Friday, September 2, 2011

Venezia's/Brocato's

Venezia's Restaurant is on Carrollton Avenue, close to Canal and down the street from Jesuit High, on the Avenue of Champions, in the mid part of Mid-City. One of my best memories is going there with a friend and when the waitress asked if he wanted his pizza in six slices or eight, he replied, "Just six. I'm not too hungry tonight."

Why do I like it?

Well, for starters, the big 1940/50's-style sign outside before you even wander through its portals sucks one into  a New Orleans nostalgia that seems sacrosanct. I mean, if it's been in business that long, and in a restaurant city that plays an integral and vital place in restaurant Americana, then that's saying something; there must really be something authentic about the place. And even before you begin the real meal, you can sit down for a plate of fried eggplant and a salad for which even your Sicilian grandmother might be inclined to cultivate a Sicilian envy.

Perhaps the standard by which all Italian restaurants in New Orleans can be judged is the basic and traditional meatball and spaghetti dish. Here it is primo. Ask them to add a sausage.

Impeccable service. A satisfying and authentic meal. A serene atmosphere with Italian music. A delightful escape. A trip to Venezia's will not disappoint.

Follow that up with a little walk for dessert and espresso a few doors down at Brocato's--I especially recommend the cassata and/or cannoli--and you have had arguably as much of a NEW ORLEANS ITALIAN experience as is possible in the middle of the week in late summer.

Yours always,
Vince Liberto