Ristorante Pizzeria Aladino
Bread
Fritto Misto
Seafood Risotto
Zafferina – Mozzarella, Rosemary, Sausage, Saffron
Nocella – Mozzarella, Brie, Walnut Pesto, Smoked Ham
Deciding to pass on Michelin-starred MET based on a choiceless $160 menu that lacked anything of substantial interest, it was after a long walk finding several restaurants closed on Sunday that the decision was made to take the train back to Mestre, seating at Ristorante da Flavio e Fabrizio refused despite an obvious abundance of tables eventually leading to dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria Aladino on Viale S. Marco, the results more-or-less a disaster from the décor and loud music to the inedibly stale table bread as well as many of the actual plates.
Owned by a gregarious gentleman whose fluency in English was an unexpected treat considering a location well-outside the traditional tourist zone, entrance to Ristorante Pizzeria Aladino brings patrons face-to-face with a true hodgepodge of Italian and Middle Eastern influences, the offering of Kabobs fused with Pizza just one of a handful of confusing elements, though the pies with French Fries and Frankfurters may have been an even more perplexing choice.
Arriving at 21h15, the restaurant mostly empty and staff seen regularly taking cigarette breaks that saw water go unfilled and long delays between courses one and two, bread was immediately set aside after just one lifeless endpiece, the Fritto Misto not just undercooked but downright oily with a texture that makes one think the Calamari rings arrived straight from a freezer bag.
Modestly impressed by a plate of creamy Seafood Risotto offered per-portion to parties of two or more, it was with two nearly-New York-style Pizzas that the experience at Aladino met its conclusion, the Rosemary, Sausage and Saffron version finding the spices too liberally applied to be enjoyable while soft chunks of Brie were pleasant atop Walnut Pesto with chunks of Ham and Mozzarella, the crust falling far short of the high standard set one night prior and actually sort of disappointing compared to North American chains like Domino’s or Pizza Hut.
www.pizzeriaaladino.com