"Where do I begin, okay from the beginning. My wife and I were staying at the Doubletree Hilton, it was our day in Italy and we were faced with the high probability that we were about to face our meal of Pizza. Don't...get me wrong, we had several delicious pizzas from various Pizzerias but enough is enough. It was and our options were almost all up. I opened TripAdvisor and selected restaurants in my local area and there were several but it was Sunday night and options were dwindling. I scrolled thru a couple of places and there were decent choices of .......Pizzerias, ugh..... I decided if I had to eat pizza again I would find the number rated restaurant and I came upon Porca L'Oca, it had stars and good reviews. I asked Sara the Doubletree front desk rep if she had heard of Porca and she said she had, she had eaten there herself and it was very good, but she thought we definitely would need a reservation. That got me concerned because I was near the end of our vacation budget. Sara spoke to them in Italian and my wife and I thought it sounded argumentative and I thought for sure that we would not be going there. Sara hung up the phone, smiled at me and assured me everything was set and they would be expecting us shortly at Porca's. Note, I took Deutsche in Highschool for years and hadn't any experience with Italian, so now I know that just normally conversation tone for them. Plugged in Porca's address and minutes later we pulled into a dirt road and Google Maps announced we had arrived at our destination. Unfortunately we were between two freshly plowed farmer's fields and no building insight. We kept driving deeper into the farmers land and started to become concerned we were trespassing on somebody's land while in a foreign country. Came around a bend of trees and there were cars parked on side of road next to a very large house surrounded by lush vegetation. We still thought we were on private property but thought we might be able to get directions from the house occupants. Walked up to the door and could hear a large group talking and celebrating, tried the front door but it was locked. Now for sure this was a private residence we thought! I noticed there was a key on the outside of the door, I shrugged my shoulders, turned the key and walked in as the door opened. There were several long tables filled with families and busy servers rushing about. One of the servers noticed us and gave us a friendly gesture to come right in. I held up two fingers and they sat us down and immediately it began..... They immediately brought us a bottle of still water and a bottle of House Cabernet. We tasted the wine and we both looked at each other in amazement because it was so delicious, it was the best wine we had since the start of our Italian visit, maybe ever..... Then they immediately started putting food on our table without ever even asking for our order. My wife and I wondered what we had got ourselves into. With no menu and no prices listed, we assumed that this meal was going to be rather expensive, but the setting and service were so wonderful I thought what the heck you only live once. When the food started coming out, I didn't care anymore. First, brought out a relish tray with bread that was so good and with pickles that were tart and tangy and tasty. The food was more than amazing, every single continuous dish they brought just got better and better, one of the appetizers was some kind of warmed cabbage and artichoke dish that my wife and I had multiple helpings of. Two dishes of pasta then followed, a superb Risotto and a beef stroganoff made with homemade noodles that my Dad would die for. Next was a delicious simple yet very fresh garden salad. Next they brought out a main entree that was a deliciously prepared Guinea Fowl with roasted potatoes, that were so very savory. They attempted to bring us a second full entrée but we were just too full. I actually had to go outside and walk around a bit in the rain because I was so absolutely wonderfully stuffed. They brought out an amazingly light and airy Strawberry Cheesecake and this was followed a tray of homemade Italian pastries......somehow we found room for them. To end the gourmet feast, Espresso and ice cold Grappa were served and that was followed by a digestive liquor known as Genziana, at alcohol by weight, wow! I believe Gene Simmons of KISS fame, uses it to blow fire balls during his concerts. Juliana, the proprietor's daughter was so helpful and friendly. Her beautiful Mom is the one who came over with the bottle of Genziana, with a mischievous Cat who ate the bird look in her eye We certainly enjoyed our dining experience and will without exception be visiting here again on our next visit to Venice, you should to! Oh and I should mention.... All that fine service, all that fine wine, food, desserts, after dinner drinks and digestifs, all the feeling of being welcome in their humble yet thriving restaurant. For the two of us, euros....... Call and visit first chance you get, tell them Gary and Sara send their warm regards."
Manzo Alla Stroganoff
