Camellia C.
Yelp
ALWAYS wander away to where the sound of the water is louder than the squabbling of the tourists -- it is there that you will find something worth eating.
My husband and I stumbled across La Zucca on Yelp while in Venice, and although we arrived about 20 minutes prior to their kitchen closing, they graciously seated us outside where there was, thankfully, a summer breeze.
La Zucca means "the Pumpkin," so keep in mind to order at least one thing containing pumpkin off of their revolving menu. No matter how odd it may sound to you, eat. that. thing. up.
We ordered the pumpkin flan, which looked like a slice of orange pound cake, smelled like hot pumpkin soup, and tasted like rich, cheesy, pumpkin bread pudding with the consistency of a souffle. After licking our spoons clean, I ordered the lasagne with artichokes and pumpkin flowers, and my husband had the tagliatelle with lamb ragu. WOW. WOW. WOW. Rarely am I so besotted with anything vegetarian (save for desserts), but this lasagne with its thin slices of creamy artichoke, surprisingly savory orange pumpkin flowers, solidly soft (how?) green lasagne noodles, and sprinkling of flavorful mozzarella absolutely won me over. For once I stopped eating off my husband's dish and concentrated on my own. So good. So good. So. Good.
As for the tagliatelle and lamb ragu, it was appropriately light in sauce and perfect in ratio between all the ingredients. "I really liked my tagliatelle," my husband said when I just asked him. So there you have it. He really liked it.
(A dancer from Sweden who travels across Europe to attend exhibitions and choreograph - hello, this mini Julie-Andrews-esque woman clearly knows her culture - was seated next to us, and she told us time and time again that this was one of her favorite restaurants to eat at whenever in Venice for shows. She was eating an oval of fresh mozzarella along with sauteed eggplant -- off of the appetizer menu -- and it looked divine.)
Do yourself a favor and eat here at least once during your trip to Venice. And I will always look back on that artichoke and pumpkin flower lasagne with great fondness.