Osteria Di Alberto, Venice, Italy

We ate here our very first day in Venice and were so happy we did. The first day is always a challenge for me and I had none of the usual ingredients that lead to a better experience. We left the US sooner rather than later, and arrived in Venice in the morning, our hotel let us leave our bags but our room wasn't ready and it is a city where walking is your only realistic option--none the less, success was ours. When we arrived there were only a few tables occupied, but by the time we left it was packed full of Italians enjoying the seafood from nearby.

We had clams (not enough of them), gambas, some bacalao made into a salad that we saw at every cicchetti place, mussels and pasta. It was all delicious and affordable, and my only wish is that I was hungrier or could stay longer. The traditional Venetian food holds a lot of appeal for me, and even though I live in a place where I cannot get most of it, this first meal left me wanting to go home and try to recreate some of it.