Today I find myself in Cannaregio again. The weather has been strange in the last few days: sun, rain, wind and humidity all at the same time and I wasn't quite sure about what to do. But the idea of staying at home and working on the computer the whole day was too depressing, so I decided to go see some friends.
And this is why I went to Antica Adelaide, a wonderful Venetian osteria located in Calle Racchetta. This place has its own style, which totally mirrors the owner: particular, curious and a bit counter culture.
The restaurant is very big, with a long corridor and two side rooms with indoor seating, a checkered floor and very interesting pieces of furniture, like the cash register, the old couch or the coffee machine. It may seem messy, but it's a creative type of messiness, believe me!
At this point, let me introduce you to Alvise, the owner. He has been in the business forever and is entirely dedicated to food. He goes to the market everyday and his biggest merit is, in my opinion, the fact he re-proposes poor traditional dishes. At Antica Adelaide you will find richer fish like sea-bass and tuna, but also things like bovoetti, garusoli (two types of sea snails), spienza (boiled beef spleen dressed with oil and vinegar) and more. Yes, Alvise is definitely a true -old style- Venetian!
Furthermore, his collaborator Adina,who is also a painter, has been experimenting with ceramics and has designed most of the coffee cups and jars! How wonderful... every piece is unique and hand crafted with skill. I want to buy them all, but for now I just asked her for a couple of bowls and can't wait to see them.
In addition to beautiful objects and old signs, at Antica Adelaide you will find excellent food at an excellent price. It's open for lunch and dinner and you can choose between a proper meal or some snacks. The cicchetti include the traditional fried meat balls and sardines, but also options for vegetarians like frittata, vegetarian fritters or slices of bread topped with cheese and seasonal greens. With regard to the drinks, a lot of attention is paid to natural and organic wine.
Considering that a few snacks are rarely enough for me, I asked for a pasta. When I read the menu I hesitated...first of all most pastas are homemade, secondly the sauces were all so very inviting and, to make things even more difficult, gnocchi were on the menu too! Taking decisions of this importance is a daunting task, but I have to deal with it every time. And I'm not getting any better at it...
In the end I had spaghetti with smooth clams and queen scallops! Delicious... I opted for this first course because you don't always find this sort of mollusks, so I had to seize the occasion.
The spaghetti were firm to the bite and perfectly enveloped by the mollusk and concentrated tomato sauce, really nice. Alvise is brilliant at preparing first courses, in my opinion it's the thing he does best, thus whatever you will choose you can be sure you will land on your feet.
I drank a Tai Rosso Pialli, a natural red wine with a round body and an extremely pleasant aftertaste. I didn't have a dessert this time, but I recommend the panna cotta. I hardly ever recommend this quite common (yet delicious) dessert, but Alvise's panna cotta is special, it's the type of cream he uses. Eating is believing.
Antica Adelaide is a special place in Venice. It's unique personality, which may appear bizarre to some, is what makes it special to me and I recommend it to anyone looking for traditional Venetian food and a friendly and warm atmosphere.
Address: Calle Priuli Racheta, Venice, Italy
Phone: +39 041 523 2629