This was the first place I ate after I arrived in Venice, and it was the best. They had a special…read moreof spaghetti with cuttlefish and black sauce, fried calamari and a salad for 12 euro. If you know anything about food and menus in Italy, that's a deal. Not only that, but it was delicious and service was friendly. They welcomed us in even though it was near the post-lunch closing time. I must also note that this is probably the first time I ever had fried calamari that did NOT get rubbery as it cooled. I would've gone back to La Rosa many times for meals had it not been for wanting to try many other places during my 3-days in Venice.

Trattoria La Rosa Dei Venti was our first meal in Italy and it was FANTASTIC! I am so glad we…read morestumbled upon this little gem of Croce. It sits just off of one of the many canals and just ask anyone in Venice how to get there and they will tell you to "go straight, over the bridge then make a left!" It is probably easier to get there by gondola or a private boat but you can certainly work up a nice appetite trying to find it. When we arrived it was pretty late in the afternoon so we had just missed the afternoon lunch crowd. The place was very quaint and the waiters are very sweet. The menu was in Italian so all we could really make out was pasta or pasta. Here is what we ate: Tagliatelle They had me at mushroom. I LOVE mushrooms and mix them in with my favorite type of carbohydrate and I am good to go. We knew when we left Trattoria La Rosa Dei Venti that we were in trouble! One day in and we are eating like we don't care about our waistlines. We will definitely return to the States with more than just the bags we came to Italy with! We will be bringing back some lbs--hopefully not permanent souvenirs!