MURO SAN STAE: A DECENT GOOGLE RATING AND AVAILABILITY IS WHAT EARNED OUR PATRONAGE AT THIS VENETIAN RESTAURANT
The Cost -$39 per person
The Atmosphere – Located in the San Polo area of Venice, Muro San Stae is near some other restaurants in a quieter part of the city. The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor seating and its interior can be described as having a bit of a “dated modern” style. Reservations are not necessary, which, in our case, was very helpful.
On our first night in Venice, we didn’t have dinner reservations, though I had researched some restaurants that I wanted to try and so we went on a walk through the narrow city streets to get into one of them. After being turned away at the first two and having walked for about thirty minutes already, we got frustrated and decided to eat at the nearest restaurant with a half-decent Google rating. That is how we ended up at Muro San Stae.
The Order –Folpetti con polenta, Pork Coppa , Gnocchi di patate, Risotto di pesce and a Tiramisu.
The Great – The best dish of the evening was the Pork Coppa, a special that is not always available but should be. The coppa roast is also referred to as “pork collar” and is a fatty piece of pork that is very tender and often used in a slow roast or stew. The coppa at Muro San Stae was stewed with balsamic and fennel, which provided excellent flavor and texture and I was very glad we tried this unique appetizer at the waiter’s recommendation.
The Gnocchi di patate was also quite good. Prepared with crab shavings on top of the large potato gnocchi and cooked tomatoes, the dish was tasty, and I enjoyed the flavor of the small amount of crab that was shredded over the top of the excellently made pasta. I wish the crab felt more substantial in the dish but overall, I enjoyed this plate.
The Tiramisu was selected for dessert because we were told it was homemade and the best dessert on the menu. It turned out to be a nicely done tiramisu that was not too sweet, which I appreciated. Instead, the dessert was topped with copious amounts of cinnamon and a lovely cream which added great flavor without needing too much sugar. It wasn’t presented in the prettiest fashion but the taste more than made up for it and it was a great way to end the meal.
The Good – The Folpetti con polenta is an octopus stew that is served over polenta. The octopus stew contains small parts of small octopuses which was a little disappointing as the small parts didn’t taste nearly as good as the more common octopus. However, the stew had a nice flavor to it while the polenta was a bit bland and underwhelming. The Risotto di Pesce at Muro San Stae consisted of a mix of mussels, shrimp, clams, and fish mixed with a creamy risotto. Overall, the dish was solid but it was an average seafood risotto; not anything I’d order again.
The Verdict – The biggest takeaway is that you should do a lot of research and make reservations well before arriving in Venice. While Muro San Stae was good, there are better restaurants in the city in the same price range. We wish we had used our own Food Concierge Service to plan out this meal!