Sestante - Osteria di Mare — Restaurant in Venice

There are a LOT of amazing places to eat in Venice, but this one holds a special place in my heart!

We were on a cruise, and we met up with some of my family here. Well, not exactly here! They also run a small sidewalk cafe around the corner. It was a beautiful day, and we sat down for a nice meal. Just as we ordered our beverages, a storm came blowing in. If you know Venice, you know they blow in hard and fast.

As they served us our drinks, it started to sprinkle and get very windy. They were pulling the umbrellas, and approached our table. The told us we needed to move indoors. We had no idea what to do. We grabbed our beverages, and they said, "no, we will take care of this." Grabbed us, and moved us into the indoor restaurant. Just as we got inside it started storming like a hurricane. Our sever laughed and played it up. They served us inside this dining room. It is normally a dinner only place so we had the place to ourselves.

We didn't want to get on the Vorpreto in the rain to go back to our ship, so we asked if it is was ok if we stayed there to wait it out. They told us they were welcome to stay as long as we wanted. They treated us to Coffee and Gelato that was out of this world!

Trips always bring back great memories, and this is one of my favorite memories. Me, My Niece, My Sister in Law, and my best friend. Sitting in a private dining room, eating fantastic italian food, and being treated like royalty.

When we return to Venice someday (and there is NO doubt we will), we will most defiantly...

This place is a must. We made reservations ahead of time on the fork and it was worth it. we were greeter and said we could sit wherever we liked. I have no idea who the actual waitress was because all of the women worked so well together in taking care of us and the other guests . We were given the wine menu and asked if we wanted a drink so we order one . We then after a few minutes ordered our food. One of the ladies did explain a few menu changes and additions as well.

I ended up ordering the calamari marinated in beet juice for an appetizer, then a type of pasta with a pesto sauce and finally the grilled octopus. When i say wow i mean WOW! There were flavors I'd never had before on all three of these dishes . Calamari was tasty and had different levels of sweet and tart . There were different textures as well. The pasta was good and i wished that the sauce was tossed a bit more but the peppers were absolutely fresh and the pasta was cooked well. My final course was an epic parade of flavors. It was cooked three different times . One boiled one baked and once pan fried. It had ginger infused peaches and raspberries with a raspberry sauce . The entire plate was a vision of art . I ordered a desert as well to end the evening.

This place was fabulous and you must try it...

I must say I am surprised by the low (4.5) rating of this place. The taste creations are unique, the fish tartar with mint and passion fruit. And the cuttlefish with risotto and mint were among the most delicious meals I ever tasted. I didn’t like the grilled meals but I think it is because grilling is being done slightly different in Italy than in other countries. I have the impression food is often grilled to the point so you feel some bitterness from the grill and it’s not my taste. The high quality of first ingredients, the high quality of desserts (especially those invented by them) and even the bread served were absolutely admiring. I ordered tiramisu, it was the only place that didn’t make tiramisu too sweet and I had the impression the cocoa powder is something super fresh as if just grinded. My partner ordered a dessert from their own creation with grappa and it was his best dessert experience in a restaurant. I loved this place in all means. Highly recommended even if you are tight on the budget to try at least one of their dishes (mint risotto, or fish tartar with mint). I do hope they don’t lose this high quality of service, ingredients, ambience, drinks and food as...