 There is no doubt that owner Stefano Ongaro loves his job. Watch him greet you, share a glass of wine, and most importantly explain the menu he has composed with his chef, Roberto Franzoni. What you don't know is that to ensure the quality of the food, he personally goes to the market four times a week. The small, comfortable and unpretentious space has a light look and feel, from sponged saffron walls to the blonde wood beams and trim, with a communal area as you enter. In these tough economic times, a more relaxed, trattoria-style dining experience is now offered here, with very attractive prices. As you can imagine, with two Italians running the place, both from Venice, the cuisine is an homage to their birthplace. Read the dishes described in Italian on the menu, and you will feel like you are almost there. And we have to say, we like this earthy cuisine "du terroir." Start with the cute pizza served on a wooden plate, which comes in six flavors ($8); a plate of affettati salumi; or antipasti that can be a soup of borlotti beans, beef meatballs, braised tripe or cauliflower timbale (a must). When it comes to the primi piatti, it’s difficult to choose between the agnolotti filled with braised osso buco, the pappardelle with lamb ragoût or the radicchio and ricotta ravioli. You should always order the Venetian spaghetti "bigoli" with pulled duck for the table---it requires a special pasta tool to make it. Or you can opt for chef Franzoni’s trio of pasta, and there will be no dilemma, before moving on to the grilled calamari, the Mediterranean striped bass, the milk-braised veal or the delicious beef short ribs. The desserts are hidden gems; there is not even a printed menu. But some of the secrets are the napoleon with a Cognac cream and honey vanilla sauce or the chocolate salami. The wine list is quite impressive, and is particularly strong in selections from Italy, France and California, providing many fine choices to accompany the dishes.
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