Before taking the helm of this bistrattoria that’s as narrow as a vaporetto, ex-architect Eleonora Zuliani enriched her native Friuli-Venezia cuisine with layovers at the École Ferrandi and Caffè dei Cioppi. At Il Bacaro, you’ll find a yellow-beige color palette gracing the walls, plus banquettes and tiling that go perfectly with the boar head trophy above the bar. In the kitchen? Everything you could want from the Boot! Just take the night we went as proof: baccalà mantecato to get things started – crispy crostini submerged in a tempest of salt cod cream; plump cjalsons di formaggio – silky potato dumplings stuffed full of creamy cheese over a scarlet bed of tomato sauce with marjoram; followed by ripe figs dipped in vanilla-infused whipped ricotta and a speculos crumble topping for dessert. And on the prix-fixe lunch menu: risotto with mushrooms and sausage, or pasta with duck and orange, plus tiramisu or almond tart for dessert. // M.J.-D.
FEELING THIRSTY? Italian down to the dregs: a Campania red from Alepa (€7 a glass); Progetto Calcarius, an Apulian white (€35 for a liter bottle); or a Sicilian red from Cusumano (€44 a bottle).
PRICE: Set menus €13-18 (lunch), à la carte €30-44.
