First, let's get something straight. It's Venetian, not Venesian. Sorry folks, it's the Veneto, not the Veneso. Ok, having said that.....
I have a love-hate relationship with this restaurant. This goes back to the 1970's when I first started dining here. And, to boot, my father-in-law, a 1956 grad of the U of A waxed sublime when recommending this place to me. "Ah...the salad.....ooh, the pasta". Well, the place does date from the 40's (1947 as their sign says), and the food hasn't evolved much since then --which is not a bad thing -- except in one case which I will mention later.
If you put your butt in a seat, you're gonna get a salad. Bleu cheese? Nope. Ranch? Forget it. You are going to get a Venesian Inn salad (Iceberg lettuce, a little oil, white vinegar, and a touch of garlic powder is a pretty close clone). It might be a bit soggy -- don't sweat it. Really, it isn't bad! Quite good, in fact. It's one of those comfort food things that grows on you.
Let's talk steak. That's what coaxed me there in the first place in 1975. Thin. Ridiculously thin. If you want a honkin' thick steak, don't come here. Their steaks are no more than 1/2" thick on a good day. That's not necessarily a bad thing, BUT it is extremely hard to cook a thin steak "rare" when it is that thin. They do an OK job, but make sure that your server is aware that you want it RARE......order it blue. Steaks are done on a flat top griddle.
Wait staff. Honor them. Most of them have been there for 10+ years. In fact, I have known waitresses who were the "Tontitown Grape Festival Queen" in the forties who, until recent days, still worked there. Tip them 20%. They are worth it!
The pasta is good. If you get a steak, order the pasta as a side. It is Tontitown style (egg and wheat) and well worth it. Skip the sirloin. It's tough. Order the Tbone. Order it one level below the doneness that you want. It always comes out overdone.
Drinks. The Venesian Inn, until today, was one of those rare institutions that genuinely cared about their customers and their dining experience. When I started going there in the 70's, the "tea-totalers "were in the state house. The good folks at the Venesian Inn realized (good Italians that the were) that wine and beer are food, not liquor. They allowed for the "brown-bagging" of these food-stuffs into the premises. Subsequently, beer has been sold in the restaurant, but wine has been brown bagged. Starting tomorrow, they will have a wine license. We'll wait and see what the wine list will be like, and the up-charge...... Yeah, drinks will be more expensive from now on. Bummer.
Now for the critique. Don't have a problem with the salad; don't have a problem with the steaks; pasta is good; cloverleaf rolls are to-die-for (need a touch more salt in the dough, though).....the WORST thing about the Venesian Inn? Margarine. Pats of margarine. It ruins the rolls, does no service to the crackers and honey on the table, and is an embarrassment.
Folks, take the added revenue from the sale of wine that you will make in fiscal year 1 July 2009 - June 30 2010 and put butter pats on the table. Really!
I have a love-hate relationship with this restaurant. This goes back to the 1970's when I first started dining here. And, to boot, my father-in-law, a 1956 grad of the U of A waxed sublime when recommending this place to me. "Ah...the salad.....ooh, the pasta". Well, the place does date from the 40's (1947 as their sign says), and the food hasn't evolved much since then --which is not a bad thing -- except in one case which I will mention later.
If you put your butt in a seat, you're gonna get a salad. Bleu cheese? Nope. Ranch? Forget it. You are going to get a Venesian Inn salad (Iceberg lettuce, a little oil, white vinegar, and a touch of garlic powder is a pretty close clone). It might be a bit soggy -- don't sweat it. Really, it isn't bad! Quite good, in fact. It's one of those comfort food things that grows on you.
Let's talk steak. That's what coaxed me there in the first place in 1975. Thin. Ridiculously thin. If you want a honkin' thick steak, don't come here. Their steaks are no more than 1/2" thick on a good day. That's not necessarily a bad thing, BUT it is extremely hard to cook a thin steak "rare" when it is that thin. They do an OK job, but make sure that your server is aware that you want it RARE......order it blue. Steaks are done on a flat top griddle.
Wait staff. Honor them. Most of them have been there for 10+ years. In fact, I have known waitresses who were the "Tontitown Grape Festival Queen" in the forties who, until recent days, still worked there. Tip them 20%. They are worth it!
The pasta is good. If you get a steak, order the pasta as a side. It is Tontitown style (egg and wheat) and well worth it. Skip the sirloin. It's tough. Order the Tbone. Order it one level below the doneness that you want. It always comes out overdone.
Drinks. The Venesian Inn, until today, was one of those rare institutions that genuinely cared about their customers and their dining experience. When I started going there in the 70's, the "tea-totalers "were in the state house. The good folks at the Venesian Inn realized (good Italians that the were) that wine and beer are food, not liquor. They allowed for the "brown-bagging" of these food-stuffs into the premises. Subsequently, beer has been sold in the restaurant, but wine has been brown bagged. Starting tomorrow, they will have a wine license. We'll wait and see what the wine list will be like, and the up-charge...... Yeah, drinks will be more expensive from now on. Bummer.
Now for the critique. Don't have a problem with the salad; don't have a problem with the steaks; pasta is good; cloverleaf rolls are to-die-for (need a touch more salt in the dough, though).....the WORST thing about the Venesian Inn? Margarine. Pats of margarine. It ruins the rolls, does no service to the crackers and honey on the table, and is an embarrassment.
Folks, take the added revenue from the sale of wine that you will make in fiscal year 1 July 2009 - June 30 2010 and put butter pats on the table. Really!
