Speaking of friends, we looked up an old one while we were here. I'm guessing that it's been 18 years or so since we were first (and last) in Venice. Back then a woman who owned a shop in La Jolla California told us to seek out a mask maker at the foot of the Rialto Bridge. That's how we met Sergio. I had practiced and practiced a detailed Italian introduction only to find out that Sergio was Oxford educated! Nonetheless, we bought two masks from him then that started the collection of masks from around the world that now line the beams around our living room.
Sergio is still here. So we reconnected and bought another mask. We chatted for a while and he insisted that we dine at his friend Giorgio's restaurant where his childhood friend, another Sergio, works. So off we went last night to Il Nuovo Galeon where all we got to say was 'our friend, Sergio "Mascera"' and we were off. Menus were whisked out of our hands, and my concerns about how much they were planning on feeding me were not so politely dismissed. Oh, and there was NO leaving food uneaten on our plates. They served us all of the classic Venetian fare. Food we would have never ordered in a million years (especially since Michael doesn't eat seafood). But he did, and he liked it.
The FIRST appetizer plate featured bay shrimp on artichokes, spider crab and cicada di mare (look up a picture of that one, seriously). Then we had a paste of salt cod, scallops on polenta, and cuttlefish in black ink sauce. The third course was scallops on the half shell in a spicy tomato sauce. That was followed by a wonderful fettuccini with shrimp and asparagus. We finished with fillet of sea bream. All topped off with a nice Chardonnay and followed by the requisite limoncello and cookies. A truly remarkable experience that will always be a wonderful memory.
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