Little Venice Trumansburg — Restaurant in Town of Ulysses

I have been savoring this review because I just recently re-discovered a new/old happy place again! That place is the Little Venice Restaurant and Bar located in Tremendousburg (Trumansburg) N.Y.

Sorry to bring up this topic again because everyone myself included got tired of hearing "due to Covid", but the little bug really effected and changed the entire world . During the pandemic a lot of mom and pop restaurants like Little Venice had to close their doors, due to not having a dining space to comply with the 6' separation rules. Little Venice did close their dinning room which cut off access to one of their signature menu features their salad bar!! Yikes what's a hungry guy to do now? Little Venice did not go quietly go into the night though. They adapted to improvise to overcome and they "beefed" up their take out business which carried them through those trying times!

Fast forward to just the other night when a friend suggested we have dinner at Little Venice because he lives in Trumansburg and I do not, but I used to work there. I asked him if the salad bar was open and he said..." yes it is!" As we were greeted by the wait staff and rounded the corner to the dinning room ....there it was! Light beams from were I don't know were streaming down upon it! Wait are those angels I hear singing! Yes there it was in all it's glory the Salad Bar!

Enter our very cheerful, congenial, personable, and professional waiter Dana. This young strapping lad who reminded me of my own son, was truly amazing! He brought me the best news of the evening that the salad bar was $15, which is worth it because I think it has over 50 items, a meal in and of itself !!! Items that you hope to see , like the standard iceberg lettuce, but also the healthier choices like baby spinach and fresh heads of broccoli spears. But also for guys like me, the not so healthy choices too, like pepperoni and a mountain of shredded cheese! But wait there's more the good news was if I purchased an entree....which I was eyeballing off the menu the seafood Fettucine Alfredo, the salad bar would be reduced to five bucks! I stood up and did a Jim Carrey move.....Yes, yes, yes! I can have my salad bar and eat it too! The other most exciting news that Dana informed me of at the time of this review was that an added bonus of entertainment is provided in the bar on Wednesdays and Saturday nights! Get ready to get your Karaoke on in the bar with D.J. Nora! See Pic!

So get out there and support your local businesses and their staff! Chances are they are somebody you know!!

Bon Appetite and Cheers all! Have a better 2025! I know I'm hoping to.

GG ~ Jack LoPinto

P.s. I need to add after a marvelous dinner I stepped over to the bar side to toss back some very reasonably priced suds and was very well taken care of by my newest bestes bartender and master mixologist...

My overall rating reflects the good blended with the bad, leaving the overall experience in the middle and since there's no 2.5, I rounded down. The good is, the food is consistent and priced appropriately, the service is always timely and friendly and the crowd inside is usually fun, creating an enjoyable atmosphere. The bad is that a terrible radio station is always running, playing acoustic covers of mostly pop-songs, the large TV's frequently show disturbing news stories and graphic images in the bar area (one time there was a liposuction infomercial on 2 of the flat screens) and most of all, their policies. One example can be captured in a recent experience. I'm a regular at LV and often sit at the bar if I'm not with my son.

I ordered a beer recently and asked what the specials were. I learned there was a wings special so I asked if I could get it 'to go' and was told "no". I asked if I could order the wings and just get a box on the side to pack myself and was told "no, they're for dine in only". I then asked if I could just order the wings, be charged a fee or whatever they normally were when not on special and have them boxed (or box myself) and be on my way, which seemed to throw the bartenders through a loop. I ended up cashing out and leaving. If someone is at the bar drinking a beer, why would it matter if the food they're paying for (and tipping on the total) is consumed in the presence of their staff or off site? Baffling to me. Especially since I believe I'm a recognizable face in there...but...maybe not, apparently?

I had a similar experience about a year ago when I ordered 3 or 4 entrees to go, which normally all come with salad bars. When I arrived I asked if I could get one serving at the salad bar (instead of 4 full all you can eat salad bars if we dined in). While waiting on the food 2 different servers came by to tell me that wasn't possible and before leaving, one that recognized me said they could make an exception and I could fill one smaller container, but at that point I was ready to leave and didn't care about getting a salad for that...

We come to Little Venice every summer when vacationing in the area. In the past have ordered the Eggplant Roulade Florentine and have always been very pleased with it. Ample size portion of thinly sliced, breaded & fried eggplant over a bed of sauteed zucchini ribbons (in a delicious mild/sweet lightly buttered sauce), with a tomato sauce with mushrooms over it all. The eggplant has always been full of flavor and delicious and the zucchini a nice, understated, addition. We visited yesterday and hubby and I again ordered this dish. It was a disappointment. Rather than the zucchini being simply an addition to the eggplant, it dominated the dish. Mostly on the raw side, with no flavor except for being over seasoned with black pepper. Between the over abundance of zucchini and a thick coating of tomato sauce, you could hardly taste the eggplant. There is a salad bar available but at an additional cost of $5. At the full entree price of $17.50, you would think they could include a simple side salad. A slice of italian bread with provided but it was so thin you could practically see through it. In addition, although there were tables for two available in the front part of the restaurant (high tables near the front window), we were seated in the main dining room at a booth that could have easily fit 8 people (there were only 2 of us). On a plus note, the wine serving was ample and reasonably priced at $6.50. Overall though, a disappointing visit. Unfortunately because there are not too many eating establishments in the area that remain open late, there are not too many options. Next time (if there is one), we'll just...