Ristorante Glam — Restaurant in Venice

The staff could not find our reservation when we arrived. I told them I’d made reservations 3 weeks ago over email and even mentioned what our dietary restrictions are when they asked. I was about to retrieve the email when they apologised and showed us to the table. Poorly trained Maitre D and staff and super salty “gifts from the chef”: After seating us, before giving us an introduction of the restaurant or concept, they asked if we wanted still or sparkling water. Then the sommelier proceeded to ask if we’d like an aperitif. We said no to aperitifs but we'd like to have some wine to start. But before we decide, we'd like to know what kind of food we will be having. The sommelier informed us that someone will bring us the menu soon and left. A gift of a crispy cracker from the chef was then presented followed by another round of 3 sizeable amuse bouche. At this point, we still have not been given an introduction by the Maitre D and knew nothing about the menu. My husband and I were confused, has the meal started without us ordering anything? We called for the sommelier and told him we'd like some wine since there were 3 amuse bouche on the table. He then recommended a white which was alright and said someone will bring us the menu next. The amuse bouche was super salty and we were glad to have the white wine to get rid of the salt in our mouths. When we were done, menus were brought and the maitre D finally came over and explained the offering.  He suggested we tried the new Glam menu of 8 courses which we selected. We also ordered the half wine pairing. We also specifically told the maitre D that the amuse bouche was too salty for us and requested for the chef to tone down on salt in the meal. He nodded and acknowledged our request. The dining room was stuffy: The decor was quaint and the room was a nice size with a view to the garden but the air flow was horrible. It was stuffy and I thought I’d feel better after drinking some water but that did not help at all. Eating the Glam menu was like licking salt: The first couple of courses was alright followed by what I can only describe as  some of the saltiest food I've ever eaten in Italy. My stomach started to bloat, I felt really uncomfortable and my tongue was numb with the taste of salt . At some point when they served the risotto with truffles, I was close to vomiting because of the constant taste of salt on my tongue. I asked my husband if it was just me and he acknowledged that they seemed to have ignored our request for less salt. I stopped eating then and told the waitress to skip the rest of the courses and bring me the dessert because the food was way too salty. They apologised but continued bringing my husband the rest of the courses while I kept drinking water and wine to rid my mouth of salt. My husband said the following course was pretty salty too. I noticed the couple sitting nearby were also asking for water refills constantly. When the staff served the pre dessert, I was already pretty sick and my husband took one look at me and asked for the bill. We skipped the dessert and left. I was pretty pissed that despite us asking them to use less salt, the food they served continued to be saturated with salt. If I hadn’t felt like I needed to step out quickly to get some air to stop me from throwing up, I’d have asked to see the chef and give him feedback personally. My husband too felt bad later and had a few stomaches throughout the night. Not attentive: I mentioned I don’t eat foie gras and veal when I made my reservation which they acknowledged. When we arrived they asked again and I reiterated that I don’t eat foie gras and veal and still one of the courses came with foie gras! My husband was about to flag this when I told him to forget it because I was feeling quite sick from all the salt by then and will likely not finish the...

EDITED REVIEW BASED ON EMAIL WRITING OF "LEGAL ACTION AGAINST" ME. Six of us ate at this restaurant in early March 2024. It was a lovely meal (or so we thought) with fantastic service. However, five of the six of us got terrible gastroenteritis within 24 - 36 hours of the meal. It ruined all remaining meals for the rest of the Italy trip. The only member of our party not sick was the person who did not eat the clams at this particular restaurant. I am cautious about shellfish, but this is a 2-Star Michelin restaurant. I would recommend avoiding eating here. (This is my opinion as a US-trained medical doctor and based on online research).

Although I disagree with what the restaurant wrote to me after I posted my original review, I will add their own words to this review. (Please note that I am a medical doctor and have an opinion that disagrees with their comments; however, I do not wish to face legal action. Read the CDC's language on incubation time for norovirus to refute their "medical doctor").

Here is their email to me (think customer service):

"We are contacting you because we have read your review on google and trip advisor. We don't agree with what has been mentioned by you. It is a point of view that is without any bullet proof, a theory that you cannot demonstrate.

"We work hard daily to select and check the quality of service and food catered to our guests.

"But first of all let me explain how it works.

"Our Chef wakes up early at 6.00 AM in the morning and goes to the fish market at Rialto.

"He personally selects the products from a local supplier which is one of the best fishermans in the city, all the products are traced and daily are tested by means of random inspection in the local laboratories.

"Moreover we don't buy huge quantities of seafood because we want that every two days these products are completely used to leave space for fresh ones in our fridge.

"Also we do sampling tests every couple weeks from a local biolab ( think that for Italian law it must be done every month ).

"We are really willing to give a safe and sound experience to our guests because we also eat these products.

"In any case, once you have sent your previous mail we have contacted the other guests of that evening, and no one informed us of any issue.

"Then, to be sure, we have contacted the guests of the previous day and no one gave us any kind of alert.

"We ask our Medical Doctor that assists us in the procedure of HACCP ( Hazard Analysis and Control Critical Points ) about the issue that you had. He said to us that it is not possible that after almost 24 hours ( the evening after ) from the consumption occur a food poisoning from the mollusk's bivalve, it happens at least 2-3 hours when digestion starts.

"We kindly ask to cancel the reviews on google and trip advisor because one thing is saying that you have not had a satisfying experience, one thing is to say FOOD POISONING without any proof but simply by a theory. We also ask you to modify the part where you wrote raw clams. We never said that they are raw, the clams are cooked. It is also written in the receipt on the book of HACCP procedure.

"This review is somewhat defamatory and devoid of any findings.

"We have carried out the necessary checks and everything was found to be in order, therefore we will be ready for any legal action...

As a frequent guest of Michelin-starred establishments, I have come to expect not only exceptional food but also top-tier hospitality and professionalism. Unfortunately, our recent experience with this restaurant, which boasts two Michelin stars, has been nothing short of disappointing and concerning.

We had a reservation for today but tested positive for COVID-19 early in the morning. Understanding that there is a cancellation fee for last-minute changes, we immediately tried to inform the restaurant out of concern for the health and safety of their staff and guests. Over the course of the day, we called three times, each time assured that our message would be passed on to the manager. We also sent an email, as requested.

Despite this, we were shocked to receive a notification just one hour before our reservation that our card had been charged the full cancellation fee of $550. Upon calling the manager to explain our situation, the conversation took a deeply unpleasant turn. The manager not only accused us of attempting fraud but dismissed our concerns with the remark, “Everyone is sick.” When I explained that we were trying to be responsible by canceling, he implied that we should have come to the restaurant instead, simply because it was within the 24-hour cancellation period.

I find it astonishing that a Michelin-starred restaurant would prioritize financial gain over public health, especially during a pandemic. As a physician, I am particularly disturbed by this disregard for the well-being of others. When I mentioned that we had been trying to communicate with the restaurant from the early morning, the manager curtly responded that it was “not his job” to handle calls and emails — a shocking statement for anyone in a managerial role, let alone at a Michelin-rated establishment where hospitality should be paramount.

This entire situation has left us not only angry but extremely disappointed. It’s hard to believe that a restaurant of this caliber would rather risk the health of its guests than appreciate the efforts we made to inform them of our positive COVID test. While we understand the need for cancellation policies, the handling of our case was unprofessional and, frankly, unacceptable.

We plan to reach out to the Michelin team to report this behavior, as it clearly goes against the standards of hospitality and guest care that Michelin is known for. This experience has soured what was supposed to be a memorable dining occasion, and we hope that future guests do not have to endure the same...