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Osteria Venti Montreal

Posted By Jennifer Ho Aug 19 2011 · 2 comments · Dining Out, Old Montreal

Beet Filled Ravioli

Due to its location in the Old Port, it is no wonder that Osteria Venti attracts an older, more sophisticated crowd. As we waited to be seated, a foursome of seniors pushed past us, completely foregoing the line while quickly beckoning at their friends outside, grabbing the two remaining barstools. The hostess who was away at the moment immediately noticed and notified them that reservations were necessary and recommended Philemon as the next closest bar, if a drink was all they wanted. I thought that was a particularly humorous start to the evening.

Our waitress explained the dining style of the restaurant is however you want it – some diners like to go the traditional way and order one of every course (crostini, antipasti, primi, secondi, contorni) while others like to mix and match, tapas-style. Others simply order like you would at most other restaurants, in other words an entree, a main and a dessert. We just went with what we thought looked and sounded the best – so to start off with, I had the braised octopus with fennel and capers while my friend had the bucatini with guanciale (unsmoked Italian bacon). The octopus was well charred but I felt like there was too much – I had trouble finishing the octopus and it felt like almost a main dish as opposed to a starter. There could have been more fennel as well. The bucatini was perfect.

For our mains, my friend had the rabbit cooked Ischia style with tomatoes and olives. Sounding deceptively simple, the dish evoked more flavors than you would expect – and that’s a good thing. But a warning to those who don’t like to eat much meat – the dish is extremely meaty. I had a bite and I was immediately glad I hadn’t ordered that specific dish (I had been considering it). Instead, I had the beet filled ravioli with butter, poppy seeds and sage sauce. That was single handedly one of the most interesting and unique kinds of pasta I have ever had; the beets made the pasta a tad sweet, and the poppy seeds and butter drenched ravioli made each bite an experience in itself. We chose garlic sauteed rapini and polenta to accompany the dishes.

Good ambiance, good service, prices are reasonable.

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Insalata Di Polipo - Braised Octopus, Fennel, Capers
Insalata Di Polipo – Braised Octopus, Fennel, Capers
Bucatini Alla Gricia - Bucatina, Guanciale, Pecorino Romano Cheese
Bucatini Alla Gricia – Bucatina, Guanciale, Pecorino Romano Cheese
Bucatini Alla Gricia - Bucatina, Guanciale, Pecorino Romano Cheese
Bucatini Alla Gricia – Bucatina, Guanciale, Pecorino Romano Cheese
Rapini - Garlic Sauteed Rapini, Peperoncino and Polenta - Grilled Polenta, Antonio Pettinicchi Olive Oil
Rapini – Garlic Sauteed Rapini, Peperoncino and Polenta – Grilled Polenta, Antonio Pettinicchi Olive Oil
Coniglio Alla Ischinitana - Rabbit Ischia Style, Tomatoes, Olives
Coniglio Alla Ischinitana – Rabbit Ischia Style, Tomatoes, Olives
Cansunziei All'Ampezzana - Beet Filled Ravioli, Butter, Poppy Seeds and Sage Sauce
Cansunziei All’Ampezzana – Beet Filled Ravioli, Butter, Poppy Seeds and Sage Sauce
Inside the Beet Ravioli
Inside the Beet Ravioli


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Tags: Fancy, Italian, Montreal, Olive Oil, Osteria Venti, Poppy Seed, Rabbit, Ravioli, Spaghetti, Vieux-Port.

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2 Comments

  1. BigSexy

    On: 14:46 August 26th, 2011 · Reply

    Guanciale is NOT bacon. It is dry cured pork cheek.
    Maybe I should have a blog and talk nonsense.

    • jen

      15:03 August 26th, 2011 · Reply · author

      BigSexy,

      The definition according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guanciale):
      “Guanciale (Italian pronunciation: [ɡwanˈtʃaːle]) is an unsmoked Italian bacon prepared with pig’s jowl or cheeks. Its name is derived from guancia, Italian for cheek. Guanciale is similar to the jowl bacon of the United States.”

      and The Heritage Cook (http://theheritagecook.com/?page_id=1672):
      “Guanciale: (gwan-chaw-lay) Very similar to pancetta, both are cured (unsmoked) Italian bacons. Guanciale is made from the cheeks so the texture is much more delicate and the flavor is stronger than other pork products. It is common to central Italy, particularly Umbria and Lazio. Difficult to find, you will have the most luck in a gourmet food store or Italian Deli.”

      Here are a few others supporting the fact that guanciale IS bacon:
      http://fxcuisine.com/default.asp?language=2&Display=8&resolution=high
      http://bacon.wikia.com/wiki/Guanciale

      So it is a kind of bacon. And yes, it is made from the pork jowls and cheeks. I mentioned it in passing in the post and didn’t go into much detail…

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