By Chaos, Freelance Writer
NO ONE was speaking Italian. No violin players popped up at the drop of a hat - or less - to serenade your lady love with That's Amore. At the end of the night, that did not matter. The Venetian restaurant at Boscobel Beaches Resort and Golf Club is a great place to dine.
The ambience is terrific. A fresco of a cloud-ridden sky covers one section of the high ceiling. One wall is covered by an artist's depiction of life as seen from an Italian piazza from the old days, including a bordello, which took my dining partner aback once she realised just what it was.
Waitresses hovered silently and attentively after you had been met at the door, seated and presented with menus. I was impressed.
After neatly seating the lady something I have never quite been able to pull off just right before the night in question I took a look at the menu. The entries were in Italian.
Hmmm.
Fortunately, the English translations lay just below.
So we took some time, perused, discussed and ordered. Well, I ordered, as it should be in Italian, coloured with my version of a Spanish accent I did Español in high school, and the two languages are close enough for me to get away with it.
We began with the Antipasta the appetiser. I went with the Bruschetto Classica grilled Ciabatta bread brushed with garlic and topped with freshly chopped tomatoes, while the lady went with the Carpaccio di Tonno thin slices of home-cured Ahi-Tuna over a bed of lemon and dressed with baby mix lettuce.
She made the much better choice.
The problem I had with mine was the same I had with the breadbasket assortment we had pre-meal. I could have used those things to take out someone's eye with consummate ease. The range of four butters did give a moment's pause, however.
Her tuna appetiser, however, was beyond reproach (I tried some). The fact that I had never had tuna beyond a can made it even better. Yet the best was yet to come.
SALAD
The Insalate & Luppe course followed. Since it seemed to consist mainly of salad I skipped it, but my lovely partner went for the Insalata di Cesare read Caesar Salad which she declared good. I tried it, but my palate was not in the mood for green vegetable matter. However, I do trust her judgment.
Next up was the piece di resistance a little bit of French there for the mix the Piatti Principali, or main course. My partner decided to strike out and go with the Carre' d' Agnello al Vino Rosso roasted New Zealand lamb rack with a red wine sauce, while I decided to stick with the wholly Italian theme and go with the Penne all' Amatriciana pasta and minced beef sauted with pancetta, onion, red wine and Parmesan cheese in tomato sauce.
Wow.
On both our parts I believe. Another wow.
Another of the outstanding features of the meal had been the service. We had been seated with admirable aplomb and our waitress for the night, Fayannette, had been a marvel, appearing just when we needed her sometimes out of thin air, it seemed and fulfilling our every need. Now she hovered fretfully just beyond over my shoulder that is how I eat really - and even offered to take back my dish and get another if it was not satisfactory.
She need not have worried.
When I first tried mine I swear that taste buds which had been asleep for ages suddenly sprang back into action to get in on the fun. I watched my dining partner peel the 'as close as you can get to well-done' flesh from her rack of lamb with ease and then bite in. It was clear that she was enjoying herself and when I sampled some, I tasted why, as she did when she performed the converse. The meals were excellent and nothing else needs to be said.
Of course, I could not let the opportunity go without another Italian staple - red wine with the main course. For this I went with the house wine, which turned out to be some Chilean Carta Vieja which was more than adequate.
DESSERT
Dessert Piatti Principali followed. At the lady's behest I had the Crema Brusciata alla Frutta, which translated to mean, at least on the menu, 'Traditional Creme Brulee flavoured with fresh tropical fruit', while the lady for once ignored chocolate and went for the Tiramisu 'Mascarpone cheese and lady fingers layered with espresso and served with fresh compote'.
Why did that sound like the most complicated dish of the evening?
We were both a lil disappointed. Nothing was wrong with either dish, but then, neither brought anything new and exciting to the table. However, the ambience and service were great. Thanks Fayannette! Bread aside, the food was good and the main courses exceptional so, all in all, The Venetian is quite the place to dine!
