First, this is genuine Venetian cuisine, not Venetian cuisine interpreted by an American or English writer. The cuisine of the da foiore lives and breaths by the pulse of the Venetian fish markets and the seasons of fishing in the Adriatic. Recipes are also true to the region in focusing on rice and corn meal (polenta), and soft pasta dishes most common in the north, especially those close to the prime rice growing area in Europe. There is also an appropriate mix of Middle Eastern influences harking back to the days when Venice was THE spice merchant of Europe.

Second, the recipes are delightful, with a bright mix of the fish and an accompanying vegetable, changing slightly the Italian pairing of separate secondo and contorno dishes. I concur with the author's contention that these are indeed simple recipes. They may not be easy, but they should take less time than usual to master. Virtually all protein is seafood from the northern Adriatic, `right off the boat'. There is a high concentration of bivalve, cephalopod (squid, cuddlefish, and octopus), shrimp, and finfish recipes. There are few lobster or crab dishes and beef, chicken, and veal are not even listed in the index.

Third, this may be an Italian cuisine which may be most familiar to Americans after the southern Italian tomato drenched cuisine of tomatoes, hard pasta, and pizza. I was never a great fan of Tuscan dishes, but this cuisine backed by the wines of the Veneto, Bardolino, Valpolicella, Soave, and Prosecco is much more attractive to me than the Chianti of Tuscony or the hundreds of newer wines from Italy on the market. Then there is also grappa to make life just a little more interesting.

My most delightful discovery in this book is to find the word, `cicheti' for the Italian counterpart of the Greek and Turkish meze which has become a very popular subject of cookbook authors of late, who make a point of saying that Greek meze is not the same as antipasti. Another interesting discovery is that unlike much of the rest of Italy, Venetians are not horrified at the thought of putting cheese on fish, although they do not do it commonly with the very strong dried cheeses such as parmesan or pecorino romano.

Even though the book is written by a man, the true author of the recipes is the author's mother, true to the great Mediterranean tradition of cuisine being the woman's provence.

If you already have 20 or more Italian cookbooks, then you have to wrestle with your own obsessions to determine if this is worth the investment. At $35 without the celebrity byline, this may be a bit much, but I recommend it none the less, especially if you are a great fan of seafood.

Small Comment  Mar 13, 2012
By Sausca
The book is a treasure, and I take pleasure in the fact that two others have enjoyed it. In truth we had dinner at the restaurant and I just wanted a souvenir. I have referred to it many times since them. I really use the recipes out of Brunetti's cookbook more, but this one has the memories.

4 of 13 found the following review helpful:

Global Top 5  May 10, 2005
By Matthew Hodgson
I've not bought or read this book, however, what I can say is that this restaurant is unquestionably one of the top 5 restaurants I've yet had the pleasure of eating at. Finding it requires nerves of steel, especially if you are walking from San Marco, as it is to be found as an oasis of culinary excellence in a labrynth of time etched architecture. The service can be described with one word : class. The food, with a menu that changes daily depending on the ingredients available, was true art. This is not food of the nouvelle cuisine variety but rather food that is a direction indicator ~ this must be one of the leading edge restaurants in Italy, which is fusing old ideas with modern presentation. The after taste of the food was of unquestionably traditional tastes and flavours.