Believe it or not, I did eat some non-Italian food during my trip. I went to a place I had researched myself, and as it turns out almost everyone who has been to Venice has heard of it.
After a morning touring a palace and church overflowing with opulence, we headed up to the northern corner of the city to visit the Jewish Ghetto. Suddenly we were alone on the street and everything was plain.
We ate at Gam Gam, a Kosher restaurant right on the water, and enjoyed a nice break from pizza and pasta.
We started with the full appetizer sampler. This included marinated mushrooms, hummus, baba ganoush, warm cooked carrots and zucchini, a piece of falafel each, and at the far end of the table, egg salad and cold chickpea and celery salad. It really was fun to eat from so many little plates! We had a basket of bread and fresh, hot pita and a generous portion of some super spicy green relish.
We shared two other dishes: couscous with vegetables, which were very oddly spiced. You may do best hearing from someone who is familiar with these spices; I can’t say I enjoyed them. Honestly, I think it’s just my unfamiliarity masquerading as dislike. If I were in a position to eat there again, I might give them another chance.
We also got potato latkes with apple sauce, which were served on a slaw of carrot and cabbage. These were really good.
This was a really nice lunch and a great break from the constant touring, crowds, and stress of traveling. But I’m not sure I’d say it was my favorite. I’m giving that some thought, and I’m considering a wrap-up soon.
That looks like a veritable feast! I love sampling several tasty dishes and tarrying over a good meal and some nice wine or similar. Too bad about the couscous, but sounds like it was a pretty good gnosh otherwise. Latke and applesauce sounds like a great combo.
ReplyDeleteI'll be interested in hearing your favs!
I missed this place in Venice. Bummer it looks like it was great. I will make a note of it for the next trip. Great pictures of Venice.
ReplyDeleteI have had my share of non-Italian food in Italy too. After a few weeks you want something beside Italian food. We found good Chinese, Indian and Thai food in Firenze and Roma as odd as that sounds. Asians with an Italian accent are just wrong though. ;-)
Ali
How awesome! So great to go off the beaten path and find a hidden gem. I'm 99.9% positive I'll never get back to Italy, but I will go to Gam Gam if I do.
ReplyDeleteI've heard that the falafels in Paris are the best. And that food does look super good, though being unfamiliar with spices and techniques can make dining weird and not so tasty. Gam Gam looks like a great find overall though!
ReplyDeleteAll that food sure does look and sound good! I'm going to have to write down all these places that you have been talking about for my future trip to Italy. We are hoping to go there for our 5 year anniversary, which is still 3 more years....booo!
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! I live in Nashville but get to Cincy quite often. Thanks for all the tips. I have a vegan blog too. www.theveganmancave.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteI'll add you to my Blog List!
I love latkes with applesauce--so so good. Can't go wrong with falafel, either! I love the gigantic bowl of hummus in the picture. That appetizer sampler has VERY generous portions!
ReplyDeleteYes, the latkes were a winner! I wanted something decently healthy, too, which is why we bought the couscous. I still say it was more unfamiliar than bad...
ReplyDeleteThe little plates were the best! Alex loves it when we go out and he gets to eat eggs (he is vegetarian otherwise).
Brian, thanks for stopping by, I will check out your blog. Nashville is on my short list of places to live next.