We’ll never get tired of St. Mark’s Square, and we’re so thankful we found yet another delicious restaurant there at the Venetian! We were instantly drawn to Canaletto at first glance: dining on cobble street stones underneath the sky. While we feel that Otto provides a quieter and more romantic atmosphere, Canaletto in contrast seems to have larger tables for families and always people on the move. Definitely make reservations during dinner hours because this is one popular tourist attraction, and walk-in wait times can be upwards of 45 minutes.
We prefer the high tables near the bar for a lovely and more secluded dining area on the patio. Although the tables are smaller and the chairs are higher, we feel the height gives an advantage for a spectacular view of the square.
Complimentary bread, olive oil (great for the skin and hair) and balsamic vinegar. One bun had coarse salt sprinkled on top, and another was sweeter with sesame seeds and nuts.
All of their dry pasta is imported from Italy, and their fresh pasta made on site. This is the “Casonzei Con Stracchino e Pere,” which is a freshly made ravioli with roasted pear, asparagus and walnuts in a creamy Stracchino cheese sauce.
We also ordered the “Tagliatelle Alla Castellana,” which consists of pasta ribbons with pork, bacon, shiiake mushrooms, in a brandy cream sauce. Compared to the ravioli, this dish is much more intense due mostly in part to the delicious meat flavours, and the pasta was cooked perfectly al dente.
And now for the unbelievably light and airy tiramisu! Just like how we have to have french onion soup at a French place, we must try tiramisu at an Italian restaurant! This one was good, really good. Plus it’s made freshly in-house each day. It’s the perfect portion size for two, and we savoured the soft cake-like consistency of the lady finger biscuits paired with the delicately sweet zabaglione filling. They even piped the cream to look like the biscuits! We would recommend coming to this restaurant even if just for the dessert (which is essentially what we did for a few late nights). Tip: if you’re staying at the Venetian or Palazzo, always make sure to look through your welcome package for a discount booklet of coupons (and don’t forget to go to the Apothecary for a second discount booklet aimed towards the Grand Canal Shoppes/ Fashion Show Mall). We made use of ours and got 10% off our bill!
