La Osteria da Riccardo, una cocina no democrática en el barrio veneciano de Cannaregio

The streets that wind along the left side of Strada Nova, just before Campo Santi Apostoli, lead to the osteria. A few meters away is Ai Promessi Sposi, and at the end of the street, Bepi 54. It's probably a coincidence, but those who choose this area rarely go wrong.

Riccardo's cuisine is often described as undemocratic, and that definition can be interpreted in several ways. The menu deliberately excludes certain iconic dishes, or, when it does offer local and regional classics, it treats them with mastery and excellent ingredients. There's also an almost anarchic and ostentatious approach, and a self-selection of customers who immediately grasp the essence of the cuisine and service, deciding whether or not to enter.

The restaurant is small: an indoor dining room and tables outside, seating just over twenty people. Antique furniture and portraits of divas from the past lend it a bohemian touch, and the cozy atmosphere more than makes up for the limited space. Riccardo Volpe, with his theatrical presence, powerful voice, and signature apron, creates a warm and welcoming ambiance. A former nightclub manager, he spent a few years at Antico Pizzo in the Rialto district and seems to have found his ideal spot here, where he moves about in confined spaces with the same ease with which he selects suppliers and ingredients, both local and from further afield.

The dishes are announced aloud, though they also appear printed on menus or handwritten on the windows. It's advisable to choose the third option, which might lead you to let the host guide you, but allows you to sample the day's dishes without restrictions or order.

There are four tasting menus, ranging from Venetian dishes to a selection of raw fish, at competitive prices (€36-€40). The menu is even more enticing, with options such as Piedmontese beef tartare and culatta, chilled spaghetti with pistachios and raw prawns, or the "fondante" version with five tomatoes, gnocchi with free-range ragu, roasted octopus and duck leg, as well as seasonal boiled meats. The gourmet focaccia, with roasted peppers and anchovies, is worth trying. The fish comes from the Rialto market, and prestigious brands include Felicetti for the pasta and Damini di Arzignano for the meat. The value for money is exceptional in the city, ranging from €20 to €25-€28. The wine list is very comprehensive, with a carefully curated selection of artisanal producers.

The tasting menu includes a varied appetizer of cod in cream sauce, prawns, and sardines in saor sauce. The small details make all the difference: the chopped pistachios, which actually taste like pistachios and aren't just for crunch, the candied fruit, and the pomegranate transform a familiar dish. The gnocchi with eggplant, clams, and almond cream are succulent, with meaty clams, a flavorful and smooth eggplant sauce, and the chewy texture of the almonds at the end. The spaghetti with tomato sauce is almost crispy, enveloped in a simple sauce where the tomato is the star.

The dessert selection deserves to be wider, with more creative options to accompany the mascarpone cream, panna cotta, and shortbread cookies.

Osteria da Riccardo delivers on its promise of bringing a contemporary touch, though not equally to all diners, to the city's gastronomy and to the very concept of the osteria, which might otherwise become boring and insular. With an unconventional owner, it also manages to breathe new life into Venice's culinary scene.