appetizers; Crostini Baccala (cod) with anchovy, olives, cheese freshly carved from the wheel and tendon of the an extremity of a cow with tripe which we all tried...."when in Rome...." this also translates to " when in Padua..." it was unusually good. The texture was like mochi though it was not sweet. It went well with the Prosecco he poured for all of us. After we checked out the various wines for all occasions, Ferdinando led us to the dining room upstairs.

We were welcomed by his sister Lucia who was very charming and accommodating. We were open to suggestions as we wanted to try their specialties. They started us with some Prosciutto followed by Mushrooms with polenta and then we were served little plates of 3 varieties of cheeses. The wine we ordered was so good and inexpensive that after 2 bottles, we decided to buy more to take home. It was Il Dominio Bagnoli Classico Friularo which is from the region nearby. Right after the cheese, they brought us a huge platter of Risotto con Funghi which they made especially for us.  We all absolutely loved it. I can say it was the best risotto I have ever had!  A platter of Tagliatelle with fresh basil and cherry tomatoes arrived next.  A very simple yet an excellent dish cooked aldente of course.

We were getting full and we still have not had our entrees.  Two people in our party ordered the Grilled Veal Chop with baked potato.  One had the Cod with fried zucchini and a few of us including myself had the Sliced Beef Tenderloin with rosemary and oil but instead of the baked potato, I asked for polenta instead. The beef was so tender and delicious.

Nobody cared for dessert as we were all bursting....but some were curious. We got talked into the Chocolate cake which was a cross between a souffle and a lava cake. I can't remember if there was any other dessert as I was almost comatose after all the food.

Ferdinando introduced us to his brother Chef Osorio. We told him in our broken Italian/Spanish how we enjoyed everything.  Ferdinando who didn't speak English seemed worried that we didn't have enough to eat, asked if he could offer us anything else aside from coffee. We assured him we had enough to eat...." basta..."

Before we left, he gave the ladies a commemorative plate of one of the wine awards.
What we had was no ordinary dinner. It was truly a feast and a very special and unforgettable evening.  Grazie mille Ferdinando, Chef Osorio and Lucia.

Locanda Aurilia is located at 35010 Loreggia, Via Aurilia, 27. in Padua, Italy.

Locanda Montin

I found this restaurant in Venice, Italy from a list recommended by Anthony Bourdain.  We took a water taxi to Antica Locanda Montin.  This was far from the traffic and tourists.  We got there at at 7:30 p.m. They didn't have anything earlier as the Italians eat later than Americans do. We were pleasantly surprised by the ambiance.  Tables outside were lined with light pink tableclothes and the large canopy on top of the tables were filled with greenery.  This charming place was the venue of the old film Anonimo Veneziano, which I will try and rent on Netflix one of these days.

We started with several appetizers.  Prosciutto di Parma, Polipetti all' olio e limone, Spaghetti alle vongole and Spaghetti al ragu.  All of them were very good.

Everyone had their favorite entrees. Someone had the Gnocchetti con asparagi e gamberini.  I believe Ryan had the Taglierini co San Pietro zucchine e crema di fiori di zucca. I had a forkful of that to try and I liked it a lot. Alma and her husband ordered the Branzino ai ferri which looked good with the crispy skin. They both thought it was too bland and tasteless. I ordered the Seppie in umido con polenta. This looked bad but it was very good indeed with the grilled polenta. It was too much and too rich that I could not finish it.  Maria and Ryan split an order of Scaloppline al limone.  The scaloppine was nice, light and tender.  Ross and Elliot had the Lasagna which I can't comment on since I didn't get a taste of it.

For Dolci (desserts) we shared several selections.  Fragole al gelato (strawberry ice cream), Panna cotta al cioccolato, Crem caramel, Semifreddo di meringata al cioccolato and Gelato al limone con vodka.

We all had a nice time including little Maisie who seemed to enjoy gnawing on an Italian roll.

Canova

Canova is the main dining room at the Luna Hotel Baglioni in Venice, Italy. On our first night we made reservations to have our dinner there.  We all got dressed and we were ready to challenge our palates.

To start, they served us shrimp coated with shredded phyllo. This was exceptionally good. It almost reminded me of cereal shrimp from Singapore. Of course they didn't forget to give us generous portions of bread which we enjoyed wih the complimentary prosecco.

The Fish soup sounded enticing. The last fish soup I had that was wonderful was in a restauant in Paris. This came pretty close. Aimee had the same thing and we decided to split an order of the Seafood Risotto which they recommended. We loved the risotto which was cooked to perfection. Ross had a salad that looked beautiful; hopefully it tasted even better than it looked.

Someone had a Smoked Salmon Tartare and Ryan shared the White Fish Carpaccio; can't comment on those as I did not get to try them.  The Tagliatelle con Funghi was also delicious.

Two desserts were ordered which we all shared.  A chocolate pudding with pears and a generous portion of Tiramisu: both yummy!  It did not end there. Just as we were to ask for the check, they served us a big plate of chocolate covered strawberries and gooseberries which we had to consume so as not to be insulting.

It was a nice dinner with great service. We had no complaints at all.

Kazamat Restaurant

Kazamat is located in the Kastel Fortress which is the historical epicenter of Banja Luka in Bosnia. It is very impressive and the ambiance could not have been better with the medieval tables and chairs and a view of the river.

We were so taken by the view that it almost didn't matter what we ordered.  One of the specialities was the Veal with potatoes and vegetables baked "under the bell".  Of course I had to order that to see what cooking under the bell was really like. I did like it a lot. It almost reminded me of lechon with the skin, though the skin was not crispy, it was still very good. The meat had some fat in it which gave the veal a lot of flavor.
Alma had the Trout with Swiss chard and potatoes (BlitvaKrompir).  Aimee had ordered some stuffed mushrooms which never made it to our end of the table. I'm sure it was delicious.
Ryan who was sitting next to me, thank God had ordered Polenta with bacon which was incredible!

Someone else had the Squid which also looked good. Ross had the Steak wrapped in bacon. There was another meat dish with mushrooms. Elliot had the Ram which was on the run so I never got to take a picture of it.

Everyone was too full to even look at the dessert menu.  A few of us had coffee and the rest wanted to just enjoy the fullness and satisfaction of having a sumptuous meal.

This was the last dinner for the 8-1/2 of us in Banja Luka.  We enjoyed our 3 days where we got to meet the locals. An employee at our hotel asked us how we liked Banja Luka and he said " We don't have much to give but we have big hearts". That pretty much sums it all.

I want to thank Maria and Ryan for their hospitality and their big hearts.